DATE: 4/27/05

CONTACT: Dr. Johnny Jordan, (864) 656-2530

                      Scott Mickey, (803) 773-5561

WRITER:   Tom Lollis, (803) 284-3343, ext. 241

Clemson to host 22nd Ag Lenders School

CLEMSON – Financial institutions that lend to farmers will send representatives to Clemson University May 1 to learn the latest about what’s going on in agriculture during a five-day Southeast Agricultural Lenders School (SEALS).

“We’ll have 24 students for our 22nd year,” said Johnny Jordan, SEALS director and head of Research Farm Services at Clemson University . Since its inception in 1984, approximately 600 people have graduated from SEALS.

The school is the only one of its kind in the Southeast and one of only a few in the United States .

“We don’t teach bankers how to manage their banks, we teach them how to evaluate customers,” said Jordan . Classes will emphasize credit scoring techniques, financial statement analysis and many different loan analysis tools.

“Also, since the market is global now, lenders must be aware of the consequences of agricultural production, imports and exports in countries all over the world when evaluating the feasibility of a loan to a local farmer,” he said.

One of the highlight speakers for the school will be David Kohl, professor emeritus from Virginia Tech.

“He is an outstanding teacher and travels all over the world teaching agricultural finance,” said Jordan .

Scott Mickey, SEALS coordinator and Extension associate for applied economics and statistics in Sumter County , will teach a case study on marketing to show how farmers can use marketing and crop insurance to improve profitability and reduce risk.

Participants will play a game, making marketing decisions each day and presenting results the final day of classes. The group that makes the most money will win a cash prize.

SEALS participants will come from the states of South Carolina, North Carolina , Georgia , Virginia , Kentucky , Missouri and Ohio . They represent commercial banks, the Farm Credit system, the Farm Services Administration, credit managers from agricultural supply companies, and bank auditors.

“Many of the people who have attended SEALS are now leaders in their organizations,” said Jordan .

One of them is Andy Lowery, CEO of AgFirst, the premier agricultural lender in the eastern United States and Puerto Rico , providing more than $9 billion in loans to more than 120,000 farmers.

“I was in the course the first time they ever offered it,” said Lowery. “It was very beneficial to me. We appreciate what Clemson does, and the school is a great place for us to send young loan officers for training.”

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