USDA to Hold Session on Loans and Grants for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers in Minnesota

St. PAUL,  Minn., Mar. 4, 2022 – 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?

Last year 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.

Learn more about loan program requirements on Tuesday, March 22from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. (CST) during a live webinar with USDA Farm Loan staff, Katie Zachman and Paula Lund. Andrew Gag, of USDA Rural Development (RD), will also discuss energy grants, eligibility requirements and upcoming deadlines.

Webinar on Loans and Grants for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers in Minnesota

Tuesday, March 22, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. (CST)

To attend the webinar, register here: z.umn.edu/BeginningFarmerWebinar2022

Persons with disabilities who require accommodations to participate in this meeting should contact Daniel Mahoney at 651-602-7710, or dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunication relay services.

For more information on FSA farm loan programs visit fsa.usda.gov. For more information on RD energy grants visit rd.usda.gov.

In those USDA service centers where COVID cases exceed safety levels, staff continue to work with agricultural producers via phone, email and other digital tools. Producers with level 2 eauthentication access can electronically sign contracts or may make arrangements to drop off signed contracts at the FSA county office. Because of the pandemic, some USDA Service Centers are open to limited visitors.