Multiple Farm Credit associations collaborate with Plug and Play to advance agricultural finance through new Seed4Growth Program

SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In a significant step forward for agricultural finance, American AgCredit (AAC), Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica), Frontier Farm Credit, AgCountry Farm Credit Services, Farm Credit East and CoBank, announce the launch of a new program with Plug and Play called Seed4Growth. The innovation program aims to collaborate across the ag and finance sectors, keeping industry leaders up to date on the rapidly evolving landscape, while showcasing the most cutting-edge digital solutions.

"We are thrilled to expand our partnership and launch the Seed4Growth program. This initiative will drive innovation and collaboration, ultimately benefiting the agricultural community," said Mark Jensen, Chief Executive Offices, AgCountry, FCSAmerica, Frontier Farm Credit.

Krista McDonald, EVP Chief Strategy Officer, AgCountry, FCSAmerica, Frontier Farm Credit added, "We are excited to be a part of the Seed4Growth program that is evolving the Farm Credit innovation ecosystem in a collaborative way. This partnership is a testament to our commitment to working together to become more future-focused."

Expanding the Partnership

The Farm Credit organizations, part of the nationwide Farm Credit System, first approached Plug and Play for support in navigating the dynamic startup ecosystem – looking for technology solutions and resources that help support the evolving agricultural lending and finance marketplace in support of farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses.

AAC and FCSAmerica began working with Plug and Play programs in 2023. They welcomed CoBank to the relationship in 2024. An additional association, Farm Credit East, joins the collaboration with the launch of the Seed4Growth Program.

Impact

The expanded relationships have already yielded significant successes and benefits. Representatives from AAC, FCSAmerica, and CoBank have expressed their enthusiasm about the expanded partnership and its potential impact on the agricultural finance industry.

"The collaboration provides significant insights into technological disruptions, helping us gain direct insights into the investment and commercialization of emerging technology. Plug and Play facilitates the comprehension of next-generation advancements in technology and innovation that are critical to the core business of Farm Credit organizations. The introduction of Seed4Growth will drive a better future for the entire System," said Alp Basol, Head of Innovation and Center of Excellence at CoBank.

"Working with Plug and Play has been eye-opening for our organization. The expertise offered in tech scouting and the ability to connect us with external innovators who operate at the speed of disruptors has meaningfully informed our innovation journey. Plug and Play's proactive approach and deep industry insights have been instrumental in enhancing our strategic vision," said Mike Lancaster, Chief Customer Value Officer at American AgCredit.

The Seed4Growth program is designed to further explore what's possible in Fintech and Agtech, ultimately benefiting farmers, ranchers, and the global food supply. By bringing others into the fold, the program promises to make an even greater impact on the agricultural community through advanced financial solutions and cutting-edge technologies.

For more information about the new program or to get involved, visit [Website] or contact [email protected].

About American AgCredit

American AgCredit was chartered in 1916 as part of the nationwide Farm Credit System and is the nation's fourth-largest Farm Credit association. American AgCredit specializes in providing financial services to agricultural and rural customers in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma, and serves capital market customers throughout the U.S. Learn more at agloan.com.

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 more than 47.6 billion in assets and nearly 8 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 fcsamerica.com.

About Farm Credit East

Farm Credit East is a member-owned cooperative serving businesses involved in agriculture, forest products and commercial fishing throughout its eight-state territory of New York, New Jersey and New England. In addition to loans and leases, the organization offers a full range of specialized financial services. Farm Credit East is governed by a 15-person board of directors, comprised of 13 customer-elected, one customer appointed and one outside appointed director. For more information, visit FarmCreditEast.com. 

About CoBank

CoBank is a cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states. The bank also provides wholesale loans and other financial services to affiliated Farm Credit associations serving more than 78,000 farmers, ranchers and other rural borrowers in 23 states around the country. CoBank is a member of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of banks and retail lending associations chartered to support the borrowing needs of U.S. agriculture, rural infrastructure and rural communities. Headquartered outside Denver, Colorado, CoBank serves customers from regional banking centers across the U.S. and also maintains an international representative office in Singapore.

About Plug and Play

Plug and Play is the ultimate innovation platform, on a mission to make innovation open to anyone, anywhere. Since 2006, we have brought together 95,000+ startups, 550+ world-leading corporations, and hundreds of venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies across 25+ industries. Together with our partners, we are creating a unique ecosystem designed to facilitate meaningful introductions, invest in startups, and bring together key stakeholders. Plug and Play offers corporate innovation programs and helps corporations in every stage of their innovation journey, from education to execution. We also organize startup acceleration programs and have built an in-house VC to drive innovation across multiple industries where we've invested in hundreds of successful companies including PayPal, Honey, N26, Flutterwave, Trulioo, BigID, Turing, and many more. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we are active in 60+ locations across five continents. For more information, visit pnptc.com

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Plug and Play
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