Coronavirus update: How AgGeorgia Farm Credit will continue to serve you
To our valued member-borrowers and friends,
AgGeorgia Farm Credit would like to take this opportunity to inform you of the steps we’re taking to keep our member-borrowers and employees safe, and our systems and services running, in response to the new coronavirus (COVID-19).
We have a Business Continuity Plan and Pandemic Plan available which allows us to continue operations during adverse situations. The plans follow guidance from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local health agencies in the areas we serve. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that we have a dynamic and appropriate response to the risk associated with this virus.
While the following is not a comprehensive list, our plan calls for:
Increasing our supplies of disinfecting products, and implementing enhanced sanitizing and cleaning protocols at all of our branch locations.
Keeping our products and services fully available to you.
Supporting our customers and employees that are at-risk or have special needs.
Limiting business-related employee air and non-essential travel until further notice and using teleconference capabilities instead.
Modifying, postponing or cancelling large meetings.
Enhancing our risk monitoring and management protocols.
During this time of stress and uncertainty, we want to make sure you have access to all the financial services we offer. Be assured that you can access your accounts and services without needing to visit a branch by using our digital banking platform Digital Banking, the AgGeorgia Farm Credit Mobile App, or by calling us at 800-768-3276 for assistance.
You can find the latest information on the coronavirus and how to limit your risk of infection by calling the CDC hotline at 1-800-232-4636 or by visiting www.cdc.gov/covid19.
As always, our highest priorities are the health and safety of our member-borrowers and employees, as well as the communities we serve. If there’s anything that we can do to assist you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your Relationship Manager or send us a message at marketing@aggeorgia.com.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.
Jack C. Drew, Jr.
President and Chief Executive Officer
AgGeorgia Announces Election of 2020 Board Chairman, Vice Chairman
AgGeorgia Farm Credit is pleased to announce the election of a new board chairman, Richard D. “Dave” Neff of Hall County, and new vice chairman, Jack W. Bentley, Jr. of Wilkes County. Mr. Neff was most recently the Vice Chairman of AgGeorgia’s Board of Directors, having completed two consecutive terms with distinction throughout. He follows Mr. Guy A. Daughtrey of Cook County, who recently completed a successful two-year term as board chairman.
Mr. Neff has been an appointed outside Director for AgGeorgia since 2002, most recently serving on the Governance and Building Committees and chairing the Budget Committee. He is also a US Army veteran and was an Infantry Senior NCO and a graduate of several schools including the Drill Instructor Leadership program. He is retired from International Poultry Breeders, Inc./Wincorp International, Inc., where he was employed as Director of Marketing and Business Development. Mr. Neff holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Agriculture/Business from Southeast Missouri University and did graduate work in Poultry Science from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is a past board member of the Georgia Poultry Association, and is now a Life Member of the Poultry Leaders Roundtable. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Gainesville. They have three children and seven grandchildren.
Mr. Bentley is a past board chairman for AgGeorgia and is also currently serving a four-year term on the AgFirst Farm Credit Bank board of directors. AgFirst Farm Credit Bank provides funding and services to 20 Farm Credit associations, including AgGeorgia. Mr. Bentley was first elected to serve as a board member of a predecessor association to AgGeorgia Farm Credit at the age of 28, and most recently has served on the Compensation Committee and chaired the Credit Risk and Building Committees. He is the owner/operator of A & J Dairy, which milks over 400 dairy cows and raises 400 replacement heifers.
Mr. Bentley is affiliated with many other farm organizations including the American Dairy Association, LoneStar Milk Products, USDA FSA, Wilkes County Farm Bureau and Wilkes County Young Farmers. Mr. Bentley and his wife, Angie, are residents of Wilkes County. They have two sons, Will (Kimberly) and Ben (Cassie) and six grandchildren.
AgGeorgia Farm Credit Announces Hiring of Loan Assistant in Moultrie
AgGeorgia Farm Credit is pleased to announce the hiring of Lacey Hart as a Loan Assistant in our Moultrie office. Mrs. Hart grew up in Moultrie and graduated from Moultrie Technical College where she received an Associate degree in Accounting. Lacey has been employed in insurance, book keeping and office manager positions. Her husband is a farmer and owns and operates Ochlockonee Ridge Farms. They have two children – Isaac and Ella Kate.
Mrs. Hart looks forward to using her agricultural knowledge to service the needs of residents of Colquitt County.
