Amended and Restated Guaranty Agreement, dated as of February 18, 2022, by and between Farmland Partners Operating Partnership, LP and Rutledge Investment Company
Exhibit 10.28
AMENDED AND RESTATED GUARANTY AGREEMENT
THIS AMENDED AND RESTATED GUARANTY AGREEMENT (this “Guaranty”) is made as of February ___, 2022, by FARMLAND PARTNERS OPERATING PARTNERSHIP, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“Guarantor”) to and for the benefit of RUTLEDGE INVESTMENT COMPANY, a Tennessee corporation (“Lender”), and its successors and assigns.
RECITALS:
A.This Guaranty amends and restates in its entirety that certain Guaranty Agreement dated as of February 3, 2017, executed by Guarantor in favor of Lender.
B.As more fully provided in that certain Amended, Restated and Consolidated Loan Agreement (as the same may be amended, restated, supplemented, renewed or replaced from time to time, the “Loan Agreement”) of even date herewith by and between American Farmland Company L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “Borrower”), Lender, and the guarantors party thereto, Lender has agreed to make a revolving credit loan to Borrower in the aggregate principal amount of up to One Hundred Twelve Million and No/100 Dollars ($112,000,000.00) (the “Loan”).
C.The Loan is evidenced by that certain Consolidation of Notes and Modification and Extension Agreement executed by Borrower and Lender, in the aggregate principal amount of One Hundred Twelve Million and No/100 Dollars ($112,000,000.00) (as the same may be amended, restated, supplemented, renewed or replaced from time to time, the “Note”).
D.The Loan is secured by, among other things, deeds of trust or mortgages (as the same may be amended, restated, supplemented, renewed or replaced from time to time) executed by the Owners, as defined in that certain Amended, Restated and Consolidated Loan Agreement (the “Loan Agreement of even date herewith among Borrower, Lender, Farmland Partners, Inc., a Maryland corporation and Guarantor (collectively, the “Security Instrument”) encumbering farm properties owned by the Owners.
E.A condition precedent to Lender’s obligation to make the Loan to Borrower is Guarantor's execution and delivery of this Guaranty to Lender.
F.Guarantor will benefit directly or indirectly and substantially from the making of the Loan.
G.Any capitalized term used and not defined in this Guaranty shall have the meaning given to such term in the Loan Agreement. This Guaranty is one of the Loan Documents described in the Loan Agreement.
For good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, and as a material inducement to Lender to extend credit to Borrower, Guarantor hereby covenants and agrees as follows, incorporating by reference the foregoing recitals as a part of this Guaranty:
Guarantor hereby unconditionally and irrevocably guarantees to Lender the full and punctual payment and performance when due of all of the Obligations, whether such Obligations would have arisen at maturity or earlier by reason of acceleration or otherwise and whether denominated as damages, principal, interest, fees or otherwise, together with all pre- and post- maturity interest thereon (including, without limitation, amounts that, but for the initiation of any proceeding under any insolvency or bankruptcy law, would become due).
(b)Generally.
This is a guaranty of payment and performance and not of collection. The liability of Guarantor under this Guaranty shall be direct and immediate and not conditional or contingent upon the pursuit of any remedies against Borrower or any other person (including, without limitation, other guarantors, if any), nor against the collateral for the Loan. Guarantor waives any right to require that an action be brought against Borrower or any other person or to require that resort be had to any collateral for the Loan or to any balance of any deposit account or credit on the books of Lender in favor of Borrower or any other person. In the event, on account of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978, as amended, or any other debtor relief law (whether statutory, common law, case law or otherwise) of any jurisdiction whatsoever, now or hereafter in effect, which may be or become applicable, Borrower shall be relieved of or fail to incur any debt, obligation or liability as provided in the Loan Documents, Guarantor shall nevertheless be fully liable therefor. In the Event of a Default under the Loan Documents which is not cured within any applicable grace or cure period, Lender shall have the right to enforce its rights, powers and remedies (including, without limitation, foreclosure of all or any portion of the collateral for the Loan) thereunder or hereunder, in any order, and all rights, powers and remedies available to Lender in such event shall be non-exclusive and cumulative of all other rights, powers and remedies provided thereunder or hereunder or by law or in equity. If the Obligations guaranteed hereby are partially paid or discharged by reason of the exercise of any of the remedies available to Lender, this Guaranty shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect, and Guarantor shall remain liable for all remaining Obligations, even though any rights which Guarantor may have against Borrower may be destroyed or diminished by the exercise of any such remedy. Guarantor shall be liable for the payment and performance of the Obligations, as set forth in this Guaranty, as a primary obligor and for the payment of any sums expended by Lender as set forth in the preceding sentence. This Guaranty shall be effective as a waiver of, and Guarantor hereby expressly waives, any and all rights to which Guarantor may otherwise have been entitled under any suretyship laws in effect from time to time, including any right or privilege, whether existing under statute, at law or in equity, to require Lender to take prior recourse or proceedings against any collateral, security or entity whatsoever. All payments, whether voluntary or involuntary, received by Lender with respect to the Obligations from any source other than Guarantor, including, without limitation, payments from Borrower or any other guarantor and amounts received from any Collateral may, for purposes of determining Guarantor’s obligations under this Guaranty, be applied to the Obligations in such order as Lender may from time to time determine in its sole discretion. Without limiting the foregoing, Lender may apply such payments first to Obligations that are not guaranteed by Guarantor until such Obligations are paid in full before applying such payments to Obligations that are guaranteed by Guarantor.
