Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance

Zach Farmer serves as Senior Portfolio Manager and Chief Investment Officer. The CEO, David Hurt, has ultimate executive oversight. The investment team operates the general account, allocating across bonds, mortgages, and real estate equity partnerships from the Jackson headquarters.

Unlike insurers that acquire loans through intermediary channels or syndication, SFBLI originates its commercial mortgage loans directly. The loan portfolio is held on balance sheet and serviced internally. This direct-origination model gives the firm control over underwriting and borrower relationships across the Southern states where its Farm Bureau agent network operates.

It is a stock insurance company owned by the state Farm Bureau federations in its six operating states — Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, South Carolina, Texas, and Florida. It is not a family office. It functions as part of the broader American Farm Bureau Federation network, with no individual or family controlling equity.

SFBLI holds fee-simple ownership in commercial properties through limited partnerships such as Baycastle Properties, L.P., Annandale Properties, L.P., and Cypress Lake Properties, L.P. It also owns its corporate headquarters at 1401 Livingston Lane in Jackson, Mississippi. These equity positions are held alongside the direct mortgage loan portfolio.

Both entities operate under the umbrella of the American Farm Bureau Federation, serving the same membership base of rural policyholders and agricultural operators. SFBLI provides life insurance products; Farm Bureau Bank provides banking services. They share brand identity and membership networks but are separate legal and operating entities.

The Kentucky Farm Bureau Education Foundation operates within the network SFBLI participates in, though the foundation is a separate legal entity from the insurance carrier. SFBLI itself is a for-profit insurance company that directs its member-outreach activity through the Farm Bureau federation's state-level programs rather than its own private foundation.

SFBLI's investment profile is a conventional insurance general account: predominantly investment-grade public and private fixed income, direct commercial mortgage loans, and private real estate equity. There is no public evidence of venture capital, private equity fund commitments, or alternative-asset exposure beyond real estate and mortgages. The mandate is yield-oriented and capital-preservation-driven, consistent with an insurer managing statutory reserve requirements.