AgSouth s Photo Contest Winners

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1 An AgSouth Farm Credit Member Publication Summer 2015 AgSouth s Photo Contest Winners Congratulations to Brittney Boykin from Sylvania, Georgia, and Darlene Evans from Williamson, Georgia, who won first and second place in AgSouth s 2016 Calendar Photo Contest. A special Grand Prize was awarded to Teresa Motley from Cassatt, South Carolina, whose photo will be honored as the cover of our calendar. Thank you for your votes! We received nearly 8,000 of them for the contest! We are proud to use these photos to highlight rural living in our territory. These photos and more from our contest will be featured in our upcoming calendar. For more winners, see page 11 of this magazine. Grand Prize First Place Second Place IMPORTANT DATES Date(s) Event Location Date(s) Event Location August 15 AGAware Alumni Workshop Aiken October 19 AgSouth Annual Meeting Orangeburg SC August 23 Georgia Poultry Federation Night of Knights Atlanta GA October 20 AgSouth Annual Meeting Clinton SC August 28 AGAware Workshop Carrollton GA October 26 AgSouth Annual Meeting Statesboro GA September 7 AgSouth Offices Closed for Labor Day October 27 AgSouth Annual Meeting NEW LOCATION Zebulon GA September 19 Annie s Project Columbia SC November AgSouth Offices Closed for Thanksgiving September National Farm Safety Week December AgSouth Offices Closed for Christmas September 23 Georgia Poultry Conference Atlanta GA

2 Did You Hear? WE RETURNED MORE THAN $8.8 MILLION IN CASH TO OUR CUSTOMERS THIS YEAR FROM OUR 2014 PROFITS! Our members also received another $14.3 million in cash from our 2009 allocated surplus. That s more than $23 million in Cash in YOUR pockets this year! Want to see more of our profits in your pockets next year? Refinance your loans with other lenders with us, tell your friends and family about us, and call on us for any needs you have for: Leasing Crop Insurance Home Loans Loans for land, farms, and homes NMLS# AGSOUTH AgSouthFC.com

3 DIRECTOR ELECTIONS The 2015 Nominating Committee has prepared the following slate of nominees for Board of Director members and members of the 2016 Nominating Committee. If you would like to exercise your right to vote for who leads your Association, please attend the annual meeting of your choice. Region 2 CHEROKEE GREENVILLE DADE CATOOSA TOWNS YORK FANNIN RABUN SPARTANBURG PICKENS WHITFIELD UNION WALKER GILMER OCONEE MURRAY UNION LANCASTER CHESTER HABERSHAM CHESTERFIELD LUMPKIN WHITE CHATTOOGA STEPHENS GORDON MARLBORO PICKENS ANDERSON LAURENS DAWSON FAIRFIELD DILLON HALL BANKS FRANKLIN HART KERSHAW DARLINGTON BARTOW NEWBERRY FLOYD CHEROKEE FORSYTH JACKSON MADISON ABBEVILLE LEE MARION ELBERT GREENWOOD POLK COBB BARROW FLORENCE CLARKE SALUDA RICHLAND PAULDING GWINNETTE MCCORMICK HORRY OGLETHORPE LEXINGTON SUMTER HARALSON OCONEE DE KALB WALTON WILKES LINCOLN EDGEFIELD CALHOUN ROCKDALE CARROLL FULTON GREENE CLARENDON WILLIAMSBURG CLAYTON NEWTON MORGAN TALIAFERRO COLUMBIA AIKEN MCDUFFIE GEORGETOWN HENRY COWETA FAYETTE WARREN ORANGEBURG HEARD JASPER PUTNAM RICHMOND SPALDING BUTTS BARNWELL HANCOCK GLASCOCK BERKELEY MERIWETHER BAMBERG DORCHESTER PIKE BALDWIN LAMAR TROUP JEFFERSON BURKE JONES ALLENDALE MONROE WASHINGTON UPSON BIBB COLLETON JENKINS SCREVEN HARRIS HAMPTON TALBOT CRAWFORD WILKINSON JOHNSON CHARLESTON TWIGGS EMANUEL MUSCOGEE TAYLOR PEACH JASPER MARION LAURENS BLECKLEY BULLOCH EFFINGHAM HOUSTON CANDLER CHATAHOOCHEE MACON TREUTLEN SCHLEY PULASKI BEAUFORT MONTGOMERY EVANS DOOLY DODGE STEWART WHEELER TOOMBS WEBSTER SUMTER TATTNALL BRYAN WILCOX CHATHAM CRISP TELFAIR QUITMAN TERRELL LEE RANDOLPH BEN HILL JEFF LIBERTY APPLING LONG TURNER DAVIS CLAY IRWIN CALHOUN BACON DOUGHERTY COFFEE WAYNE MCINTOSH WORTH TIFT EARLY BAKER PIERCE BERRIEN ATKINSON GLYNN MILLER MITCHELL COLQUITT BRANTLEY COOK WARE SEMINOLE LANIER CAMDEN CLINCH DECATUR GRADY THOMAS CHARLETON BROOKS LOWNDES ECHOLS DOUGLAS Region 1 Region 3 Region 4 Director Nominees: Region 1 Eugene Merritt, Jr. Incumbent Pickens Hugh F. Ables, Jr. (Frank) Oconee Region 1 John J. Peay (Jay) Laurens Marion Black Saluda Region 3 3 year term Jerome G. Parker Incumbent Tatnall R. Jody Kemp Toombs Region 4 Hugh E. Weathers Incumbent Orangeburg Alvin K. Yerich Berkley Region 4 Thomas H. Coward Incumbent Aiken Donald H. Turno Aiken Nominating Committee: Region 1 Sam Milford Abbeville Baron R. Buzhardt Saluda Charles W. Setzler Alternate Newberry Ryan Black Alternate Saluda Region 2 J. Emmett Collins, Jr. Meriwether Thomas Vanhuss Monroe Mike McDaniel Alternate Meriwether Daryl Remick Alternate Monroe Region 3 Mark H. Brown Jenkins L. Anthony Cowart Jenkins Jack A. Brannen, Jr. Alternate Bulloch Don I. Burke Alternate Jenkins Region 4 Adair M. McKoy, IV Charleston David V. Cantley Orangeburg Walter K. Pooser, JR Alternate Calhoun Bates R. Houck Alternate Calhoun AGSOUTH IS NOW ON TWITTER! Want to find out what AgSouth is doing to promote your association in real time? Follow us on We ll tweet about events we re attending, what our customers are doing, and even forward ag-related tweets from our members and industry professionals. 3

