Farm credit demand rising.

Demand for farm credit is on the rise, according to the ABA Center for Agricultural and Rural Banking's annual "Farm Bank Performance" report.

Additional findings: The American banking industry is the major provider of credit to farmers and ranchers with more than $98 billion in loans

"Banks provide the broadest array of financial products and services to the largest and most diverse population of farmers and ranchers," said John Blanchfield, director of the ABA Center for Agricultural and Rural Banking. "No other financial services provider comes close."

Some other key findings of the report include:

* Loans for farmland grew 7.6% to $22.2 billion.

* Loans to finance farm production grew by 7.2% to $24.8 billion.

* Total non-performing assets fell to their lowest level in five years.

* Employment by farm banks increased 3.5% to 72,849.

A full copy of the report is available at: www.aba.com/Industry+Issues/issues_ag_menu.htm.