Farm woes prompt banks to adopt conservative tact

Mother Nature dealt area farms a bad hand last year, and as a result some agricultural lenders will play their cards close to the vest this year.

“1995 was not a good year for a lot of the operations, so you’re going to see banks play it pretty conservatively for a year or two,´ said Max Ellis, senior vice president and chief agricultural lender for First National Bank of Greeley.

“Ninety-six looks like a good year, provided that you can grow a crop. You’ll need above-average production, and 1996 will probably be a pretty good year,” Ellis said.

Weld County is the fourth-largest…