Farm Loans

The U.S. Farm Service Agency (FSA) administers and manages farm commodity, credit, conservation, disaster and loan programs through a network of federal, state and county offices. The following resources describe farm loan programs provided by FSA.

State agricultural agencies and local non-profits also provide farm loans. Use our Loans and Grants Search Tool to find federal, state and local farm loan programs for which you may qualify.

Loan Programs

• Beginning Farms and Ranchers Loans
  Direct and guaranteed loans to beginning farmers and ranchers who are unable to obtain financing from commercial credit sources.
• Commodity Loans / Marketing Assistance Loans
  Marketing assistance loans provide producers interim financing at harvest time to meet cash flow needs without having to sell their commodities when market prices are typically at harvest-time lows
• Direct Farm Loans
  Loan programs for starting and operating farms and other agricultural businesses.
• Emergency Farm Loans
  Emergency loans to help producers recover from production and physical losses due to drought, flooding, other natural disasters, or quarantine.
• Farm Storage Facility Loan Program
  Provides low-interest financing for producers to build or upgrade farm storage and handling facilities.
• Guaranteed Farm Loans
  FSA guaranteed loans provide lenders with a guarantee of up to 95 percent of the loss of principal and interest on a loan. Farmers and ranchers apply to an agricultural lender, which then arranges for the guarantee.
• Rural Business and Industry Guaranteed Loans
  Loans aimed at improving economic and environmental climate in rural communities. Funds may be used for buying a business to keep it from closing; purchasing land, buildings, machinery or equipment; and related activities.
• Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers
  Makes and guarantees loans to approved socially disadvantaged applicants to buy and operate family-size farms and ranches.
• Sugar Storage Facility Loan Program
  Loans to processors of domestically-produced sugarcane and sugar beets for the construction or upgrading of storage and handling facilities for raw sugars and refined sugars.

Tax Information

Normally, you do not report loans you receive as income, and you report income from a crop for the year you sell it. However, if you pledge part or all of your production to secure an FSA, Commodity Credit Corporation Loan, you can choose to treat the loan as if it were a sale of the crop and report the loan proceeds as income for the year you receive them. Learn more about the tax implications when reporting a CCC loan as income.