Making Farm Loans Work For You Today

By Sandra Hill


One of the hardest things to do is make a living doing what you love. Most farmers love the life they live and want nothing more than to continue working on the land their whole lives. It is a hard life however, and one that is sometimes difficult to do successfully. A lot of times farm loans become necessary to continue the work and lifestyles farmers love.

Although most farmers try to avoid putting the acreage they own up as collateral for a loan, it is sometimes necessary. If they have a particularly bad year with drought or too much rain, their crop yield will not be what was expected. Sometimes farmers face several years of bad weather in a row which can put them in the position of having to borrow money against their land.

For those who think they might be interested in getting into the farming business, financial institutions have start up money available. Individuals with good business plans can get funds to purchase land and the equipment necessary to begin production. In order to be approved, people should be ready to convince a lender he or she has enough expertise to make a success of the venture after the first few years or so.

A lot of times farmers, like other businessmen, need capital to expand. In this case, they can go to an institution and apply for an operation loan to assist them with the day to day operation of the business. They may be able to qualify for up to one million or more dollars to get the money they need to expand their business. For those who do not qualify for private funding, there are often loans of up to three hundred thousands dollars available.

Row crop farmers who do not use community storage facilities can get money to build or buy silos and other types of units where crops can be stored until they go to market. There are certain kinds of crops that are approved for these loans. Those crops include hay, vegetables and fruit, wheat, soybeans, and corn. A farmer can get up to half a million dollars for this type of improvement.

Many farmers employ individuals from other countries to work in their fields. These migrant workers are not citizens and are only granted temporary visas to come into the country. Farmers who use these workers must comply with all government regulations regarding their employment and housing. There is money available for the farming business to improve the living conditions they offer the temporary workers.

Commercial fishing operations often need extra money to stay in business. Boats wear out and have to be repaired. This can be very costly. If a fishery wants to expand, the owners may have to apply for funding.

Most farmers love the work they do and would never want to do anything else. Sometimes they just need a little financial help to keep the business going from one year to the next.




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