Franklin Fogleman is a fifth-generation farmer in Marion, Arkansas.
He works with his father and two uncles to carry on the Fogleman agricultural legacy.
Good times and bad
Franklin and his family raise corn, rice, soybeans and, in recent years, hemp. Looking back to the 2000s, Franklin remembers the challenges that his family and their peers faced in Northeast Arkansas.
“The 2000s were a pretty difficult era in Northeast Arkansas in agriculture,” Franklin said.
At that time, the Foglemans had a lending relationship with another entity, but, when things got tough, they turned to Farm Credit.
“Over our 20-plus year relationship with Farm Credit, they’ve been with us through a number of times, good and bad,” he said.
Support across the board
Over the course of the past two decades, the Foglemans have needed support in a variety of different areas from their lender. They’ve looked to Farm Credit Mid-America for equipment loans, real estate loans, operating loans and marketing loans. And no matter what it was they needed, Franklin and his family were able to find it at Farm Credit.
“They’ve been there and been part of our operation day-in and day-out,” Franklin said. “About any product that you can imagine, Farm Credit has the ability to offer it and truly understands it, too.”
The Farm Credit difference
Farm Credit employees are very often members of the rural communities they serve and, frequently, farmers themselves. This translates into an intimate understanding of the agriculture industry and the challenges and joys that their farmer-customers face.
This knowledge has been very important to Franklin over the years as he’s worked with Farm Credit.
“My experience with Farm Credit has been great,” Franklin said, “and a lot of that is driven by the knowledge that Farm Credit brings to the table. Their slogan is ‘we know agriculture,’ and it makes lending in what’s a very difficult environment and very difficult industry easier when you have lenders that truly understand what you’re going through every day on the farm.”
