AgSouth Farm Credit

What AgSouth Farm Credit does

AgSouth Farm Credit, ACA is a member-owned agricultural credit cooperative within the federally chartered Farm Credit System, operating under the Farm Credit Act of 1971 and regulated by the Farm Credit Administration. Headquartered in Statesville, North Carolina, the association was formed on April 3, 2023, through the merger of legacy AgSouth Farm Credit and Carolina Farm Credit, and serves 147 counties across Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. It is the 14th largest Farm Credit Association in the nation with nearly $5 billion in total assets and more than 25,000 member-borrowers, distributing capital from AgFirst Farm Credit Bank to agricultural and rural borrowers.

The core product suite spans farm loans, land loans (farmland, recreational, and rural lifestyle), home loans including conventional and construction-to-permanent financing, agribusiness and capital-markets lending, crop insurance, and equipment leasing, complemented by a Digital Banking portal. Beyond credit, AgSouth operates a portfolio of educational programs, including the trademarked AGAware® farm finance workshop, AgBiz Planner/Basics online courses, the FarmForward Summit, and the AgLeadership Institute, plus community programs such as the Growing Our Communities Grant. The marketing and member-acquisition model relies on educational content, community engagement, customer-story campaigns, and a branch network of local loan officers rather than digital self-service acquisition.

The cooperative generates revenue primarily through net interest income on agricultural, land, and rural home loans, with ancillary fee and commission streams from crop insurance, leasing, and capital-markets services. Approximately 70% of annual net income is returned to member-borrowers through the patronage program – a record $71.2 million distribution was announced in March 2026, marking the 38th consecutive year of profit-sharing. Leadership transitioned in 2025 with Chad Puryear appointed CEO effective September 1, 2025, following Vance Dalton's retirement after 32 years of Farm Credit service; Michael Almond joined as EVP and Chief Credit Officer effective April 1, 2026.

Name

AgSouth Farm Credit

Legal name

AgSouth Farm Credit, ACA

Website

https://agsouthfc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

AgSouth Farm Credit, ACA is a member-owned Farm Credit System cooperative providing farm, land, home, and agribusiness loans, plus crop insurance and leasing, to 25,000+ member-borrowers across 147 counties in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, returning roughly 70% of net income via annual patronage.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Lending

NAICS

Sales Financing (522220)

SIC

Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111), Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

Agricultural & Rural Cooperatives (Farm Credit/Co-op Banks) (FSABAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Agricultural & Rural Microfinance (FSAKAGAG), Natural Resources — Farmland & Agriculture (FSAAAKAI), Supply Chain, Marketing & Contracting Advisory (Grain/Livestock Marketing) (AFACAJAH)

Keywords

• Agricultural lending
• Farm loans
• Rural financing
• Crop insurance
• Land loans

Headquarters

HQ city

Aiken

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Agricultural Lending: AgSouth provides loans for land, equipment, and production agriculture. Revenue is generated through interest income on loans for farmland, agricultural operations, country homes, and recreational acreage. As a member-owned cooperative, profits are returned to customers through patronage distributions.
2. Crop Insurance: The association offers crop insurance products to protect farmers against uncertainty, generating commission revenue from insurance partnerships.
3. Leasing Services: Equipment and facility leasing services for farm implements and fleet vehicles.
4. Home Mortgages: Conventional home loans and construction financing for rural homeowners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AgSouth Farm Credit is a member-owned agricultural credit cooperative that originates and services farm loans, land loans, home loans, agribusiness financing, and capital markets loans for farmers, rural landowners, rural homeowners, and agribusinesses across Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The association complements its lending portfolio with crop insurance, equipment and vehicle leasing, and a patronage program that returns a share of net income to member-borrowers.

Product overview

AgSouth Farm Credit is a member-owned agricultural credit cooperative providing a comprehensive suite of financial products and services to farmers, rural homeowners, landowners, and agribusinesses across 147 counties in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The core offerings center on farm loans, land loans, home loans, and agricultural business financing, complemented by crop insurance and equipment leasing services. Beyond traditional lending, AgSouth operates educational programs including the AGAware® Farm Finance Training workshops, AgBiz Program (AgBiz Planner and AgBiz Basics), AgLeadership Institute, and FarmForward Summit. The cooperative also administers community programs such as the Growing Our Communities Grant and a patronage program returning profits to members. Digital Banking services enable members to manage accounts online. The organization is part of the nationwide Farm Credit System and is headquartered in Statesville, North Carolina.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AGAware: Award-winning farm finance workshop program created by AgSouth Farm Credit in 2011 to help farmers develop business and financial management skills.
• FarmForward Summit
• AgLeadership Institute
• Growing Our Communities Grant

