Doug W. Schuster of St. John, Wash., said he didn’t pick his banker out of the yellow pages.

Instead, his banker, as well as his lawyer and accountant, are people with whom he has cultivated longstanding professional and personal relationships.

A graduate of Washington State University, Schuster said it’s important for him to have a relationship with his banker, lawyer and accountant that goes beyond business. During the year, he plays golf with them and attends football and basketball games.

“I do these things at least once during the year with my bankers, accountant and my field manager. I think it helps to keep the relationship real,” he said. “These people have big titles, but they are all just real people with real lives and wives and kids and the whole nine yards. Spending time with them outside of the work relationship is very helpful to keep them as friends as well as advisors.”

Schuster, 55, has about 1,100 acres in production and grows wheat, barley, peas, canola, alfalfa and grass hay. He also has a herd of about 80 cows. He said banking and crop consulting are the two services that are most essential to his operation.

His agronomy advisor keeps an eye on his fields throughout the year, making sure he doesn’t have any problems with pests or weeds or any other issue that may arise.

His banker keeps an eye on his finances and makes sure he has what he needs when he needs it.

“The ability to access money for an operating line or a quick loan for a piece of equipment is critical,” Schuster said. “Both of my banks are just a phone call away and now I can even just send a text to move money around to cover big bills and other unexpected needs.”

Recently, Dave Specter of Bells Up Winery in Newberg, Ore., evaluated several banks before deciding where to switch his accounts.

A former corporate tax attorney, Specter said when agricultural businesses are looking for a professional service provider, they should find one that specializes in the issues involving their business. He talked to other winery/vineyard owners who were similar in size to his winery operation about their experiences — both good and bad — with bankers and financial partners. Before deciding on whom to hire, he identified three potential providers and arranged meetings to introduce himself and his operation, discussed the issues he is facing and what his needs and expectations are of the provider.

“You’ll probably get a good feel for who is listening and thinking proactively on your behalf and hopefully anticipating some potential issues you’ll have in the long term,” Specter said.

On the financial side, Specter said it’s important to find a banking/financial partner that understands and is interested in working with the needs of your business, whether it’s large or small.

“We recently expanded our small winery operation to add some production equipment, which required financing. Although our needs weren’t particularly extensive and the financial fundamentals of the business are solid, we found that every large national financial institution we approached — including ones where we had established banking relationships — had no interest in working with an operation of our size,” Specter said. “Conversely, every local and regional institution welcomed us with open arms and worked hard to get us the money we needed at a reasonable rate. Those institutions ended up getting all our business, including our personal business, as a result of that experience.”