USDA Loans and Grants for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers in Minnesota

by Sarah Schieck Boelke, Extension Educator

Are you a beginning farmer or rancher in Minnesota curious about eligibility requirements for a USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan or a Rural Development (RD) grant? Do you need financing for your current operation or to purchase land to expand? Have you considered the idea of improving the energy efficiency of your grain dryer or other equipment?

In 2021 more than 1,100 beginning farmers and ranchers applied for a loan through the USDA FSA Farm Loan program in Minnesota. Nearly 80% were approved. Why weren’t all approved? Loan eligibility requirements was a factor for some applicants.

In this recorded webinar USDA Farm Loan and USDA Rural Development (RD) staff discuss the grant and loan programs they have to offer. Energy grants, eligibility requirements and upcoming deadlines were also discussed during the webinar.

Featured Speakers:

0:55    Introduction and Beginning Farmer and Rancher background by Liz Ludwig, USDA-FSA

6:46    Farm Service Agency (FSA) Farm Loans by Katie Zachman, USDA-FSA Farm Loan Specialist and Paula Lund, USDA-FSA Farm Loan Manager

39:59   Rural Development (RD) financing by Andrew Gag, USDA-RD Program Director

47:08   Networking opportunities and New Farmers website by Daniel Mahoney, Minnesota USDA Outreach and Public Affairs Coordinator

 49:24   Question and Answer Time

To learn more about these agencies or beginning farmer programs, you can contact the Minnesota Beginning Farmer Coordinator Liz Ludwig. Or visit the following websites that were shared in the video:

• USDA New Farmers
• USDA Service Center Locator 
• Beginning Farmer and Rancher Loans 
• SCORE Mentor 
• Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)
• Value-Added Producer Grant Program (VAPG) 

Full Question and Answer

Read the full posted list of questions and answers from the webinar.