Pub. 8 2019 Issue 3

May/June 2019 5 l e a d i n g a d v o c a t e f o r t h e b a n k i n g i n d u s t r y i n k a n s a s ON THE ROAD AGAIN… 2019 NO-TIES TOUR By Doug Wareham, KBA President and CEO A fter a long, wet and often bitterly cold winter, your KBA staff leadership team is looking forward to experiencing some Kansas sunshine as we hit the road and visit with Kansas bankers on their home turf this spring and summer. While we do our best to take advantage of the opportunity to visit with each of you at various KBA-hosted events, there is truly no better conversation than the ones we have across the desk from bankers working on the front line of our industry. As highlighted in the photos on pages 6 - 8, you can see we are already off to a fast start visiting KBA member banks this year and we are learning a great deal about the challenges facing bankers and their customers and how we can enhance what your association does for you, your staff, and your colleagues. Despite the generous (maybe too generous) moisture we’ve received this spring, which would normally have agricultural lenders teaming with optimism, there’s unfortunately a dark cloud in the form of on-going low commodity prices that is weighing heavily on the minds of bankers serving rural Kansas communities. While Kansas banks (both rural and urban) are extremely well capitalized, the economic strains being felt by Kansas farm families is real and new and/or stronger markets for the commodities we produce in Kansas are needed and simply can’t come too quickly. KBA will continue to encourage members of the Kansas Congressional Delegation, USDA Trade Representatives and the Trump Administration to press for trade agreements that benefit the agricultural and manufacturing sectors in our state. We will also encourage them to keep a watchful eye to ensure agricultural producers and business owners aren’t unduly burdened as trade negotiations drag on. Please stay tuned in the months ahead as we share photographs and highlights of this year’s KBA No-Ties Tour in the Kansas Banker magazine. We look forward to traversing this beautiful state we all call home and we also look forward to hearing directly from you about the vitally important role you play in your respective communities. See you soon!