AgGeorgia offers relationship-driven financing for all your land needs. Whether you're looking to refinance a large tract, purchase land for recreational use or investing for future use, we can help. Get in touch with us today or call us at 706-764-4684 to discuss your options.
We make loans for:
Real estate & Farm Improvements
Timberland, Farmland, Hunting Tracts
Land improvements (fencing, barns, etc.)
Home construction and purchases
Refinancing
Lot Loans
Our financing advantages include:
Up to 20 year fixed rates on land
Up to 30 year fixed rates on homes
Local service
No intangible taxes on long-term financing
Up to 80% financing on land
Patronage refund program
Need help finding land? Check out our Property for Sale section from our most recent issue of Leader Magazine, and make sure to download our free guide below to assist you through the land buying journey.
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Ready to buy a piece of property or expand your current farm operation? Reach out and learn more about your opportunities for real estate ownership through AgGeorgia.
AgGeorgia Farm Credit Celebrates 30 Years of Returns with Distribution of Over $13 Million
AgGeorgia Farm Credit, a Georgia based agricultural lending cooperative, has announced that dividends totaling $13,630,305 have been declared by its Board of Directors, with receipt by members anticipated the first week of April.
This marks the 30th consecutive year the cooperative has returned profits to its members through its Patronage Refund Program, with over $348 million in cash being paid out since 1988. The refund consists of more than $4 million in cash and over $9.5 million in allocated surplus, with the surplus portion to be used to maintain the capital position of the cooperative and returned to members at a later date.
“Not only are we proud that this year’s distribution is over 21% larger than last year’s, reflecting the health of the association, but we are also excited to be celebrating a milestone of 30 consecutive years of distributions to our borrowers,” said AgGeorgia CEO Jack Drew. “We know how much these distributions mean to our farmers and rural Georgia, and AgGeorgia’s history of returns speaks to our long-standing commitment to share profits with our borrowers.”
The returns have been not only consistent, but greatly decrease AgGeorgia members’ cost of borrowing.
“The patronage refund reduces our members’ cost of borrowing considerably, this year lowering the average member’s stated rate by 1.53%,” said AgGeorgia’s CFO Carrie McCall. “For every dollar of interest expense accrued by our borrowers in our general portfolio in 2017, 27 cents is being paid back to them.”
AgGeorgia members can draw on their available line of credit quickly and easily through special programs like Agriline and FastCash, which allow qualified borrowers to write themselves a check, or request next-day deposits by phone or through Digital Banking. Members with a Wells Fargo checking account can also use our AgSweep feature to automatically transfer funds between your line of credit and business checking account to save you time and money.
AgGeorgia Digital Account Management Features
Make payments, find important forms, and manage other aspects of your account using our Digital Banking portal online. While you're there, schedule regular automatic payments to be deducted straight from your bank account with our AutoDraft feature. On the go? Use our mobile app to access your account information remotely.
Not interested in buying outright? Leasing may be a better solution for you and your operation. Equipment, vehicles, machinery, implements, buildings—all eligible when it comes to leasing. Connect with AgGeorgia representatives to determine whether a loan or a lease is the better option for you.
When you're a Young, Beginning, Small, or Minority (YBSM) Farmer who's just starting out, getting your operation in order can seem like an uphill battle. AgGeorgia can get you on track with AGAware ®, a comprehensive education program that connects you and other YBSM Farmers with the resources and the business strategies necessary to become competitive in this industry.
Want to lease a new tractor, take advantage of our Patronage Refund Program, or access some other member benefit? Reach out to an AgGeorgia specialist today to get started.
Wilkes County’s Jack W. Bentley, Jr. Named to AgFirst Farm Credit Bank Board of Directors
AgGeorgia Farm Credit is pleased to announce the election of Jack W. Bentley, Jr. to a four-year term on the AgFirst Farm Credit Bank board of directors. AgFirst Farm Credit Bank provides funding to 19 Farm Credit associations, including AgGeorgia Farm Credit, and operates as a federated cooperative with the associations owning AgFirst and sharing in its profits. Mr. Bentley is also currently on the board of AgGeorgia Farm Credit, where he was first elected to serve as a board member of a predecessor association at the age of 28, and is the current Credit Risk Committee chairman, Building Committee chairman, and Compensation Committee vice chairman. 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, Dairy Alliance, 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 (Casie Jo) and five grandchildren.
