May 1, 2023



To: Farm Credit CEOs

CC: Legislative Officers and Communicators

From: Todd Van Hoose

You’re Invited to the 2023 Farm Credit Fly-In!

It’s not too soon to start planning.

The Farm Credit Fly-In offers Farm Credit an opportunity to build reputational equity on Capitol Hill and underscore the importance of the Farm Credit mission. With your directors, customers and colleagues all sharing their stories about Farm Credit, we will leave a collective strong, positive impression with lawmakers and staff. All our voices, joining together, will demonstrate how we fulfill our mission every day, and why it remains so critical to rural communities and agriculture.

Below you will find information on:

• Important Dates and Deadlines
• Registration and Accommodations
• Telling Our Story on Capitol Hill
• Farm Credit Marketplace Reception
• Creating a Digital Presence to Engage Members of Congress

Please join us at the JW Marriott in Washington, D.C., November 14-15, 2023, to demonstrate Farm Credit’s national impact on rural communities and the important role we play in supporting farmers, ranchers and rural infrastructure providers nationwide.

Through the many meetings you will have on Capitol Hill and at our Marketplace Reception, we’ll connect lawmakers with the people who produce the favorite products they use and rely on every day.

Members of Congress look to Farm Credit to help them understand the on-the-ground conditions of the agriculture economy and how we support our customers as they work through high input costs and volatile commodity markets.

The Farm Credit Fly-In is free to attend. And, don’t forget: numbers matter. The more Farm Credit representatives sharing positive stories, the greater our impact!



Wondering what to expect? Watch our video from 2021.

Important Dates and Deadlines

• August 7: Registration opens (contact Michele Lucas with questions)
• October 2: Deadline to communicate the Farm Credit Marketplace products you will contribute and provide information about the customer producing your Marketplace product:

1. photo
2. brief description of their operation
3. website and/or social media handles, if applicable
4. poster about their operation

• October 2: Farm Credit Marketplace products may begin arriving (shipping details to come)
• October 20: Registration closes
• October 20: Deadline for Farm Credit Marketplace products to arrive
• November 14: Farm Credit Fly-In begins with an afternoon general session, Capitol Hill meeting prep, happy hour reception and evening customer appreciation event
• November 15: Farm Credit Congressional Women’s Breakfast (which all women Fly-In participants are invited to attend), all-day Hill visits, and Farm Credit Marketplace Reception at District Pier at the Wharf

Registration and Accommodations



Registration opens on August 7 and runs through closing on October 20. You may reserve hotel rooms for November 13-16, in the Farm Credit room block at the JW Marriott (1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) through the registration process. If you would like to extend your reservation beyond those dates, you must contact the hotel directly.

We anticipate a strong attendance this fall. Please make your hotel reservations as soon as possible.

We have limited space for ancillary meetings. Please contact Michele Lucas ASAP to discuss availability.

Telling Our Story on Capitol Hill

We invite all Farm Credit directors, employees and customers to participate in all Fly-In events, including Capitol Hill visits. Each Farm Credit institution is responsible for determining and registering its attendees for the Fly-In, and for scheduling its congressional visits.

As you consider whom to invite, as well as the product you will contribute to the Farm Credit Marketplace Reception (further details below), please think about the story your customers and directors will bring to Capitol Hill.

Through the Fly-In, we aim to showcase the depth and breadth of Farm Credit’s support for rural communities and agriculture, including for young, beginning and small producers, unique operations, value-added production, farmers of color, farmer veterans, other underserved producers and climate-smart farming practices. We will also highlight the many ways Farm Credit vastly outpaces other commercial lenders in our customer service, deep knowledge of the agriculture industry, unmatched customer education opportunities, flexibility in unique or challenging circumstances and commitment to our rural communities. Bringing compelling customers with strong stories to the Fly-In will further our impact and broaden policymakers’ understanding of Farm Credit’s mission.

We will provide additional details about Farm Credit’s message on Capitol Hill and best practices for meeting with members of Congress and their staff prior to your arrival in DC. We’ll host a messaging webinar in advance of the Fly-In, as well as a review of all important information the afternoon of November 14, at the JW Marriott. Participants will have time that afternoon to coordinate and plan their meeting strategy in advance of their Hill visits.

As in past years, we will use the Hill Day app (iPhone | Android) to assist with scheduling Hill meetings. 

Farm Credit Marketplace Reception

The highlight of our Fly-In is the Farm Credit Marketplace Reception, attended by thousands of congressional members and staff, administration officials and influential ag stakeholders. The Marketplace will showcase Farm Credit customers from across the country, their value-added products and, most importantly, their Farm Credit story. Marketplace Reception attendees will read about your customers on posters and meet them at their booths. This offers an opportunity to share stories and samples of their products.

As we did in 2021, we will host the Marketplace along the DC waterfront, at District Pier at the Wharf. And we expect this year’s attendance to be greater than ever. Please consider contributing your customers’ products to the Marketplace!

To participate in the Marketplace, please provide products that are:

• Produced by a Farm Credit customer
• 250 individual pieces, individually packaged, valued at no more than $5.00 per piece
• Non-perishable (We have limited ability to accept perishable products. If interested, contact Brittany Jablonsky.)
• If possible, packaged in non-glass, non-breakable containers

Please also provide the following information about the customer producing your Marketplace product:

• A photo
• A 200-500 word description of their operation (if you’ve produced a video about their operation, please provide that as well)
• Their website and/or social media handles, if applicable
• A designed poster featuring a photo and description of the customer and your institution’s logo, in PDF format at 300 dpi. FCC will print the posters on 3’x4’ foam board and display them during the Marketplace Reception to showcase Farm Credit’s impact on real farmers and ranchers. Below are a few examples of effective posters from past Fly-Ins:

Alabama Farm Credit | Farm Credit East | Farm Credit of the Virginias | Horizon Farm Credit | Oklahoma AgCredit

While it enhances the experience, you are not required to bring your Marketplace customer to the Fly-In.

Once you decide on the products you wish to contribute and the customers you plan to bring, please complete the Farm Credit Marketplace product form by October 2.

We will provide additional details about shipping your Marketplace products at a later date. All non-perishable products must arrive between October 2 and October 20.

Please contact Brittany Jablonsky with any questions about the Farm Credit Marketplace Reception.

Creating a Digital Presence to Engage Members of Congress

With so many Farm Credit leaders and customers coming to town and meeting with lawmakers, we will leverage our @FarmCredit social media channels to highlight your customers, and we encourage you to do the same.

We will promote the customers you’re bringing to Washington in the weeks leading up to the Fly-In, while they’re in town and through the end of 2023 on @FarmCredit’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. We will also add the photo and description you provide to their respective FarmCredit.com state page and tag your institution when we promote their story on social media.

During the Fly-In, we encourage you to take photos of your Hill visits and post them on social media. Please remember to tag your member of Congress and use the hashtag #FarmCreditFlyIn. If you have questions about Farm Credit’s digital communications surrounding the Fly-In, contact Morgan Anderson. 

If you’re still reading this long email: thank you.

We will follow up with additional details throughout the year. In the meantime, you may find all information related to the 2023 Farm Credit Fly-In at FarmCredit.com/Fly-In.

Thank you again for your support and partnership as we bring Farm Credit’s message to Capitol Hill. We hope you will participate in this exciting Farm Credit event and look forward to seeing you in November!