View the HORIZONS video presentation on your computer
Download the HORIZONS Final Report
Welcome!
Farm Credit HORIZONS is a forward-looking research and assessment initiative that examines the rapidly changing financial needs of agriculture and rural America.
U.S. agricultural production remains dynamic and competitive, and the market is more diverse, more complex and more consumer-driven than ever before. At the same time, globalization and technological advances continue to drive change in the food system and in rural communities, which increasingly are dependent on nonagricultural and non-traditional industries. HORIZONS is part of an emerging national consensus among agricultural experts and observers of rural America that the policies and institutions that served yesterday’s agriculture must change to provide greater economic opportunity for those who work on the farm and ranch, and who live in rural communities today.
As a research project, HORIZONS actively engaged leading independent experts, farm groups, rural civic and business groups, customers and directors of the Farm Credit System to help identify marketplace trends.
In its assessment phase, HORIZONS identified eight major “findings” about the future of agriculture and rural America. After nearly 18 months of effort, the project culminated in a report entitled: “21st Century America: New Horizons for U.S. Agriculture.”
Click here to download the HORIZONS report (3MB pdf file).
The HORIZONS project is sponsored by the U.S. Farm Credit System, a national network of customer-owned lending cooperatives and financial services institutions that have pursued a mission of service to agriculture and rural America for 90 years.
Below are testimonials from individuals describing agriculture and rural America's needs for reliable, flexible financial products and services meet the growing requirements of rural entrepreneurs and to fuel economic growth in rural communities.
Testimonials - Pages 1-5 (2MB pdf file)
Testimonials - Pages 6-13 (3MB pdf file)