How USDA Farm Loans Can Help You

By Jaclyn Hurley


As a farmer, you can apply for various kinds of agricultural loans but they need to know how to obtain one. To obtain a farmer loan from an agency, you may be required to own a land or use the money from the loan to purchase land. The US Department of Agriculture, abbreviated a USDA is in charge of developing and executing federal government policy on forestry, food and agriculture. You can get a loan from the Farm Service Agency of this department.

Farmers or ranchers who want to buy new land, improve their farmland, construct farm structures, finance closing costs or promote conservation projects can benefit from USDA farm loans. Farmers are usually required to repay their farmland ownership loan within a period of less than forty years. Those who apply for a farmland operating loan are usually required to repay it within one to seven years.

Besides getting a loan from the FSA, you can get a loan guarantee through its agricultural loan program if you are not able to obtain credit elsewhere to buy, sustain or expand your farm. FSA loan officers can help you apply for a loan. You can also seek advice from business advisers when developing a business plan, which is often required when applying for funding.

You should have a detailed business plan which shows your expected cash flow. With this, your lender will know how much you need and determine the amount of money you will be able to repay. Reading through a magazine that advises agricultural producers how to write a business plans can also help you to come up with a good business plan.

Since the situation of every farmer is different, the process you follow to apply for funding may be different from that followed by other farmers or ranchers. Before applying for a loan, you need to first determine the kind of funding you need. You may apply for more than one kind of funding if you need money for different purposes.

Farmers who need to purchase or enlarge their farms or meet the costs of water and soil conservation can apply for farm ownership loans. Those who need to purchase equipment or livestock or meet the costs of minor repairs can get a farm operating loan. Ranchers and farmers who have suffered huge losses as a result of natural disasters that affected their farming operations can get an emergency loan.

Conservation loans are also available and they can help you complete conservation practices in approved conservation plans. After getting a loan from the US Department of Agriculture, you have to pay back the principal plus interest. The total amount of interest you will pay will depend on the loan term and the interest rate. This rate may either be fixed or variable.

The US Department of Agriculture also offers microloans to veterans, disadvantaged producers and small scale farmers. The microloans program allows people to borrow amounts of up to thirty five thousand dollars. This financing option can provide people who are staring out with the financial resources they need to increase their equity. After they repay the loan, they can seek commercial credit, which can help them expand their operations further.




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