Farm Credit, AgFirst celebrate 100 years of service to farming, rural America
July 14, 2016
COLUMBIA, SC – The Farm Credit System is celebrating 100 years of service to agriculture and rural communities this month. As one of four funding banks in the nationwide system, AgFirst Farm Credit Bank in Columbia has played a vital role in Farm Credit’s past and will be a key player in leading the system into the future. Farm Credit was formed when President Woodrow Wilson signed the federal Farm Loan Act into law July 17, 1916. Not long after, AgFirst’s predecessor, the Federal Land Bank of Columbia, opened in a new building at 1401 Hampton St., where it stayed for the next 90 years. AgFirst moved into the Bank of America building on Main Street two years ago.
From its modern offices on Main Street, AgFirst provides funding and services to 19 affiliates – referred to as Associations – serving the credit needs of eligible borrowers in 15 Eastern states and Puerto Rico. Two of those Associations – ArborOne Farm Credit, based in Florence, and AgSouth Farm Credit, based in Statesboro, Ga. – provide lending and other financial services to rural homeowners, farmers and agribusinesses in South Carolina.
“AgFirst and all 19 of our affiliated Associations are committed to improving rural America – from the homebuyer purchasing a dream home in the country to the family farmer to the agribusiness,” said Tim Amerson, president and CEO of AgFirst. “We help keep the wheels of agriculture turning by providing capital to farmers and the rural communities on which they depend.”
Over the past 100 years, Farm Credit has helped agriculture weather wars, economic downturns and farming crises. “Through our hard work and adaptability, we have continued to fulfill the mission of making sure there is a consistent source of credit available to agriculture, which in turn underpins a stable, safe and affordable supply of food to feed our nation and the world,” Amerson said. “And we are well positioned to continue fulfilling this vital mission as we head into the next 100 years.”
About AgFirst
AgFirst Farm Credit Bank is one of four banks that make up the nationwide Farm Credit System. Farm Credit has supported rural communities and agriculture with reliable, consistent credit and financial services for 100 years. AgFirst is a cooperative providing funding and services to 19 Associations in 15 states and Puerto Rico.