4 AGSOUTH AWARDS $25,000 IN GRANTS TO GEORGIA AND SOUTH CAROLINA FARMERS MARKETS This summer AgSouth Farm Credit awarded 25 community-based farmers markets in our territory $25,000 in grants for use in advertising and promoting the markets. The markets awarded the grants also received 250 reusable bags with AgSouth s Think Outside the Store logo to give to their customers. The grant program was designed to bring attention to the small farm market as part of AgSouth s young, beginning, and small farmer program. Many farmers get their start selling produce and other items at their local farmers markets. Knowing where your food and fiber comes from is important, and we at AgSouth are happy to support these local markets. The initiative has been successful for our new market. We have noticed a gradual increase in foot traffic for our market. We look forward to improving our advertising each week with additional signage and new advertising strategies, made possible by the AgSouth grant funds! ~ Leslie Allison, Woodruff Farmers Market I believe the [Think Outside the Store Farmers Market Grant] initiative is very successful and provides more recognition for farmers and more access to fresh produce. ~ Mandy McManus, Lilburn Farmers Market The Appling County Board of Tourism would like to thank AgSouth for selecting our market to receive the grant and for the great work they do to promote agriculture in our area. ~ Keri Crosby, Appling County Board of Tourism AgSouth Regional Vice President Daryl Griner presents the grant funds and bags to Alyson Leslie of the Woodruff Farmers Market. Thank you again for choosing Wayne County Farmers Market to receive a Think Outside the Store grant this year. It allowed us to have very GRAND opening. ~ Candee Harris, Wayne County Farmers Market The Barnesville-Lamar County grand opening. Stewart Meeks and Mallory Wilcox of AgSouth present Keri Crosby with the $1000 check and shopping bags for the Appling County Farmers Market. 4

5 Our shopping bag giveaway was depleted in less than 60 minutes, the decals are popping up on cars all around town and our koozies are wildly popular amongst our intended audience. s T i c a t i o M c AGSOUTH GRANT HELPS TINY MARKET GROW TO LARGEST IN STATE (Excerpt from Growing Georgia) Nine years ago, the Peachtree Road Farmers Market was a small gathering of a dozen farmers and gardeners getting together 20 weeks a year to sell their produce to neighborhood shoppers. Today the market has 74 vendors and a 38-week season. We ve grown very quickly over the past few years and now we are the largest producer-only farmer s market in the state, said Stan Perry, Sandhill Farmers Market. One of the ways that Peachtree Road Farmers Market grew so fast was through AgSouth s Think Outside the Store community grants, which can be used for marketing. AgSouth s Ken Taylor and Lynne Christiansen present the grant funds and bags to Sandra Stoud (center). Very few grants programs allow you to spend the money on marketing, but that s what you really need to spread the word about who you are and what you do. ~ Lauren Carey, Peachtree Road Farmers Market The Traveler s Rest Farmers Market was voted the Top 10 Farmers Markets in the 9 Southern States by Deep South Magazine. A vendor from Burge Organic Farm in Mansfield, Ga., sells at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. In less than 10 years the market has grown to become the largest producer-only market in the state, in part due to marketing grants from AgSouth Farm Credit. (Photo by Sara Craig-Goodell) 5

