AgSouth Farm Credit CEO Bill Spigener announced that AgSouth Farm Credit was awarded the prestigious Phelps-Martin Award for Community Service by the Farm Credit Council at the Council's Annual Meeting in Orlando.
        More than 82 Farm Credit Associations from across the nation are eligible for the Phelps-Martin Award for Community Service, along with their members and individual employees.
        AgSouth received the award for its AGAware program. Chief Lending Officer Van McCall and Marketing Manager Christy Smith created AGAware® as an advocacy program to educate the public and promote agriculture throughout the Association's territory. The program includes workshops, speaker forums, community involvement projects, grants to farmers markets, and financial assistance to those attending the seminars who would like to further their agricultural education by attending the Farm Credit University Ag Biz Planner program.
        In his acceptance speech, McCall thanked AgSouth's employees and Board of Directors for "investing in AgSouth's greatest tool for growth - marketing, teaching, and promoting the next generation of farmers" through the AGAware® program. He concluded, "We can all truly share and be proud of this national award for our Association."
        The annual awards were established by the Board of Directors of the Farm Credit Council in the memory of two Farm Credit employees, Steve Phelps, Farm Credit Council general counsel, and Marsha Martin, chairman of the FCA Board, both of whom died of cancer in 2000.