Texas Farm Credit Members Visit Capitol Hill During Farm Credit Young Leaders Program

Texas Farm Credit members Todd & Kayla Otahal of Corpus Christi, Texas took their interests in agriculture to Capitol Hill on June 22.

As participants in the 2023 Farm Credit Young Leaders Program, the couple met with Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz as well as Congressman Michael Cloud and Pete Sessions on their Hill visits.

The Otahals were selected by Texas Farm Credit to participate in the Young Leaders program, hosted by the Tenth District Farm Credit Council. The four-day event recognizes and rewards young Farm Credit stockholders for outstanding leadership and involvement in the agriculture industry, and teaches them about the Farm Credit System, the legislative process and the nation’s financial markets.

This year’s program took 27 young emerging leaders and Farm Credit borrowers from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas to the nation’s political and financial centers, Washington, D.C., and New York City. There, they met with Farm Credit, USDA and elected officials to discuss loan programs and policies that affect the country’s farmers and ranchers.

Besides visiting Capitol Hill, participants also gained an inside perspective and behind-the-scenes look at the nation’s largest source of financing for agriculture and rural America. During a visit to the Federal Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation, they learned how investors purchase highly rated Farm Credit notes and bonds, supplying steady funding for loans and related services.

Todd Otahal continues the family tradition of farming in the Coastal Bend of South Texas as a fourth-generation farmer. Upon graduation from Texas Tech University with an Agriculture Economics degree, Todd returned home to Nueces County. He shares his passion for agriculture with his wife, Kayla, and their two children.

Todd Otahal Farms operates 10,000 acres predominantly growing cotton, grain sorghum, corn, and manages a small herd of Santa Gertrudis cattle. Todd is a board member of Nueces County Farm Bureau, an active member of the Association of Agricultural Production Executives (AAPEX), a TEPAP graduate, and a Texas Farm Credit Young Leaders Council graduate. As a family they enjoy participating in the county livestock show, playing at the beach in Port Aransas, and hunting for white tail deer and doves.

“This event is designed to give young emerging leaders in agriculture a behind-the-scenes look at how Farm Credit supports agriculture and rural communities across the country,” said Chief Executive Officer Mark Miller. “We believe when participants get an inside look at the Farm Credit System, they’ll appreciate more the value and service it provides to agriculture and rural America.”

Texas Farm Credit is a part of the 107-year-old Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of rural lending cooperatives that finance agriculture and rural communities.