Cooperative has returned more than $1 billion to farmers, ranchers in past 12 years
OMAHA, NEBRASKA – (December 16, 2015) – Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica), a customer-owned financial cooperative, has approved a 2015 cash-back dividend of $160 million to its eligible customer-owners. This equals the 2014 cash-back dividend, which set a record for FCSAmerica’s patronage program.
FCSAmerica has returned a share of its profits to eligible customer-owners for 12 consecutive years. Since 2004, FCSAmerica has returned a total of $1.15 billion to farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses and rural residents in its four-state territory. Cash-back dividend checks for 2015 will be mailed to eligible customer-owners in March 2016.
The FCSAmerica Board of Directors also approved a 2016 patronage program, demonstrating its commitment to a cooperative business model that ensures farmers and ranchers share in the association’s financial strength.
Each year, farmers and ranchers use their cash-back dividends from FCSAmerica to invest in their operations and families and to support their rural communities. The portion of earnings that are retained by FCSAmerica are used to build the cooperative’s financial capacity to continue serving agriculture.
“Our customer-owners share in the success of the organization with very tangible value returned to them in the form of cash-back dividends,´ said Doug Stark, CEO and president of FCSAmerica.
About Farm Credit Services of America
Farm Credit Services of America is a customer-owned financial cooperative proud to finance the growth of rural America, including the special needs of young and beginning producers. With $24 billion in assets and $4.3 billion in members’ equity, FCSAmerica is one of the region’s leading providers of credit and insurance services to farmers, ranchers, agribusiness and rural residents in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. Learn more at www.fcsamerica.com.
