Young, Beginning & Small Farmers and Ranchers

Loans for Young, Beginning & Small Farmers and Ranchers

At Southern AgCredit, we understand that the future of American agriculture and rural areas depends on a new generation of farmers and ranchers. We are committed to meeting the needs of Young, Beginning and Small (YBS) farmers through our lending programs, educational sponsorships and scholarships.

What Is a Young, Beginning or Small farmer/rancher?

Young: Age 35 or younger
Beginning: 10 years or less experience
Small: Less than $250,000 of gross annual agricultural income

Financing for Young, Beginning and Small Farmers

Our years of experience in rural lending provide the expertise needed to finance many people who fit into the YBS group. By using flexible loan terms and working closely with other organizations and governmental agencies, we can tailor loans to fit the unique situations of YBS borrowers.

Our commitment to serving the needs of YBS farmers/ranchers is reflected in Southern AgCredit’s 2020 YBS performance report. Of all loans closed in 2020:

24.22% were to Young farmers/ranchers
57.55% were to Beginning farmers/ranchers
79.50% were to Small farmers/ranchers

Educational Programs that Benefit Youth and YBS Farmers

Southern AgCredit annually awards scholarships to students achieving academic success in an agriculture or business course of study. Find out the details of our scholarship program. In addition, we actively support other programs, events and educational activities that benefit YBS farmers.