Post-World War II Prosperity

During and after World War II, prosperity returned to American farmers. The decade of the 1950s saw technology transform agriculture and also marked a major period of growth for the Farm Credit System.

Various laws were passed during this period which modified the directorship arrangement of Farm Credit institutions as well as the structure of the FCA. These laws also pushed the System towards full ownership by its farmer/rancher-borrowers.

The System began a campaign in 1940 to pay off the government capital investment, a goal the Land Banks achieved in 1947. The Banks for Cooperatives and the last of the PCAs followed suit in 1968, leaving the Farm Credit System with all federal capital repaid and completely owned by its borrowers.

The Farm Credit Archive provides an online in-depth history of Farm Credit’s legacy of service and achievement. Read more.