Products and services

• Farm Loans Agricultural financing for full-time and part-time farmers, including loans for operations, equipment, and production agriculture across Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
• Young, Beginning & Small Farmers Program Specialized loan program designed to support new and early-career farmers entering agriculture with less than 10 years of experience, addressing limited credit history and startup capital needs.
• Land Loans Loans for purchasing farmland, recreational land, and rural lifestyle properties across Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
• Home Loans Mortgages for rural and agricultural properties including conventional home loans and construction financing options.
• Construction to Perm Loans Financing that converts from construction loan to permanent mortgage upon completion of home building.
• AgriBusiness Financing Loans and financial services for agricultural businesses, processors, and related commercial operations.
• Capital Markets Capital market services for larger agricultural operations and complex financing needs.
• Crop Insurance Insurance products to protect farmers against crop loss due to natural disasters, disease, or market fluctuations, generating commission revenue from insurance partnerships.
• Leasing Equipment and facility leasing alternatives for farm implements, fleet vehicles, and other agricultural assets.
• Digital Banking Online and mobile banking platform for members to manage accounts, make payments, and access statements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Returned approximately $71.2 million in patronage to customers in 2026 (70% of 2025 net income)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Colonial Farm CreditminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 July 2026Partner in the FarmForward Summit 2026 educational event for farmers.
• Farm Credit of the VirginiasminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 July 2026Partner in the FarmForward Summit 2026 educational event for farmers.
• AgCarolina Farm CreditcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiatives include Pull for Youth fundraising events for 4-H and FFA, Innovative Young Farmer awards, Excellence in Agriculture awards, and combined Farm Credit Associations of North Carolina activities. Together they have over $6.9 billion in loans and commitments outstanding.
• Blue Ridge Realty NCminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership to feature land properties for sale in North Carolina. Blue Ridge Realty NC assists customers with finding land, farms, or homes, with support from AgSouth Farm Credit for financing.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AgCarolina Farm Credit: Another Farm Credit System association serving North Carolina farmers with agricultural lending, crop insurance, and rural home loans. It is a documented partner of AgSouth on Pull for Youth, Young Farmer awards, and combined NC activities, making it the closest like-for-like peer within the same system and overlapping NC geography.
• Colonial Farm Credit: Farm Credit System lender serving Virginia agriculture with farm, land, and home loans. Documented AgSouth partner on the FarmForward Summit, operating an identical cooperative lending model in an adjacent Southeastern state — a near-perfect structural peer.
• Farm Credit of the Virginias: Farm Credit System association serving Virginia and West Virginia agriculture. Partners with AgSouth on FarmForward Summit; offers the same cooperative lending, leasing, and crop insurance suite in a neighboring territory, making it a directly comparable peer.
• AgChoice Farm Credit: Pennsylvania-based Farm Credit System association offering farm loans, crop insurance, and rural home financing. Comparable in cooperative structure, product mix, and member-owned patronage model, though it serves a different geography.
• ArborOne Farm Credit: South Carolina-based Farm Credit System association serving farmers, ranchers, and rural residents. Directly comparable cooperative model and overlapping product suite in a state where AgSouth also operates, providing local-market overlap.
• Compeer Financial: Large Farm Credit System association serving Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Comparable cooperative lending model at meaningfully larger scale; useful as a benchmark for how AgSouth's $5B-asset model could scale across additional Midwestern geographies.
• Farm Credit Mid-America: Major Farm Credit System association serving farmers in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Directly comparable cooperative structure, full product suite (farm loans, crop insurance, leasing, home loans), and patronage program at much larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Rabo AgriFinance: U.S. agricultural lending arm of Rabobank, one of the largest commercial ag lenders in the country. Competes with AgSouth for large, complex agribusiness borrowers and Capital Markets deals but operates as a for-profit bank rather than a cooperative.
• Farmer Mac: Federal secondary market for agricultural real estate and rural utilities loans. While not a direct lender to farmers, Farmer Mac is a federally chartered GSE that purchases loans originated by Farm Credit associations (including AgSouth peers) and is a structural parallel within the agricultural credit ecosystem.

Others

• AgFirst Farm Credit Bank: The wholesale funding bank within the Farm Credit System that provides capital and funding to AgSouth and other southeastern associations. Not a competitor but a critical infrastructure counterparty — useful as a structural/institutional peer for understanding AgSouth's funding model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AgSouthFC
• Facebookfacebook.com/agsouthfarmcredit
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agsouth-farm-credit
• Instagraminstagram.com/agsouthfarmcredit

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AgSouth Farm Credit