It’s National AG Week and here at Citizens State Bank, it is a pretty big deal! With 145 years of being a leading AG Bank for Northwestern Illinois, we like to celebrate this week as a kick off to the season! While agriculture is a 24/7, 365 days a year gig, National AG Week comes around just as farmers are starting to get that itch to get back into the fields. Mother Nature still has a few tricks up her sleeve, yet we are sure do enjoy every 60-degree day she gives us in March!
Finishing Up Renewal Season
The “not so fun” aspect of agriculture is a lot of the behind-the-scenes number crunching and financial work. As your trusted AG partner, we are here to help clarify, lend advice, and assist you in the financial success of your operation. Our AG team here at CSB is hard at work meeting with our customers, as we finalize their needs for 2025. If you have not done so, be sure to give us a call to set up your renewal meeting. As always we are also available to meet with new customers who are not happy with their current AG Bank.
Preparing for Planting
As seed is rolling in for the dealers to sort and prepare for customers, farmers and farm hands are preparing the equipment for a busy spring planting season – making sure all equipment is operating up to par, in hopes of no issues that may cause a delay in planting. Once it is go time, they want to be prepared enough to sow seed until all of their acres are planted. Each operation has their requirements and that special feeling for when the time is right to press GO. Once they do, the only thing stopping them is Mother Nature or a break down… and neither equates for a good mood.
While the farmers and farm hands are preparing the equipment, their significant others are often preparing in a bit of a different fashion. They may be gearing up for field meal delivery, solo parenting, and dealing with the chaos of everyday life, that can come from holding down the fort during busy season, so that their other half can help feed America. Not to be forgotten about in the chaos of the season, their hard work and contribution to the success of the industry does not go unnoticed!
Event Season Kicking Off
As National AG Week wraps up and welcomes the season of planting, it also welcomes what we here at CSB call Event Season. Being active in our communities is one of our core values, and we encourage all of our employees to stay involved.
We have started to see posts from our local FFA Chapters about their spring greenhouse sales and encourage everyone who is going to plant a garden or flower bed to shop your local high school greenhouse sale first! This money helps contribute to funding scholarships and education opportunities to our youth in agriculture.
4-H projects are also in their very beginning stages, and before we know it, fair season will be here! As you see our AG Bankers, or members of our staff out and about throughout this season, be sure to say hello. It is one of the most fun portions of our jobs, and we are always excited to hear of the events going on throughout our local communities.
Happy National AG Week from Citizens State Bank! Be sure to thank a farmer, farm hand, truck driver, farm spouse, AG professional, FFA advisor, 4-H leader, and anyone else active in the agriculture Industry this week! It truly takes all of us to help feed America!
