Farmers National Company Celebrates 80 Years with Record Growth

(Vocus) December 16, 2009 --Farmers National Company, which provides farm management and real estate services in 23 states, is no stranger to making the most of turbulent economic times.

The company – celebrating its 80th anniversary this year – filled a need in 1929 by managing farmland for owners who were moving to the coasts to pursue other opportunities at the start of the Great Depression.

Today, the company’s record growth during uncertain economic times is being fueled by a stable land market, and financial institutions that are turning to Farmers National Company to manage their special holdings, including farmland and oil and gas assets.

“Through thick and thin, farmland has continued to remain a solid investment,” said Jim Farrell, President and CEO of Farmers National Company. “In the fall of 2006, when grain prices and the land market took off, we experienced demand from investors who saw farmland as good diversification for their overall investment portfolio. Now in states across the country, in addition to investor interest, we are seeing many farmers who are adding land to their operations.”

In 2009, Farmers National Company’s farm and ranchland real estate sales hit the $393 million mark, up 76 percent compared to five years ago.

Farrell said increased federal regulations – some created in response to the financial crisis – has led many outside organizations, particularly banks, to turn to Farmers National Company to manage their farmland and oil and gas assets. The number of mineral assets managed by Farmers National Company has soared by 525 percent in the last five years.

“We continue to grow by filling market needs,” said Farrell. “When we started 80 years ago our only offering was farm management, but today we help land owners mange all of their assets ‘above and below the ground’ through services that include oil and gas management, insurance, appraisals, hunting leases, and lake management.”

Farmers National Company, an employee-owned company, is the nation’s leading real estate and farm and ranch management company. The company posted nearly $400 million in total sales consideration in 2008 and has sold more than $1 billion of real estate in the last four years. It currently manages more than 4,500 farms in 23 states. Additional services provided by the company include appraisals, insurance, consultation services, oil and gas management, lake management, and a national hunting lease program.

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