Farm Credit East Announces New Leadership in Maine

June 3, 2021

Farm Credit East recently announced the promotion of Shannon Webber as branch manager of its Auburn, Maine office. She joins Ghent Holdsworth who assumed the branch manager role of the Presque Isle office in 2020.

A native of Topsham, Webber’s family owns and operates a more than 75-acre vegetable and fruit farm in Topsham and Bowdoinham. She began working for Farm Credit as a loan officer in 2005 and has managed a growing loan portfolio and taken on increasing leadership responsibilities during her tenure. As branch manager, Webber brings the knowledge and skills of her 15-year tenure serving Maine’s diverse agriculture, commercial fishing and forest products industries.

“Growing up around agriculture and with my family still very involved in ag, I have a deep appreciation for the hard work and dedication that it takes to operate Maine’s natural resource-based businesses,” said Webber. “I look forward to continuing to work with Maine’s agriculture, forest products and commercial fishing industries to help them succeed with the support that Farm Credit gives to the ag community.”

A native of Caribou, Maine, Holdsworth grew up on his family’s potato farm before joining Farm Credit in 2001. Prior to becoming branch manager, he was a commercial loan officer and more recently a senior loan officer serving the financial cooperative’s customers in northern Maine. He is also a member of the credit review committees for the Potato Market Improvement Fund and the Northern Maine Development Commission.

“Maine agricultural producers are made up of hundreds of hardworking men and women who strive to provide top quality food and fiber,” said Holdsworth. “To play a part of providing them the capital that allows them to continue to achieve that goal is very satisfying to me personally because what makes Farm Credit and its customers successful are the relationships that we build over the years that enable us to weather the uncertainty of agriculture.”

Keith Stechschulte, Farm Credit East executive vice president and regional manager, commented, “We’re excited to have Shannon and Ghent take on these leadership roles as their Farm Credit tenures have certainly prepared them for it. Given the tremendous opportunity for Maine farm, forest products and commercial fishing businesses, Shannon and Ghent’s deep understanding of Maine’s natural-resource industries will benefit existing and new customers alike.”

Farm Credit East is a member-owned agricultural lender and financial services provider serving seven Northeast states, including Maine. With offices in Auburn and Presque Isle, Farm Credit East has more than 800 customers and extends more than $850 million in loan commitments in the state, providing capital and financial services to a wide variety of large and small farm, forest products and fishing businesses. Funds not needed to operate or capitalize the business are returned to members, and in 2021, Maine members received $9.1 million in patronage dividends on 2020 earnings.