American Land Magazine

23 want to go anywhere because we love this area so much. It's like we've set roots here." Greenfield is not alone in the desire to move and grow roots in the country. According to a 2021 Gallup poll on country living in the U.S., 48% of Americans at the end of 2020 said if they could live anywhere, they would choose a town or a rural area rather than a city or suburb. That's almost a 10% increase from 2018 when only 39% said towns and rural areas were ideal 3 . Greenfield has been with Rural 1 st for five-and-a- half-years. She says they help people's dreams of owning land come true. "We offer great rates and financing, but most of the time, we're working with people like ourselves that value rural communities. We're essentially living what we do. So many of us at Rural 1 st own a piece of land and live out in the country. I think having that helps us help our customers. We understand their goals," she says. Rural 1 st is invested in making sure when it comes to owning rural land, you get what matters to you, and if you're Whitetail Properties customer, Cody Jarrett, deer hunting is what matters to you. Jarrett is a Senior Instrument and Control Technician at a coal fire plant in West Virginia and notable deer hunter on the Outdoor Channel show, Whitetail Freaks. While he resides with his dog in West Virginia, he recently bought a second piece of land in Clark County, Illinois, to fuel his Midwest deer hunting obsession. "It's an 80-acre piece of land. 30% of it is tillable; there's a cabin, two ponds, and a couple of creeks," he says. Before purchasing his white-tailed deer hunting paradise, Jarrett made 16 to 18-hour treks to Kansas to hunt. As his job became busier and more demanding, he knew it was time to buy land closer to home. November will mark Jarrett's third deer hunting season on his property. He says his favorite part, aside from getting lucky enough to kill one, is enjoying early mornings in his deer stand. "When you're in a stand long before the sun comes up and then everything starts to wake up around you, that's my favorite part about being in the woods," he says. Being connected with nature isn't the only thing he values. "Landowning is a tangible asset. A lot of people buy bonds or whatever with their money, and that's fine. It's safe, but they don't make more land. With it being tangible, I can go and step foot on it, I can do whatever I want with it, I can enjoy it," he says. Rural 1 st helps people like Jarrett and Greenfield live out their hobbies on their own land while making meaningful memories. With historically low interest rates, there's never been a more opportune time for you to do the same. Rural 1 st simplifies the typically complicated lending process, so you can get to making memories faster. Whether that's deer hunting or hobby farming, Rural 1 st helps bring you Closer to What Matters.™ To learn more about Rural 1 st , visit www.Rural1st.com/Whitetail. 1 "2019 Special Report on Fishing." Outdoor Industry Association, 2020, outdoorindustry.org/resource/2020-special-report-fishing. 2 "Outdoor Recreation Trends." The NPD Group, 2020,www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/ us/news/thought-leadership/2020/consumers-are-flocking-to-these-5-activities. 3 Saad, By Lydia. "Country Living Enjoys Renewed Appeal in U.S." Gallup.Com, 23 Mar. 2021, news.gallup.com/poll/328268/country-living-enjoys-renewed-appeal.aspx. Rural 1 st is a tradename and Rural 1 st , the Rolling Hills Window icon, Rural Logic, and Closer to What Matters are exclusive trademarks of Farm Credit Mid-America, NMLS 407249. Rural 1 st products are available to consumers within the territories of participating Farm Credit System Associations. Equal Housing Lender.

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