In addition, Guarantor expressly agrees that Guarantor shall be and remain liable, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, for any deficiency remaining after foreclosure of any mortgage, security deed, deed of trust or other security interest securing the Obligations, whether or not the liability of Borrower or any other obligor for such deficiency is discharged pursuant to statute or judicial decision. Guarantor hereby irrevocably waives reliance on any anti-deficiency statute, through subrogation or otherwise, and any such statute shall in no way affect or impair Guarantor’s obligations and liabilities hereunder.
(i)such indebtedness and all interest thereon and all liens, security interests and rights now or hereafter existing with respect to property of Borrower securing the same shall, at all times, be subordinate in all respects to the Obligations and to all liens, security interests and rights now or hereafter existing to secure the Obligations;
(ii) Guarantor shall not be entitled to enforce or receive payment, directly or indirectly, of any such indebtedness of Borrower to Guarantor outside of the ordinary course of business until the Obligations have been fully and finally performed;
(iii) Guarantor hereby assigns and grants to Lender a security interest in all such indebtedness and security therefor, if any, of Borrower to Guarantor now existing or hereafter arising, including any dividends and payments pursuant to debtor relief or insolvency proceedings referred to below. In the event of receivership, bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement or other debtor relief or insolvency proceedings involving Borrower as debtor, Lender shall have the right to prove its claim in any such proceeding so as to establish its rights hereunder and shall have the right to receive directly from the receiver, trustee or other custodian (whether or not a default shall have occurred or be continuing under any of the Loan Documents), dividends and payments that are payable upon any obligation of Borrower to Guarantor now existing or hereafter arising, and to have all benefits of any security therefor, until the Obligations have been fully and finally performed. If, notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, Guarantor should receive any payment, claim or distribution that is prohibited as provided above in this Section 6(d), Guarantor shall pay the same to Lender immediately, Guarantor hereby agreeing that it shall receive the payment, claim or distribution in trust for Lender and shall have absolutely no dominion over the same except to pay it immediately to Lender; and
(iv) Guarantor shall promptly upon request of Lender from time to time execute such documents and perform such acts as Lender may require to evidence and perfect its interest and to permit or facilitate exercise of its rights under this Section 6(d), including, but not limited to, execution and delivery of financing statements, proofs of claim, further assignments and security agreements, and delivery to Lender of any promissory notes or other instruments evidencing indebtedness of Borrower to Guarantor. All promissory notes, accounts receivable ledgers or other evidences, now or hereafter held by Guarantor, of obligations of Borrower to Guarantor shall contain a specific written notice thereon that the indebtedness evidenced thereby is subordinated under and is subject to the terms of this Guaranty. Further, Guarantor shall not have any right of recourse against Lender by reason of any action Lender may take or omit to take under the provisions of this Guaranty or under the provisions of any of the Loan Documents.
THIS GUARANTY REPRESENTS THE FINAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE PARTIES AND MAY NOT BE CONTRADICTED BY EVIDENCE OF PRIOR, CONTEMPORANEOUS OR SUBSEQUENT ORAL AGREEMENTS OF THE PARTIES.
[Signatures Appear on Following Page]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Guarantor has duly executed this Guaranty Agreement under seal as of the day and year first written above.
GUARANTOR:
FARMLAND PARTNERS OPERATING PARTNERSHIP, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership
By: Farmland Partners OP GP, LLC, its sole general partner
By: Farmland Partners Inc., its sole member
By: _/s/ Luca Fabbri _____________________
Luca Fabbri
President
STATE OF COLORADO
COUNTY OF DENVER
The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me this ___ day of February, 2022 by Luca Fabbri, who personally appeared before me and with whom I am acquainted (or proved to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence) and who upon oath acknowledged himself to be the President of Farmland Partners Inc, the Sole Member of Farmland Partners OP GP, LLC, the Sole General Partner of FARMLAND PARTNERS OPERATING PARTNERSHIP, LP, a Delaware limited partnership, and that he as such President of the Sole Member of the Sole General Partner of the Limited Partnership, being authorized so to do, executed the foregoing instrument for the purposes therein contained, by signing the name of the Limited Partnership by himself as President of the Sole Member of the Sole General Partner of the Limited Partnership.
__/s/ Preston Schow ___________________(Notary Seal)
(Notary’s official signature)
__5/17/2022__________________________
(Commission Expiration)
[SIGNATURE PAGE TO GUARANTY AGREEMENT]
Address for notices:
Farmland Partners Operating Partnership, L.P.
4600 S. Syracuse Street, Suite 1450
Denver, Colorado 80237
Attention: Luca Fabbri
With a copy to:
Christine Garrison
4600 S. Syracuse Street, Suite 1450
Denver, Colorado 80237