RIDGELAND, Miss. — The agricultural and rural financing cooperative Southern AgCredit recently hired three Mississippi State University (MSU) graduates.

Pate DeMuth, will serve as a loan officer in the Ridgeland branch office. DeMuth earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering, technology and business, and then went on to earn a master’s degree in agricultural business management. While a student at MSU, he worked with Crop Production Services as a sales and agronomy intern for two summers in the South Delta. He grew up in Raymond, Miss., where he helped raise sheep on the family farm.

Brandon Nicholson joins Southern AgCredit’s Greenwood branch office as a loan officer. A native of nearby Greenville, Nicholson most recently served as a research farmer for Monsanto, where he conducted crop and pesticide tests on a variety of crops. He holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science.

Colton Thomas was hired to work as a loan officer in the Greenville branch office. He joins Southern AgCredit after working for Monsanto, where he was a field claims specialist for nine Mississippi counties. Thomas grew up working on his family’s corn and soybean farm in Hollandale, Miss., and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness.

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome these three young men to our lending team,” said Joe Hayman, president and CEO of Southern AgCredit. “Their credentials from Mississippi State are impeccable, and they all exhibit a keen understanding of rural living and the business of farming. That’s important to what we do here at Southern AgCredit.”