AgGeorgia Farm Credit is pleased to announce the hiring of Bryce Murkerson in the position of Appraiser.  A native of Pulaski County, Bryce graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in economics.  He interned in the summer of 2022 within the Farm Credit System.

Mr. Murkerson resides in Hawkinsville with his parents, Jay and Lesley, and two sisters, Jenni and Ansley.   Bryce enjoys sports, especially the Atlanta Braves and Georgia Bulldogs, along with golf.

AgGeorgia Farm Credit is pleased to announce the promotion of Rachael Crowell to Employee Experience Manager. In this role, Rachael will work with the Human Resources team on employee engagement, event planning, onboarding, and promoting a positive work environment for staff.  

Mrs. Crowell began her career with AgGeorgia in June of 2021 as Corporate Secretary. She was previously employed with the City of Warner Robins for over a decade and has over ten years of experience in Human Resources which includes employee onboarding, payroll and record keeping, event management, and coordinating training.

Rachael lives in Warner Robins with her husband Alan and their children Cameron and Dylan (and five dogs).  AgGeorgia looks forward to the contributions Rachael will make to the Human Resources team in her new role.

AgGeorgia Farm Credit is pleased to announce the addition of Stephanie Jackson as Regional Lending Manager. In this role, Stephanie will supervise, train and support Loan Officers in AgGeorgia’s Dublin, Perry, Sandersville, and Waynesboro Branches, which collectively serve 25 counties.

Mrs. Jackson holds a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing and is no stranger to the farm or agricultural lending. “As a farmer’s daughter, agriculture is very important to me,” said Stephanie. “I grew up on a cattle and row crop farm in Telfair County and learned the value of hard work and an appreciation for agriculture.” Mrs. Jackson also worked for USDA Farm Service Agency for over 15 years and held multiple positions over her tenure, serving the longest in the position of Farm Loan Manager for 25 counties.

Mrs. Jackson fills the position formerly held by Melissa Redd, who was recently promoted to Director of Loan Operations. “I'm excited about adding Stephanie to our Regional Lending Manager team,” said Nick Hartley, Chief Lending Officer for AgGeorgia. “I've known Stephanie for over 10 years and I’ve seen her develop as a leader in agricultural finance. Her leadership will provide continuity of the excellent service members have come to expect under Melissa Redd and will allow Ms. Redd the capacity to focus on her new leadership role.”  

Mrs. Jackson resides in Perry with her husband, Ron, and daughter Presley. Stephanie looks forward to utilizing her agricultural background, networks, and finance experience to meet the borrowing needs of the farmers and rural land owners in her region.

AgGeorgia Farm Credit is pleased to announce the hiring of Susan Shirey as Compliance Officer.  Ms. Shirey received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. where she graduated with honors and was inducted into the national honor society, Phi Beta Kappa.  She has more than thirty years of experience in residential mortgage banking, including managing compliance, operations, secondary marketing, underwriting, and processing.  Susan worked the past four years as the Director of Compliance for an independent mortgage bank located in Gainesville. Prior to that, she was the Senior Compliance Officer at Fidelity Bank Mortgage in Atlanta for 8 years.

A native of New York, Mrs. Shirey moved to Georgia with her husband to be closer to family.  She resides in Flowery Branch and has two married children, and one granddaughter.  In her leisure time, Susan enjoys boating, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

AgGeorgia Farm Credit is pleased to announce that dividends totaling $14,482,000 have been declared by its board of directors, marking 36 consecutive years that profits have been returned to member-borrowers. AgGeorgia’s Patronage Refund Program has now paid out over $464 million in cash over that span.

The cooperative broke records in 2023 in multiple financial performance categories. “Our remarkable membership and staff did it again, with new highs for total assets, loans, stockholder equity, and asset quality,” noted AgGeorgia CEO Rob Crain. “The resulting earnings enable us to safely distribute these profits to member-borrowers, allowing them to pay down debt or invest as they choose.”

Glee Smith, Chair of AgGeorgia’s Board of Directors, added that the effects of the refunds are substantial for her community. “The majority of this distribution goes to members in rural areas where the impact is proportionately greater,” said Ms. Smith. “As a resident of a small town [Warrenton, Ga.], it is great to know that we are not only helping our borrowers, but also helping to stimulate our local economy.”

The refund, from 2023 earnings, lowers the average member’s stated rate by 1%. All of the distribution is in cash, as opposed to 2021 and years prior, when refunds were divided between cash and surplus to be paid years later. Members who have previously signed up for ACH/direct deposit can expect their portion to be deposited by the first week of April. Those who have not can expect a check to be mailed that same week.