6 JOIN US EVERY SATURDAY TO ENJOY A WIDE VARIETY OF FRESH LOCAL PRODUCE, PREPARED FOOD, ARTISANS, LIVE ENTERTAINMENT & SO MUCH MORE e v e r y s a t u r d a y 8 a m 2 p m m a r i o n s q u a r e r a i n o r s h i n e EXTENDED HOURS SUNDAYS DURING PICCOLO SPOLETO FESTIVAL 5/24, 5/31 & 6/7, 9AM 3PM bee bountiful, amanda norman 2015 c h a r l e s t o n FARMERS MARKET e v e r y s a t u r d a y 8 a m 2 p m m a r i o n s q u a r e CELEBRATING THE LOWCOUNTRY S BOUNTY OF FRESH LOCAL PRODUCE AND HOMEGROWN CREATIVITY produced by the city of charleston office of cultural affairs PROMOTION SUPPORTED BY MORE (843) Visit the Farm Credit Building at the Sunbelt Expo for some fun and giveaways! OCTOBER Moultrie, GA sunbeltexpo.com 6 HIGHLIGHTS: Heath Deloach will perform Tues. and Thurs. in the building and on our roving stage Register for a chance to win a Bush Hog Rotary Mower Winners of the Georgia FFA Talent Show will perform on October 21 Participate in ag focused competitions 844.AGSOUTH AgSouthFC.com

7 THE HAPPY BERRY 40 YEARS IN THE MAKING By: Katie Morris, Marketing Specialist AgSouth member Walker Miller of Six Mile, South Carolina, spent 29 years as an employee at Clemson University. Like many retirees, he had a clear vision of what he wanted his second career to look like. Walker had a plan: He saved twenty five dollars a week over a four-year period and spent countless hours researching the topography of the Upcountry in South Carolina. In late 1979 Miller and his family - with a little help from AgSouth - purchased nine acres of land nestled in the small historic community of Six Mile, in Pickens County, right next door to Lake Keowee. They called their new place The Happy Berry. Due to the lake s effect, this land is roughly nine degrees warmer on a cool night, making it ideal for the plants we grow, Miller tells us. The focus of The Happy Berry has always been to provide healthy, local food for the community. When deciding what crop would be the farm s first, Miller chose blueberries because they did not compete with the crops of other local growers. When it came to financing, he once again chose AgSouth to finance his operating costs. He says that his loan officer, William Gable, knows agriculture, and I don t have to explain why I need what I need when I need it. He knows his job and mine, and that makes my job a whole lot easier. The Millers planted the first three varieties of blueberry bushes the same year as their daughter, Zoe, was born. Today The Happy Berry grows more than 25 varieties of crops including blueberries, blackberries, grapes, figs, persimmons, and muscadines. A fairly new focus for the farm is on chestnuts and other varying rotating seasonal crops. The original nine acres of the farm has now grown to 22, with ten acres planted each season. Like most farms, The Happy Berry involves the entire Miller family. Walker and his wife Ann and their daughter, Zoe, all live and work on the farm. The Millers other daughter, Betty Ann, works for the farm as well. The Millers are masters of adaptation. They are responsive to changing demands in the market, constantly striving to find new strategies to produce healthy and tasty crops, all while continuing to increase their resiliency to everchanging environmental factors. Today The Happy Berry participates in the Certified SC Grown program as an agritourism destination, and Miller is recognized as a heritage grower. In 2014 he was named Farmer of The Year by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. Many of the customers you see visiting the farm today are grandchildren of original customers. The Happy Berry sells the majority of their berries directly to customers, but you can also find the berries at various farmers markets throughout the Upstate and in select restaurants in the Greenville area. If you re interested in buying berries directly from the farmer who grew it, make plans to visit The Happy Berry. Table grapes, figs, and persimmons will all be in season beginning early August. For more information or directions, visit [My loan officer] knows agriculture, and I don t have to explain why I need what I need when I need it. He knows his job and mine, and that makes my job a whole lot easier. 7

8 YOUNG FARMER LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE AgSouth member Stephanie Butcher (left) wins the Excellence in Agriculture Award at the Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmer Leadership Conference. To the right is David Cromley, 2015 Georgia Farm Bureau Committee Chairman. AgSouth members Matt and Melissa Bottoms, of Pike County, Georgia, received the Young Farmer Achievement Award. Pictured with them are David Cromley and Taylor Sills, GFB Young Farmer Coordinator. 8

