Jamie Kinsey is a 5th generation farmer in Taylor County, West Virginia. 

Jamie and his family raise cattle and have been Farm Credit borrowers for over 100 years.  

Farm Credit in the community 
Jamie has been involved in agriculture for many years, and throughout his time in the sector he has seen Farm Credit participate in the community in ways that expand beyond the traditional roles of a lender. 

“Farm Credit has been a very strong supporter and not just in my community, but surrounding communities as well,” he said. 

He has watched Farm Credit support big events that the community has hosted, both by contributing donations and by sending staff to participate. 

Farm Credit supports rural youth
Farm Credit associations across the country contribute time and money to their local 4-H and FFA chapters. 4-H is a nation-wide network of youth development organizations, following the motto “head, heart, hands and health,” And FFA is a national career and technical student organization based in middle and high school classes that supports students in their agricultural education. 

“You see how Farm Credit works with our youth, particularly with 4-H and the FFA students,” Jamie said. 

Education and leadership 
Farm Credit understands the importance of educating young people about agriculture and equipping them with the leadership skills they need to be successful and share their knowledge with others. 

One way that Farm Credit associations, including Farm Credit of the Virginias where Jamie is a customer-owner, support these programs is by purchasing young people’s show animals at county fairs. After spending a whole season raising a cow or tending to a goat or hog, students show them at the fair and then hope to auction them off to a buyer from the community. Many times, that buyer is the local Farm Credit association. The money that these young 4-H and FFA students raise from the sale of their livestock helps many of them pay for college. 

“It’s very nice to see a lending association participate in and give back to the community,” Jamie said.