Congratulations to our Heartland Agribusiness team for their recently announced Preferred Lending Partner (PLP) designation by the Farm Service Agency. The U.S. Department of Agriculture now recognizes Heartland Bank as a trusted partner in the FSA Loan Guarantee Program. Much like Heartland Bank’s Preferred Lender status with the Small Business Administration, the Agribusiness team’s PLP status means that we can offer more financing options and more control for our ag clients, by offering a more streamlined application and approval process with faster turn-around times.

It’s been several years since Dave Felumlee stepped away from his family’s dairy farm and opened his own operation, Claylick Run Angus Genetics in Newark. He began to learn the cattle business through a high school 4H project, and soon thereafter, purchased his first Angus heifers. The entire Felumlee clan, including parents Orville and Rachel (who have a separate 1,200 acre grain-farm operation) and his wife Dawn and kids Keri and Kacey, are proud caretakers of their family’s farm. Their years as dairy farmers have certainly contributed to their success at Claylick Run.

If you’re in the market for a refuse or recycling collection vehicle, a state of the art salt spreader, a hydraulic articulated municipal tractor, or an asphalt maintenance trailer, Heartland Bank is proud to introduce you to our friends at Bell Equipment Company.

Sometimes one random move leads you down a path you might never have thought to travel. For Tracy Beckman, owner of Beckman XMO, the purchase of a used one-color printing press in 1981 led him to open S. Beckman Print and Graphic Solutions. Back then, it was all about providing affordable, timely print services to his customers. According to Tracy, the biggest challenge of opening his business at that time was fully learning the trade and then understanding how to take appropriate financial risks. Today, 35 years later, the company offers the strategic and creative vision of an advertising agency, the technical expertise of an interactive agency and the in-house capabilities of a print production firm.

Tired of starting the new year with a pile of debt? Shop smart, and you can enjoy the holidays without putting yourself in the poorhouse. Here are 14 tips to help you make the most of your time and money: