ORWELL – Members of Farm Credit Mid-America in Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake and Trumbull counties will receive a total of $1.8 million in net earnings from the credit cooperative in the tenth year of the organization’s patronage program.
Farm Credit Mid-America (FCMA) is returning $280 million in net earnings to customer-owners this year, according to an FCMA press release. Of that total, $63 million is going to Ohio farmers, including more than $1.8 million to farmers served by the Orwell office.
“This is cash returned directly to eligible farmers who do business with Farm Credit Mid-America, helping support local farm operations, families and rural communities,” Allison Bayer, FCMA communications specialist, wrote in an email.
Each year, the FCMA Board of Directors evaluates the cooperative’s financial performance and votes to return a portion of its earnings to eligible customers through patronage.
When members get an agricultural loan through Farm Credit Mid-America, they become a part-owner of the cooperative and share in its financial success when we they receive a portion of earnings. In March, eligible members receive a portion of those earnings, called patronage, proportional to their average daily balance, in the form of a patronage check.
“(W)e tend to see higher concentrations of patronage returns in northeast Ohio communities with a strong base of production agriculture and longstanding cooperative relationships, particularly where grain and livestock operations are more prevalent,” Brenda Deluca, financial officer with FCMA in Orwell, said.
These funds help small farmers operating with tight budgets and boost small local economies in rural areas.
“Patronage dollars circulate quickly through rural communities, especially during spring planting when expenses are front-loaded,” she said. “Farmers often use these funds to manage operating costs, which supports local agribusinesses, such as seed and input suppliers, equipment dealers, fuel providers and service and repair shops. At a time of tight margins, this infusion helps keep dollars local and supports the broader rural economy.”
Deluca said farmers frequently point to essential operating expenses, such as fertilizer, seed, fuel, crop protection products and equipment maintenance.
“Input costs remain elevated, so many producers are using patronage to offset necessities rather than discretionary purchases, helping them manage cash flow until harvest,” she said.
While the effect varies by operation, patronage can improve short-term liquidity, according to Deluca.
“Some farmers use it to reduce operating line balances or avoid additional borrowing early in the season,” she said. “Even when it doesn’t eliminate borrowing, it can help ease financial pressure and improve flexibility as producers plan for the 2026 growing season.”
Since 2016, Farm Credit Mid America has returned more than $1.75 billion in patronage to customers, including a record $280 million distributed in March 2026.
According to an FCMA press release, customers commonly use patronage payments to pay down operating or term debt, offset spring input and planting costs, reinvest in equipment, land or on-farm improvements and strengthen working capital and financial resilience.
“Returning capital to our customers is just part of how we do business as a cooperative,” said Melanie Strait-Bok, Farm Credit Mid-America senior vice president of agricultural lending in Ohio. “Our customers manage risk every day. Patronage gives them a little extra flexibility, whether that’s strengthening their balance sheet, improving cash flow or helping them plan for the season ahead.”
