In Conversation with a Vision Agriculture Specialist: Terry Krahn
A Vision Q&A series rooted in agriculture and helping members grow
When you’ve got the word “agriculture” in your job title, you’d better know a thing or two about growing things. Vision’s Agriculture Specialists come at their understanding of farming and ranching from different angles: crop science, farm equipment sales and farm supply, but they all have their roots in agriculture and their hearts in helping grow futures for Vision’s food producing members.
Terry Krahn | Vision Agriculture Specialist | Region: La Crete, Manning
Did you grow up on a farm?
My family didn’t, but my grandfather had a farm. I started helping out on his farm when I was 12 or so, usually driving the tractor.
How did you come to be an Ag Specialist at Vision?
I worked at UFA for a number of years. Between that and my experience in farming and my other work experience, working as an Ag/Commercial specialist for Vision just seemed like a really good fit.
What's the best part about the work you do as an Ag Specialist?
I really like going out to see our members. I enjoy getting to know them and their families and spending time learning about their operations. Lots of companies don’t give you the freedom to go out to build relationships, but Vision does. It’s an important part of what I do.
From your experience, what’s the most common challenge food producers face when dealing with other financial institutions?
Lots of the banks tend to look at a farmer’s financial statements just a year at a time. If the farmer has had a bad year, the loans folks say ‘no, we don’t want to deal with you.’
With Vision, we look at the big picture — things like what was going on that year, how the operation has done in previous years, what are the projections for future years — so we’re able to help farming operations through the tough times.
What’s the most helpful service you offer to Ag members?
Our members really like that we come out to their farms. It’s less time away from their operation when they have banking to do and it’s much more comfortable to talk money around their combine or kitchen table than it is to sit in a little office at the branch. Members also like that when they pick up the phone, they’re not getting a call centre. They can talk to me.
Get in touch with Terry at our La Crete branch:
