USDA expands microloans for farmers

Jan 19, 2016

New option available to access land

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

Without land farmers can’t produce food for communities local and abroad, so the United States Department of Agriculture is taking measures to ease the process when it comes to securing land.

"Many producers, especially new and underserved farmers, tell us that access to land is one of the biggest challenges they face in establishing and growing their own farming operation," said Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden. "USDA is making it easier for new farmers to hit the ground running and get access to the land that they need to establish their farms or improve their property."

The USDA will offer low-interest loans, known as microloans, which farmers can use to buy land or improve pre-existing property. Loans can also be used to purchase buildings and improve soil and water conservation.

There is no minimum loan amount, however the maximum loan amount is $50,000.

Microloans aren’t new to America’s agricultural community.

Already in its third year, the microloan program has provided more than 16,800 low-interest loans to farmers, totaling more than $373 million. Farmers have used the loans in the past to purchase feed, fertilizer, tools, fencing and other expenses.

Approximately 70 per cent of new loans have gone to new farmers, but underserved farmers and military veterans considering a career in agriculture can receive microloans as well.

Farmers are encouraged to contact the Farm Service Agency (FSA) or their local FSA office for all necessary details.

Let us know your thoughts on the USDA expanding the microloans program to include land and buildings.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.