AgStar’s Fund is Accepting Grant Applications for County Fair Facility Upgrades
$50,000 available for county fairgrounds

Mankato, Minn. (February 28, 2011) – The AgStar Fund for Rural America, the corporate giving program for AgStar Financial Services, is proud to once again offer a $50,000 grant program to support county fair facility upgrades. Each county in AgStar’s local service area can apply for up to $2,500 to be used toward repairs on fairground agricultural buildings. 

The mission of this program is to support rural areas by funding county fair organizations as they maintain or upgrade fairground livestock buildings and judging arenas. “Yearly maintenance and general up-keep of these structures can be expensive,” stated John Monson, Chair of AgStar’s Fund Board of Trustees.  “This program helps these counties provide a better fair experience for area communities.”

Applications considered for funding must be submitted online at www.AgStar.com.  This grant program is accepting applications through March 31, 2011.  County fair associations and 4H groups located in one of the 69 counties within AgStar’s chartered territory are eligible to apply if they have not received a grant from AgStar in the past two years.

 Since its inception in 2001, the AgStar Fund has donated in excess of $3 million to organizations working to improve the future of rural America. Support must align with the Fund’s mission to “enhance the quality of life and future opportunities for rural residents and their communities”

 About AgStar:
AgStar Financial Services, ACA, headquartered in Mankato, Minn., employs more than 610 full-time team members. The company is part of the national Farm Credit System and has a public mission to serve 69 counties in Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin. The company has expertise in the corn, soybean, swine, dairy and bio-energy industries.  AgStar has developed successful programs in loans, leases, crop insurance, tax services, accounting, consulting and rural home mortgages. As a value-added financial services cooperative, AgStar allocates patronage dividends to its 13,000 stockholders. 

For more information on the County Fair Grant Program, click here.

Contact: Melanie Olson
                  Melanie.Olson@AgStar.com
                  952-997-1255

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