Riding for the Brand: Brad Cornelius Reflects on 33 Years of Service with Farm Credit

After more than three decades of dedicated service to the Farm Credit System, Brad Cornelius is preparing to turn the page on a commendable career. From helping customers achieve their dreams as a loan officer to guiding an organization through unprecedented challenges, Brad’s journey has been defined by purpose, people and passion for agriculture. In this candid conversation, he shares the highlights of his 33-year career, the values that guided him and his plans for the future. From mentoring future leaders to navigating the evolving landscape of agriculture, join us as we look back on a career built on integrity, relationships and a deep commitment to serving those who feed the world.

What are some highlights from your 33-year career in the Farm Credit System? 
The first highlight is that working for Farm Credit has enabled my wife, Jennifer, and I to raise two beautiful daughters who got to see a lot of the country and got to be around a lot of great people. We're proud of the human beings they've grown up to be.

The other highlight is always going to be the people I've had a chance to work with and since I started out as a loan officer, having the opportunity to make those customers’ dreams come true. We really are dream makers. I still remember I had a customer named Rick. He and his wife were college educated, and we financed a 40-horsepower tractor for him, brand new, and he was literally jumping up and down. Rick said, “Ain't nobody in my family ever had a brand new tractor. I'm so excited.” There are a lot of stories like that, and a lot of people who had some trouble and we were able to work out a solution. I'm proud of that. I'm also proud of the people whose careers I’ve had any small influence on – the opportunity to mentor, train or teach people, or even just offer a word of advice. The Farm Credit System is blessed to have really great people at all levels.

Looking back on your time as CEO of Farm Credit of the Virginias, what achievements are you most proud of?
I became CEO during COVID and we had so many things going on and so many demands on our time. I'm so proud of the way the senior leadership team (SLT), management leadership team (MLT) and really everybody came together to protect our people and still serve the mission. We were closed for a long time, but nobody complained. Team members just said, “Tell me what the rules are,” and they went out and did their jobs. I feel that is a great achievement during my time here.

If I've had any influence on the way we serve our customers and the way we focus on our values and continue to serve the mission, I'm proud of that. We have spent a lot of time and money on leadership development since I've been here, and I'm proud of the way that has allowed our team to grow both personally and professionally. I'm very hopeful that that whatever seeds I've planted will continue to grow in the future.

What are some of the biggest changes you've seen in the ag industry over the course of your career? 
One of the biggest changes I’ve seen is consolidation of operations. The big just get bigger. The technology advances in agriculture over the course of my career have been crazy. I don't think the average citizen who lives in suburban U.S. understands that self-driving tractors are very common or the precision with which farmers can apply fertilizers or pesticides. There is a whole science behind planting. Whenever I hear somebody talk about their seed genetics and what they're using as a surfactant (for instance), I think, “Man, this is so much more complicated than putting a seed in the ground and hoping for rain.”

I know technology will continue to evolve rapidly. I think artificial intelligence (AI) will help farmers and it'll help people in our business. AI can take a lot of information and consolidate that in ways that will be beneficial to us. However, we will have to remain vigilant in protecting our customer's privacy and data. Our board, our technology partners at AgFirst and our SLT see customer privacy as a top priority and are committed to protecting sensitive data.

What was your favorite moment, or a few of your favorite moments, during your time at Farm Credit of the Virginias?
Every time we've promoted a new leader, and that individual has realized that he or she was picked for a reason, it has been amazing to watch them step up into their new role and grow. The people who have stepped up and grown into leadership are really responsible for whatever level of success I've had.

Coming out of COVID, I was so proud of what our team went through and accomplished, and the way everybody worked together. That's a credit to everybody who was here then, and that kind of teamwork has served us well since that time.

What guiding principles did you follow in your career with Farm Credit? 
My first guiding principle has been making sure I have my priorities straight. And my priorities have always been faith, family and then Farm Credit. I think that sets a good example and I learned that from people who set that example for me. The other guiding principle is that credibility is your only leadership currency, so you must maintain your integrity. I would also say every business is a relationship business, so the sooner you learn to build those relationships and what it takes to build and maintain trust, the further you will go as a leader.

What legacy do you hope to leave behind as you retire? 
You know, legacy is for somebody else to talk about, but the things that I hope they say about me are that I rode for the brand every day, that I was an advocate for farmers and for Farm Credit, and that I helped to make Farm Credit better at what we do every single day. All of that goes back to the people. I think about all the people I've had a chance to work with across four states and just the way they've impacted me and my family, and I hope I've had some small positive impact on them.

What does the future hold for you and what are you looking forward to most in retirement? 
The thing I'm looking forward to the most is spending more time with family. We’re moving back home to Georgia. Both my mother and mother-in-law are there and we want to spend more time with them. Being retired, I'll be able to visit my daughters who live out of state and have the opportunity to travel more. We like national parks and there are many we haven't seen, so we'll try to visit as many of those as we can. I plan to do some fishing, some reading and just some not-working for a while. Eventually, I hope to do something surrounding developing people in the Farm Credit System such as coaching or mentoring, but I don't know what the future holds other than we're going to go home and spend time with family, then we’ll figure it out from there.

As Brad Cornelius prepares to close this chapter of his remarkable 33-year journey with the Farm Credit System, his reflections offer a powerful reminder of the impact one leader can have through integrity, compassion and a steadfast commitment to service. While his retirement marks the end of an era, it also opens the door to new beginnings. In our next blog article, we’ll continue the conversation by exploring Brad’s hopes for the future of Farm Credit of the Virginias and the qualities he believes are essential in the next generation of leadership.