Funding Resources (Loans and Grants) are often crucial to starting a new farm business. This page contains comprehensive information about finding financial help for starting your farm business. It is also important to be aware that farm business planning is usually an essential component for obtaining funding, for either loans or grants for farm enterprise. We encourage you to visit our Farm Business Planning Page to learn more about how to develop a business plan.
How this Page is Organized:
1) We begin with a list of information resources about federal loan programs administered through the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA).
2) Next we provide information about other federal funding options.
3) Then we list a number links to other public and private organizations which provide information about loans, grants and financial management both for farming and for research (on-farm and academic). Some are specific to beginning farmers, while others are not. And some are focused on particular geographical regions, while most are not.
4) The next section lists beginning farmer loan and development programs administered by individual States,.
5) We then provide information about the Farm Credit Cooperative system and how it may assist beginning farmers.
6) Finally, we have links to several private lenders, several of which offer loans specifically geared toward beginning farmers.
1) USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Loan Programs:
General Information on all FSA Loan Programs
Microloans Factsheet
Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Loan Program Factsheet (Also see: Center for Rural Affairs: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program)
Youth Loans
Socially Disadvantaged Farmer or Rancher Contract Land Program
Emergency Loans
The Plain Language Guide to Applying for a Farm Service Agency (FSA) Loan published by Tufts University’s New Entry Sustainable Farming Project
2) More on Federal Financing Options
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s Guide to USDA Funding for Local and Regional Food Systems is a great resource which discusses Grants and Loans from: the Community Outreach and Assistance Partnership Program; Specialty Crop Block Grants; Farmers Market Promotion Program; Federal State Marketing Improvement Program; Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (also see above); Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program; Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE); Value Added Producer Grants; Rural Business Enterprise Grants; Rural Business Opportunity Grants; Rural Cooperative Development Grants; Community Facilities Grant Program; Small, Socially Disadvantaged Producer Grants; Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Programs; Outreach and Assistance to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers; as well as Regional Resources.
The Conservation Stewardship Program, administered through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides important funding opportunities for landowners with areas that are not in agricultural production. And a list of all NRCS programs which provide funds for a wide variety of conservation projects, initiatives, and activities, can be found at:http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/
The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (ATTRA) provides a list of federal, state, and local grant programs, regional funding sources, private lenders and more (listed in calender form) at: http://attra.ncat.org/calendar/funding.php
The USDA National Agricultural Library has links to articles on small farm funding, finances and planning, as well as a General Funding Resources Page.
Find a list of USDA Rural Development Grants at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/RD_Grants.html
Also see the Grants, Loans, and Support Page of the USDA’s new Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Website for an overview of federal grant and loan programs.
Search for Grants from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture
GovernmentLoans.gov is a gateway to Federal agricultura
No comments:
Post a Comment