Overview

Agriculture loan officers, or agricultural lenders, work to help farmers and rural citizens obtain funds needed to fund their operation, purchase property, and more.

What responsibilities will I have?

• Seek lending relationships with existing customers
• Actively call on prospective borrowers
• Explain to customers the different types of loans and credit options that are available, as well as the terms of those services
• Develop and analyze all types of credit information
• Approve within delegated authority loan structures pricing and conditions on loan transactions
• Combine agricultural and business knowledge with an in-depth understanding of each customer’s current financial position in order to provide innovative and workable alternatives to solve problems the customer faces in their ongoing farming operations
• Ensure all files are maintained in a secure environment to protect borrowers’ data
• Participate in training as scheduled by the supervisor
• Evaluate the risk in loan transactions and assign a probability of default and loss given default
• Manage and grow existing loan portfolios
• Participate in community and industry events
• Prepare credit analysis on assigned portfolio directly or through the use of a credit analyst

What education and training is required?

Becoming an agricultural loan officer requires a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business, business, accounting or finance. A general understanding of agriculture is very valuable and desired.

To pursue a career as an agricultural loan officer:

The following high school courses are recommended: agricultural education, computer courses, accounting, economics, and personal finance.  

Where can I work?

Agricultural loan officers most often work for banks, some of which are agricultural in nature.

Future Job Market / Outlook

The future outlook for an agricultural loan officer will be good over the next five years. 

Suggested Professional Organizations and Associations

• American Agricultural Economics Association
• Local Chamber of Commerce
• American Bankers Association