9 KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS CHANGING THE FACE OF AGRICULTURE? Nominate them, and they could win $10,000 and a trip to D.C. As part of our centennial celebration, AgSouth is participating in the national Farm Credit Fresh Perspectives Program. The Fresh Perspectives search will identify and honor 100 people across the nation who are changing the future of rural America. Once Farm Credit has received all the submissions, a panel of experts on rural matters, including Farm Credit leaders and representatives from around the agriculture industry, will evaluate and help select the top 100 honorees in ten categories. These individuals will be announced in March 2016, and each will receive a commemorative item in recognition of their achievements. The top ten honorees one from each category will also receive a $10,000 cash prize to help further their community and ag industry contributions. These 10 winners and their guests will also be invited to Washington, D.C., to participate in a special Farm Credit recognition event. We need your help in nominating worthy individuals, and nominations are welcome from anyone. To nominate someone, visit Nominations will be accepted through December 31. Categories are as follows: Leadership (over 21) A champion for agriculture and is committed to advancing its success today and tomorrow. Youth Leadership (21 and younger) Part of the next generation of farmers, ranchers and rural leaders, this individual demonstrates a passion for rural communities and agriculture and has already made a positive impact. Rural Policy Influence An advocate for positive change in rural policy who encourages actions that contribute to thriving rural communities. Entrepreneurship and Innovation A skilled entrepreneur within their business and within the agribusiness community, this individual uses business savvy and visionary thinking to positively impact rural communities and agriculture. Sustainability and Natural Resource Conservation An individual who demonstrates environmental stewardship and a commitment to natural resources conservation in their community and beyond. Beginning Farmer or Rancher Achievement With five years or fewer running their own operation, this individual has demonstrated success on their farm or ranch and positively impacted the community through a commitment to the future of agriculture and rural America. Financial Stewardship Someone who demonstrates fiscal responsibility and has helped others achieve financial success in farming, ranching or rural business. Mentoring and Volunteerism An individual who serves others as a role model and/or volunteers within their community. Agriculture Education and Community Impact Someone who educates others about the importance of agriculture today and/or has made a significant impact on their community by sharing knowledge, transferring wisdom and advancing agriculture education. Rural and Urban Connection An individual who demonstrates results in connecting rural and urban communities to foster deeper understanding and appreciation for rural contributions that touch every life, every day. 9

10 IT S THROWBACK THURSDAY! Not really, but we ve seen your old photos out there on Facebook, and we know you have more! We may not look it, but Farm Credit is turning 100 next year! If you d like to have your family s farm or homestead honored, send us your ag and rural living photos. Old photos, new ones we d love to highlight the transition of agriculture in our territory throughout the year as part of our celebration. We may post these to our Facebook page and use some of them in our advertising and future editions of the magazine. Send your photos to RJernigan@AgSouthFC.com. She ll send you a photo release form. Just sign it, return it, and then watch for your photos to be posted to our Facebook page! And if you haven t yet checked out our Facebook page, just sign in and put AgSouth Farm Credit in your search bar and Like us! You ll see what your association is doing to promote agriculture, view upcoming events and promotions, see photos of your friends and neighbors, and get links to articles from industry experts about what s going on in agriculture. We can t wait to see what you have stored! 10

11 Calendar Contest Best Shots Ten other photos were selected among the top by our voters and will also be featured in AgSouth s 2016 calendar. For more information, visit AgSouthFC.com. 11

12 BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Charles C. Rucks (Chairman) William T. Robinson (Vice Chairman) Arthur Q. Black James C. Carter, Jr. Thomas H. Coward Loy D. Cowart, Jr. Lee H. DeLoach Walter W. Douglas A. Harvey Lemmon Philip E. Love, Jr. Eugene W. Merritt, Jr. Jimmy B. Metts Jerome G. Parker Hugh E. Weathers David H. Womack Lydia M. Yon P.O. Box 718 Statesboro, GA Find us at AgSouthFC.com or PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID COLUMBIA SC PERMIT 785 AgSouth s Out in the Country Newsletter is published for stockholders, directors and friends of AgSouth Farm Credit. Address changes, questions, comments or requests for copies of financial reports should be directed to AgSouth Farm Credit by writing Lisa Gunter, PO Box 4966, Spartanburg, SC or calling ext If you prefer, you may send your request via to lgunter@agsouthfc.com. We Know Construction Loans AgSouth isn t your typical lender. As part of the Farm Credit System, we have nearly 100 years experience and knowledge behind us. Homeowners have special loan needs, and we re well suited to meet those needs generation after generation. NMLS#