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FCS Financial provides Missouri ag finance curriculum

FCS Financial is funding a new agricultural finance curriculum this school year. Through a grant to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Ag Management, Economics & Sales curriculum is in Missouri high school and junior college agriculture classrooms this fall.  The lending cooperative has reason enough to make the commitment, according to David Janish, CEO of Missouri FCS Financial.

“All we do is loan money for agriculture,” said Janish, at the Jefferson City, Missouri FCS Financial office.  “Obviously we’re interested in the future of agriculture in the state of Missouri, so we want to invest in that through investing in the youth of Missouri that are interested and involved in agriculture.”

Missouri’s agriculture finance curriculum was last updated in 1988, and Janish says the new one is necessary because of the changes that agriculture and technology have seen since then.

“Risk management, financial planning, transition planning, all those types of things are important,” said Janish.  “And it’s important that high school students, college students, as they enter into the agriculture business, understand what it takes to be successful.”

The goal of the curriculum is to teach agriculture economics, management, sales and marketing and personal finance.  It’s web-based and available free on the Missouri FFA website.