With Labor Day behind us and summer coming to its unofficial end, now is a good time to reflect on what the community banking industry has achieved so far this year in the advocacy arena—and what remains to be done this fall. Fortunately for the local communities we serve, community banks have followed the historic successes of 2018 with many notable policy victories.

The adoption of the ICBA-backed legislation is quite remarkable given that community bankers and the agricultural community have been told for most of this year that the most likely outcome would be a one-year extension, thus pushing the legislation’s enactment into the next Congress. Passing a new farm bill is good for American agriculture and for community bankers’ ability to provide credit to support their local economies. Here are a few reasons why.