Shelvy Giddens named Relationship Manager in Sylvester Office
AgGeorgia Farm Credit is pleased to announce that Shelvy Giddens has accepted the position of Relationship Manager in our Sylvester Office. A native of Worth County, Shelvy graduated from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College with a Bachelor of Science in Diversified Agriculture with a minor in Agricultural Business. He served as an intern with AgGeorgia during the summer of 2016 and joined the staff in January of 2017 as a Loan Officer Trainee before moving to a Credit Analyst position in January of 2018. Mr. Giddens was raised and worked on his family’s farm and previously operated his own 230 acre farm. He has extensive knowledge of effective management practices and of various commodities within ag production. He and his wife, Kristi, currently reside in Worth County with their son, Syrus.
Mr. Giddens is looking forward to using his strong ties to the area, his background experience and knowledge of agriculture to meet the credit needs of full-time and part-time farmers in Worth County.
AgGeorgia Farm Credit is pleased to announce the addition of Rachel Velie as an Internal Controls Accountant in our Perry Office. A native of Bibb County, Rachel is a graduate of Mercer University with a Bachelor of Business Administration with an Accounting focus. She also earned a Master of Accountancy degree from Georgia College & State University. Rachel has previous business experience through roles including internal auditing, accounting and as a financial analyst.
AgGeorgia Farm Credit Announces New Hire in Nashville
AgGeorgia Farm Credit is pleased to announce the hiring of Lindsey McLendon in the Nashville Office for the position of Loan Assistant. Lindsey is a native of Berrien County currently resides there with her husband Michael and children Macon & Luke. Her business experience will be beneficial to the Farm Credit organization.
Mrs. McLendon looks forward to using her knowledge and experience for the customers of the Nashville Branch which includes farmers in Berrien, Cook and Lanier counties.
AgGeorgia Farm Credit Announces Distribution of Over $10 Million to Members
Perry, Ga. (June 25, 2018) – AgGeorgia Farm Credit has announced that over $10.89 million is being paid to its borrowers, with members receiving checks by the last week of June. The distribution comes after AgGeorgia’s Board of Directors already declared dividends of $13.63 million in April, over $4 million of which were paid in cash. In total, AgGeorgia has now distributed over $14.98 million in cash in 2018 to the borrowers of the cooperative.
”We are member-owned and member-focused,” said AgGeorgia CEO Jack Drew. “Unlike many other financial institutions, our cooperative structure and patronage refund program rewards members for their continued and loyal business while providing a reduced effective cost of borrowing. One can trust that our Board and employees take great pride in knowing that our profits go back to our borrowers.”
2018 marks the 30th consecutive year the cooperative has returned profits to its members, with over $359 million in cash being paid out since 1988.
The payout is a surplus revolvement from AgGeorgia’s 2008 Patronage Refunds, and is divided between qualified and non-qualified surplus. Taxes were paid on the qualified surplus portion when declared in 2008, however no taxes have been paid yet on the non-qualified portion. Members will receive a 1099 in February of next year regarding income taxes on this portion.
About AgGeorgia Farm Credit
AgGeorgia Farm Credit is a lending cooperative owned by its over 4,500 member-borrowers, proud to have been helping Georgia grow for generations. AgGeorgia provides loans to full-time farmers, part-time farmers, and land buyers alike for land, farms, homes, equipment, livestock and operating expenses, and services such as crop insurance and leasing. AgGeorgia Farm Credit has 20 branches serving 79 counties in Georgia. It is part of the national Farm Credit System, a network of financial cooperatives established in 1916 to provide a dependable source of credit to farmers and rural America. For more information, visit www.aggeorgia.com.
