A loan for one teenager leads to six loans in one family

At Capital Farm Credit, we say we’re like family – and the Markham crew took that to heart. Six relatives, six loans, and one shared belief in a lender they trust.

It all started when Monty Markham began looking for an AgStart loan for his 13-year-old son, Tate, in Hemphill County near the Texas-Oklahoma border. This was no typical AgStart loan for a show animal. Tate wanted to start a heifer breeding operation and was approved for a general-purpose operating loan.

“I have been helping my dad and brother on the ranch as long as I can remember,” Tate said. “I decided this year I wanted to have my own cattle and make my own money. With my dad’s help, I decided that buying heifers would be the best choice to make some money.”

At the end of January, Tate got the funding needed to buy 30 open heifers, which he purchased from a neighboring ranch. “They have been buying bulls from my dad for several years. I am hoping to be able to sell the heifers in the fall as bred heifers,” he said.

Because of the support Capital Farm Credit put into Tate’s business and the ease of the transaction, Tate’s father decided to follow suit and got his own CFC loan for his cattle company, Markham Angus. Then, Tate’s 20-year-old brother, Kaden, decided to get in on the action and got a loan to purchase 30 open heifers as well.

“We have enjoyed introducing our boys to the cattle industry and teaching them work ethic and responsibility,” Monty said. “When Kaden went to college, Tate’s responsibilities increased, and he asked if he could buy heifers of his own.”

Tate is a 6th grader at Reydon School. He is a member of the Roger Mills 4-H. This year, he participated in the Roger Mills County stocker cattle contest for the first time. He plays basketball and baseball and competes in shooting sports. Kaden is a sophomore at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He is majoring in history education and is engaged to Harlee Benkley.

The Markham boys are being raised similar to Monty, who was born and raised on the same property, growing up in ranching all his life.

“As a teenager, I helped my granddad with his farming/ranching operation. He purchased many cattle, and I would help with the processing,” Monty said. “After I finished college, I went to work for a communications company and started my own cattle operation. We primarily have a cow-calf operation focusing on registered Angus cattle.”

Monty’s relationship with CFC lender Brandon Dukes goes way back, as Monty has known Brandon all his life.

“We chose Capital Farm Credit because of Brandon,” Monty said. “We know that he is honest, fair, and well respected. He has been very helpful throughout the entire process. He is always friendly, prompt, and professional. We would highly recommend him to anyone who needs this service.”

CFC’s partnership with the Markham Family has continued to expand. Monty’s brother, Bryan – who has been a CFC customer – recently increased his line of credit, and two of his young adult sons, Ky and Paden, are also getting into the cattle business, obtaining their own next generation loans.

“The thing I like about Monty and Bryan is that they’re getting their kids involved a whole lot earlier in the game than they were able to do,” Brandon said. “I think that’s something important going forward in this next generation,” he said.

Six loans, all in the family, and all starting with one AgStart Loan. “AgStart is a great way to build customers for life, as it introduces them to CFC and gets the relationship established very early on,” Brandon said.