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Does Farm Credit serve all farmers and ranchers?
How is Farm Credit different from other lenders?
How is Farm Credit helping young and beginning farmers?
Does Farm Credit offer services other than loans to farmers and ranchers?
Is Farm Credit affiliated with institutions like Farm Bureau and Farmer Mac?
How does Farm Credit reach out to minorities?
Where can I purchase Farm Credit notes and bonds?
Why should farmers and ranchers rely on Farm Credit?
A: The Farm Credit System is exclusively dedicated to supporting agriculture and rural communities. Currently we serve nearly 500,000 qualified member-borrowers nationwide. We provide more than $191 billion in loans, leases and related services to farmers, ranchers, rural homeowners, aquatic producers, timber harvesters, agribusinesses, and agricultural and rural utility cooperatives. Established in 1916 by Congress, and now a Government Sponsored Enterprise, the System provides more than one third of the credit needed by those who live and work in rural America.
Q: Does Farm Credit serve all farmers and ranchers?
A: Farm Credit is the nation’s largest lender dedicated exclusively to agriculture and rural communities. Currently we serve nearly 500,000 qualified member-borrowers nationwide. Farm Credit’s customer-owned banks and associations also provide much-needed funding for farmer-owned cooperatives and other eligible rural businesses. We also provide financing for infrastructure, such as power plants, communications networks and water and sewer projects.
Q: How is Farm Credit different from other lenders?
A: For nearly 100 years Farm Credit has been solely dedicated to helping farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Customers know they can depend on Farm Credit’s expertise and commitment in good times and bad.
Our cooperative structure is important to customers because it means they have a say in how Farm Credit does business. Earnings are retained by Farm Credit banks and associations who often return a portion of these earnings in the form of patronage, to member-borrowers.
The System’s size, structure and performance have earned it the worldwide support of investors who continue to finance U.S. agriculture and rural America by purchasing Systemwide Debt Securities.
Q: How is Farm Credit helping young and beginning farmers?
A: For generations we’ve been providing financing to farmers and ranchers. Many of our employees come from farm families. As a result, we are dedicated to helping young, beginning, small and minority producers.
Nearly one-half of farmers under age 50 do business with Farm Credit. More than one in five loans to farmers are made to those with less than 10 years of experience. Another 17% of loans are with farmers and ranchers who are less than 35 years old. Farm Credit provided $42.7 million in financing to these producers in 2008.
Q: Does Farm Credit offer services other than loans to farmers and ranchers?
A: We believe – and more importantly, our customers believe – that insurance, tax planning and our other related services are important realities in rural and agricultural life. Farm Credit has helped farmers keep going in the face of personal and natural disaster through our insurance programs, and customers know that tax planning is an essential element of their farm and ranch decision making.
We are proud to offer our customers a diverse range of products and services to help ensure the health and well being of American agriculture. Service offerings vary between associations and banks. Check with your local Farm Credit representative for more information.
A: A Government Sponsored Enterprise, or GSE, refers to a financial service organization created by the U.S. Congress to enhance the flow of credit to targeted sectors of the economy. The Farm Credit System was created in 1916 to provide a stable and reliable source of debt capital for the nation’s agriculture system and rural America. Congress initially provided $125 million in seed money for the Farm Credit System but that investment was repaid in 1947, and the System currently operates without any financial support from the federal government.
As a GSE, the System is regulated by the Farm Credit Administration, an independent federal agency. Members of Farm Credit Administration’s Board of Directors are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.
Having GSE status helps the Farm Credit System ensure that rural America has steady access to competitively priced funds that are necessary to finance growth and maintain the quality of life in rural communities and on the farm.
Q: Is Farm Credit affiliated with institutions like Farm Bureau and Farmer Mac?
A: The American Farm Bureau Federation, often simply called Farm Bureau, is not affiliated with the Farm Credit System.
The Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac) is distinct and separate from Farm Credit. Farmer Mac provides a secondary market for farm mortgages originated by commercial banks and other lenders. While separate from Farm Credit, Farmer Mac is regulated by the Farm Credit Administration.
The financial information of Farmer Mac is not included in the combined financial statements of the Farm Credit System.
Farmer Mac is not liable for the Consolidated Systemwide Debt issued by the Federal Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation on behalf of the four Banks of the Farm Credit System.
Farmer Mac issues its own notes and bonds to fund their operations. Farmer Mac debt is not rated.
Q: How does Farm Credit reach out to minorities?
A: Farm Credit aggressively competes in the marketplace for agricultural and rural loans every day, in good times and bad. We work hard to find customers of all types.
Farm Credit is, by law and by policy, an equal opportunity lender. The System’s mission is to provide a dependable and competitive source of funding to help ensure the well being of American agriculture. Many rural families and communities reflect and represent minority populations, and Farm Credit institutions work with them on the same basis as we would with non-minority customers.
Q: Where can I purchase Farm Credit notes and bonds?
A: The Federal Farm Credit Banks (FFCB) Funding Corporation is the agent for the Farm Credit System banks. Because the System does not accept deposits, the System relies on the Funding Corporation to raise money for loans and leases through the sale of debt securities in the domestic and international money market.
The Funding Corporation partners with a select group of investment and dealer banks that provide underwriting, trading, and distribution capabilities. Investors can contact a representative of one of the firms in the Selling Group or their local broker or investment manager for information on purchasing specific Farm Credit securities. Farm Credit securities are generally not issued or sold directly to investors.
Q: Why should farmers and ranchers rely on Farm Credit?
A: Five reasons: Farm Credit is customer-owned, reliable, competitive, knowledgeable, and passionate.
- Customer-owned means that we are focused on and responsive to the needs of those we serve.
- Reliable means we're there when our customers need us.
- Competitive means that farmers have a choice in meeting their financial needs.
- Knowledgeable means that producers and rural businesses can depend on us to understand their operation and to provide expert services tailored to meet their particular needs.
- Dedicated means Farm Credit people care deeply about improving the quality of life in rural America and on the farm. That's why we exist and it's why Farm Credit employees come to work every day!
