Building Your Farm Plan

Buying or building any business requires much evaluation and planning, but when that business is a farm, there are more layers of complexity. You need more than a business plan – you need a farm plan. Any entrepreneur will tell you that owning your own business can be all consuming, but when it is a farm, it is built into its DNA. Farms are often owned and operated by families, sometimes across multiple generations. They live on or adjacent to the farm, and it sets the pace of their living because the crops and stock are both their investment and living things that require their attention on a particular set of schedules for them to survive – and thrive. Creating a “whole farm plan” can help you all be on the same page while documenting decisions and details that will keep you moving forward together.

First Financial Bank Ag Meeting: Celebrating 90 Years

Our Farm & Ranch and Poultry Lending Divisions met at FFB-Corporate for the annual ag retreat. This retreat was extra special because we're celebrating our 90th Anniversary!

Our lenders spent a few days in training workshops, networking, and discussing industry insights.

Our team is dedicated to the Ag industry and ready to help you grow your operation.

You Need To Invest

I will spend hundreds of millions of dollars in my lifetime — and I’m just an average-sized Illinois farm with a growing seed conditioning business. How do we use those dollars effectively and strategically? We purchase with a purpose.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Ingredients

2 cups (chopped) store-bought rotisserie chicken (purchase family-sized chicken)
1 cup (cooked) long-grain white rice
10.5 ounce can cream of celery soup
¾ cup mayonnaise
½ cup chicken stock (or broth)
½ cup finely diced onion (see notes below)
salt, pepper, garlic powder, to taste
1 ½ cups bread crumbs
3 Tablespoons salted butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray an 11x7-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, stir together chicken, cooked rice, soup, mayonnaise, chicken stock and finely diced onion. Optional: season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.
Spread mixture into prepared baking dish.
In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs with melted butter.
Sprinkle evenly over chicken mixture.
Bake in preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley.
Then serve!

Do you have a story or recipe you would like to share?

Send an email to kchenoweth@ffb1.com

We love to hear from you!

Come See Us!

We plan on attending the following shows in 2024 and hope to see you there!

November 7-8: Hawaii Agriculture Conference-Honolulu, HI

December 10-11: South Dakota Cattlemen's Association-Pierre, SD

December 12-14: Western Alfalfa & Forage Symposium-Sparks, NV