Kansas banker earns national award

Kansas banker Terry Barta is set to receive a national award from the American Bankers Association’s Center for Agricultural and Rural Banking, according to a news release.

The association will present Barta, vice president at the Peoples Bank in Smith Center, with the Bruning Award during a conference Oct. 27 in Kansas City, Mo. The award is given annually to an individual for their leadership and dedication to providing “credit and financial guidance” to farmers, ranchers and businesses in rural America, according to the release.

“The most rewarding part of my career has been the financial partnership I’ve formed with farmers in our community,” Barta said in the release. “From helping families get through the ag crisis of the ’80s to working with the same farm families through a second generation, I’ve found spending my career in the same community at the same bank tremendously gratifying.”

The award will be presented at the association’s National Agricultural Bankers Conference next month. Barta has been an agricultural banker for more than 35 years, according to the release.

During his career, Barta has served as chairman of the association’s Agricultural and Rural Bankers Committee, along with serving on the Kansas Bankers Association’s Ag Committee. Prior to becoming a banker, Barta spent seven years at what was then known as the Farmers Home Administration under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to the release.

Barta grew up on a dairy farm in Kansas and earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Fort Hays State College.

This story was originally published September 28, 2015 at 10:38 AM with the headline "Kansas banker earns national award."