Oh, how the times have changed – Let’s face it. The days of the “handshake equals dairy loan” are long gone! Actually, it’s been that way for 25 years. I find it remarkable that some people think that “Old Bob” down at the bank still exists. They simply told Bob what they needed, shook hands and signed one sheet of paper before achieving access to unlimited loan amounts. At least that is how they remember the process. Was it truly that simple? I don’t know because I wasn’t there. What has changed? Here is a list of items that come to mind for me:

Wow! Wasn’t 2009 a real tragedy in terms of overall cash flow and bottom line results? It was absolutely pathetic for most producers. Since then dairymen have been enjoying the fruits of higher milk prices. How can we avoid revealing the same calamities again? What could you have done differently as a manager? These are critical items to spend some time on.

Given the difficult state of the dairy industry, lenders might, in some situations, be taking longer to make their credit decisions. Is this truly a tough year? YES!!! Is it the end of the world? Hardly. Is your dairy farm loan renewal taking longer than usual this year? Perhaps, but so are the renewals of many other dairy farms.