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 USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers a variety of loan
options to help farmers finance their operations. From buying
land to financing the purchase of equipment, FSA loans can help.
Compared to this time last year, FSA has seen an 18 percent
increase in the amount it has obligated for direct farm
ownership loans, and through the 2018 Farm Bill, has increased
the limits for several loan products.
USDA conducted field research in eight states, gathering input
from farmers and FSA farm loan staff to better understand their
needs and challenges.
How the Tool Works
Farmers who are looking for financing options to operate a farm
or buy land can answer a few simple questions about what they
are looking to fund and how much money they need to borrow.
After submitting their answers, farmers will be provided
information on farm loans that best fit their specific needs.
The loan application and additional resources also will be
provided.
Farmers can download application quick guides that outline what
to expect from preparing an application to receiving a loan
decision. There are four guides that cover loans to individuals,
entities, and youth, as well as information on microloans. The
guides include general eligibility requirements and a list of
required forms and documentation for each type of loan. These
guides can help farmers prepare before their first USDA service
center visit with a loan officer.
Farmers can access the Farm Loan Discovery Tool by visiting
farmers.gov/fund and clicking the “Start” button. Follow the
prompts and answer five simple questions to receive loan
information that is applicable to your agricultural operation.
The tool is built to run on any modern browser like Chrome,
Edge, Firefox, or the Safari browser, and is fully functional on
mobile devices. It does not work in Internet Explorer.
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About Farmers.gov
In 2018, USDA unveiled farmers.gov, a dynamic, mobile-friendly
public website combined with an authenticated portal where farmers
will be able to apply for programs, process transactions, and manage
accounts.
The Farm Loan Discovery Tool is one of many resources on farmers.gov
to help connect farmers to information that can help their
operations. Earlier this year, USDA launched the My Financial
Information feature, which enables farmers to view their loan
information, history, payments, and alerts by logging into the
website.
USDA is building farmers.gov for farmers, by farmers. In addition to
the interactive farm loan features, the site also offers a Disaster
Assistance Discovery Tool. Farmers can visit farmers.gov/recover/disaster-assistance-tool#step-1
to find disaster assistance programs that can help their operation
recover from natural disasters.
With feedback from customers and field employees who serve those
customers, farmers.gov delivers farmer-focused features through an
agile, iterative process to deliver the greatest immediate value to
America’s agricultural producers – helping farmers and ranchers do
right, and feed everyone.
For more information or to locate your USDA Service Center, visit
farmers.gov.
[USDA Farm Service Agency]
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