As planting season revs up, one of the first items that tends to get pushed back is regular communication and check-ins with others who need to be in the loop – like employees, landlords and lenders.

This year especially, you’ll want to make communication with your lender a high priority – all year through. If you’re in a tough financial spot – or even if you aren’t – keeping the lines of communication open with them can make a big difference to the relationship, and help bring more peace of mind for both of you.

There are three main steps to help make regular communication with your lender easier and ensure it happens. They are: figure out the ‘why’ and your overall goal for the relationship, place meetings and calls on your calendar, and make sure you’re bringing high-quality information that anticipates and answers your banker’s questions.

What’s the ‘why’?

First of all, why have you decided to make communicating with your banker a priority, even during busy seasons? This will probably be different for each farm leader. You may already have a very strong relationship with your banker, but want to ensure that it remains strong when times are tough. Or maybe you recently switched lenders and are looking to build trust and strengthen the relationship.

Maybe there’s a member of the next generation who is learning the business side of farming with the intent of taking over someday, and you want them to be involved in banker meetings and conversations. Or you’re a young farmer just starting out, learning how to navigate business relationships, who wants to start things right.

Whatever your main reason, get clear on it in your head. Set a goal for your relationship with the banker. What is your desired outcome? Maybe it’s to build a better understanding for your banker of your vision for the future of your operation. Maybe it’s to educate him or her about the steps you’re taking to ensure that your farm will be able to make it through the current downturn in ag.

Calendars and information

Next, decide on the frequency of your banker check-ins. Your check-ins can take the form of meetings or calls – most likely, some combination of each. Keep your overall goal in mind as you decide on the frequency and channel.

During a busy season, you might rely on making phone calls to your banker for brief check-ins, and schedule in-person meetings during months with more office time. Schedule each meeting or call on your calendar. Doing this will help you stick to your plan, even when things get really busy at the farm.

Finally, make sure you have high-quality information to present to your banker – that can be updated throughout the season. Having really good information to show your lender demonstrates you’re serious about making sure your farm business stays on the right track. If you’d like some help putting together this information for your banker, you can talk with an ag financial advisor.

Read the new issue of the Smart Series publication, bringing business ideas for today’s farm leader. This issue features ideas on preparing for land opportunities, thinking ahead about retirement, how to keep pace with the changes of the 2016 crop year, and advice for farm leaders. Get your free online issue here.

The opinions of the author are not necessarily those of Farm Futures or Penton Agriculture.