Farm Credit of Southern Colorado’s Board of Directors will distribute an $8 million cash patronage dividend to its customer owners for 2025, the bank announced Thursday, Jan. 16.
The “patronage dividend” reflects Farm Credit of Southern Colorado’s cooperative structure and long-standing commitment to sharing financial success with the producers and communities it serves, bank officials said.
Farm Credit of Southern Colorado said it has returned more than $75 million in patronage to its customer owners — funds that are reinvested into agricultural operations, rural communities and the long-term sustainability of Colorado agriculture.
“The patronage dividend is a tangible example of our cooperative difference and our commitment to our customer owners,” said Jeremy Anderson, president and CEO. “It represents both the trust our customers place in us and the commitment we share to supporting their operations and the communities we all call home.”
Anderson said 2025 was a year of solid earnings for the association, despite the deterioration of credit conditions in the rural economy.
“Our Board of Directors is mindful that we are early in this credit cycle and wants to be certain we retain the earnings needed to ensure we have the capital to provide to our customer owners for years to come,” said Anderson. “At the same time, we also want to prioritize returning a meaningful patronage to assist in the operations we serve today.”
One of the association’s key focus areas has been Project Evolution — a multi-year effort centered on owning and leveraging its data, refining its go-to-market strategy and enhancing the overall customer experience.
Farm Credit of Southern Colorado is planning to go live with the new technologies that are part of Project Evolution in March.
“Project Evolution is about positioning Farm Credit of Southern Colorado for continued long-term success,” Anderson said. “By owning our data and sharpening how we engage the market, we are building a more seamless, informed and consistent experience for our customer owners. We fully expect the outcomes of Project Evolution to drive stronger results for our customers and our association in the years ahead.”
The annual patronage distribution is approved by Farm Credit of Southern Colorado’s 12-member Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is made up of 10 elected shareholders and two outside, appointed directors. The 10 elected members each live in and represent counties where Farm Credit of Southern Colorado operates.