AgGeorgia Farm Credit Announces Hiring of Loan Assistant in Sylvester
AgGeorgia Farm Creditis pleased to announce the hiring of Heather Dupree as a Loan Assistant in our Sylvester office. Heather is a native of Worth County and has previous business experience in various positions in a medical office. She grew up on her family’s peanut and cotton farm in Shingler and currently lives there with her husband, Ray, and two children, Hazel and Russell. They also maintain a cattle operation.
Mrs. Dupree looks forward to using her agricultural knowledge and business experience to service the needs of residents of Worth County.
AgGeorgia Farm Credit Announces Hiring of Credit Officer in Moultrie
AgGeorgia Farm Creditis pleased to announce the hiring of Stuart Cook as a Credit Officer in our Moultrie office. Mr. Cook grew up in Sylvester and graduated from The University of Georgia, Tifton Campus where he received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. Stuart worked on his dad’s cotton farm while in high school and worked in research in crop and soil science while at UGA. Previously, he worked with the Colquitt AgService.
Mr. Cook looks forward to using his agricultural knowledge to service the needs of residents of Colquitt County.
AgGeorgia Farm Credit Announces Hiring of Relationship Manager in Waynesboro
AgGeorgia Farm Credit is pleased to announce the hiring of Todd Faircloth as a Relationship Manager in our Waynesboro office. Mr. Faircloth grew up in Warner Robins and graduated from Georgia College and State University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Marketing. He worked with Georgia Farm Bureau for the last 23 years as a District Federation Manager overseeing a 17 county territory. Todd currently lives in Statesboro and has three children: Emma, Jarrett and Abbi.
Mr. Faircloth looks forward to using his agricultural knowledge to service the needs of residents of Burke, Columbia, Jefferson, McDuffie and Richmond counties.
Georgia Farm Credit Associations Announce $25,000 Investment in Future Ag Leaders
Pat Calhoun, CEO of AgSouth Farm Credit, announced today that the Farm Credit Associations of Georgia have partnered with the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences and the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources to help fund the Advancing Georgia’s Leaders in Agriculture and Forestry (AGL) Program.
The Georgia Farm Credit Associations – comprised of AgGeorgia Farm Credit, AgSouth Farm Credit and Southwest Georgia Farm Credit – will invest $25,000 towards this program in the next five years.
AGL trains individuals who are looking for a career in agribusiness or forestry to “become more effective spokespeople for their industries, helping them understand complex social and political systems and giving them insight into their personal leadership preferences and behaviors.” As part of the curriculum, participants travel across the state and to Washington D.C. to meet with key leaders and engage in dialogue about important issues and trends.
“The Georgia Farm Credit Associations recognize that agriculture attracts many of our state’s best and brightest leaders, of which several are represented in the AGL program,” said AgGeorgia Farm Credit CEO Jack Drew. “We are particularly excited to help support these leaders in their own development and for the good of all involved with Georgia agriculture.”
Southwest Georgia Farm Credit CEO Paxton W. Poitevint adds that, “It’s vital to our country’s future that we educate upcoming generations about the necessity and intricacies of ag-related careers so that we can be assured America can and will continue to provide food, clothing and shelter not only for our country, but for the world in the decades to come.”
According to Dr. Lauren Ledbetter Griffith, University of Georgia Extension Leadership Specialist at the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, “When agriculture is strong, the state of Georgia thrives. Investing in program leadership development in agriculture and forestry will provide meaningful returns for the health of our citizenry and the future of our industry. Each participant builds a network with their class members and over 100 expert speakers, conducts a leadership project, and travels to see innovations in everything from poultry to pine trees across the state of Georgia and to Washington D.C. The grant from the Farm Credit Associations of Georgia will ensure that our tuition rate remains reasonable for participants while we are able to still offer a high quality program for years to come.”
AgGeorgia Farm Credit recently conducted its four annual stockholder meetings throughout the state, with the closing of the final session Tuesday, October 29th in Tifton at the UGA Conference Center.
As part of the annual meeting, three Director positions with terms expiring December 31, 2019 were voted upon. AgGeorgia Farm Credit is pleased to announce the re-election of David H. Smith of Bartow County for Position #1, R. Brian Grogan of Gordon County for Position #7, and Ronney S. Ledford of Dooly County for Position #10. Our congratulations to these Directors on their re-election and vote of confidence by our stockholders on the excellent Board leadership at AgGeorgia Farm Credit.
