YBS Loans
For young, beginning, and small farmers and ranchers to get started.
Investing in the Future of Agriculture
What is a YBS Loan?
YBS loans provide financing to an individual or entity that qualifies in any one or more of the YBS (Young, Beginning, Small) categories. It requires borrowers to be actively involved in agricultural production with the intent to expand their operation and rely on the agricultural operation as their primary vocation.
- Young Farmer — one who is 35 years of age or younger.
- Beginning Farmer — one who has 10 years or fewer of farming or ranching experience.
- Small Farmer — one who generates less than $350,000 in annual gross cash farm income of agricultural or aquatic products.
The future of agriculture depends on the financial success of new farmers and ranchers, and the diversity of the agricultural products we enjoy hinges on the success, in part, on the success of small producers. Agricultural producers face significant challenges, including access to capital and credit, rising costs, urbanization, globalization; available resources such as land, water and labor; and competition from larger, more experienced farming operations.
However, YBS farmers and ranchers face even greater hurdles due to their lack of agricultural production history, inexperience, low capital position and/or limited credit history.
Our mission is crucial to enable these farmers and ranchers the ability to begin, grow, or remain in agricultural production and to transfer agricultural operations from the previous generation.
