In the coming weeks, farmers will head to fields across the United States, and much of the Northern Hemisphere, to plant the 2026 crop. Acre by acre, hectare by hectare, farmers invest time and significant capital into planting, caring for, and tending crops that help feed nearly nine billion people around the world. They do so with a deep belief that God will provide, and that through the exceptional work of scientists and agronomists, crops will germinate, grow, and flourish when conditions are right.

This faith is, in many ways, a gamble. Farmers invest millions of dollars in machinery, labor, and infrastructure. In addition, they spend hundreds of dollars per acre on crop inputs, all while trusting that rainfall, sunshine, temperatures, and soil moisture will align to produce a profitable crop. Farmers can control many variables on their operations, but weather and markets remain beyond their influence. That uncertainty creates a risk that requires profound faith, faith that the crop will grow, yields will come, and markets will eventually offer the opportunity for sustained profitability.

Agricultural lenders share this risk alongside farmers. They finance land, equipment, and crop inputs, exposing themselves to the same uncertainties. What gives lenders confidence is history, a long track record with farm families who understand cycles, adapt to change, and consistently generate enough returns over time to repay loans and build equity. In some cases, more than 100 years of shared history affirms that despite challenging years, the long-term success of the operation endures.

To those outside of agriculture, crop production can seem illogical. Manufacturing and other industries often control their environments within buildings and exert greater influence over pricing, even while managing competition and market pressures. By comparison, the risks assumed by farmers can appear extraordinary.

This year marks my 38th year at The Halderman Companies. I began in 1988, a drought year when yields reached only about 50% of normal. Since then, I witnessed both record harvests and difficult disappointments. Over the years, I sold corn, soybeans, and wheat, all three crops at $5 per bushel. At that price, corn generated a profit, wheat was near breakeven, and soybeans were below breakeven. Through all these cycles, one thing remained constant: farmers plant nearly 99% of cropland acres every year, always with faith that God will provide. Sometimes that provision comes through favorable weather, sometimes through technological innovation or stronger pricing. In the best years, all three align. In more difficult years, farmers simply look forward with hope to the next season.

History provides countless examples. When COVID disrupted the world in March 2020, farmers still planted, after all, there is no better isolation than a tractor cab. During banking crises, recessions, drought years like 2012, and through personal, medical, and family challenges, the farmer still plants. Every spring, when the soil is fit and temperatures are right, the work continues.

Farmland investing succeeds because of this consistency, this faith, and this long-term perspective that agriculture ultimately wins. For nearly four decades, I watched our clients earn consistent returns of 6–8% year after year. Farmland enjoys a zero-vacancy rate, consistently generates income that exceeds its cost of ownership, serves as an effective hedge against inflation, and provides the world’s most basic necessity food.

The Halderman Companies reflect this same consistency. For more than 96 growing seasons, we provided farm management services focused on maximizing returns and enhancing land value over time. Our goal is simple: ten years from now, clients should look back and see steady returns and an asset that is stronger than when they began.

Is it time for you to consider farmland investment so you, too, can enjoy spring in a different way by sharing in the enduring faith of the farmer?