Lending

Borrowers get competitive interest rates as well as access to educational courses and technical assistance to support your business success. Plus, when you do business with FarmLink, you support our ability to maintain programs and services for other farmers, ranchers, and fishers.

Our loans are designed to support farmers, ranchers, and fishers who have difficulty getting affordable business loans, including those who are small-scale and beginning and those who are expanding or innovating.

Loans must be used for business expenses: operating costs, purchasing or refinancing land, vessels and permits, equipment, conservation practices, and consolidating business debt.

Credit scores are a generally accepted quantitative representation of the creditworthiness of an individual. Put another way, it is a prediction of how likely you are to repay a loan on time.

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Your credit score is taken into account as part of FarmLink’s underwriting process; however, due to limitations inherent in the way credit scores are calculated, we place greater weight on your credit history, and the circumstances surrounding any derogatory items. Lack of credit history, circumstances outside of your control, and actions you’ve taken to repay and repair derogatory items are important factors that FarmLink considers when evaluating your credit score and credit history.

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Your credit score does not impact the interest rate you pay, but it could impact the size of a loan.

Individuals or businesses may apply with a Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number (EIN) See "How do I prepare..." below for more details.

To apply for a loan with FarmLink, provide a detailed plan for using the funds and prepare financial records such as a profit and loss statement, balance sheet, cash flow projections, tax returns, and sales receipts. FarmLink also requires an equipment inventory, land tenure documentation, vessel ownership or lease records, and relevant licenses, insurance, and registrations.

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To apply for a loan with FarmLink, provide a detailed plan for using the funds and prepare financial records such as a profit and loss statement, balance sheet, cash flow projections, tax returns, and sales receipts. FarmLink also requires an equipment inventory, land tenure documentation, vessel ownership or lease records, and relevant licenses, insurance, and registrations.

The length of time required depends on the availability of information from the applicant and the type of financing requested, and typically takes 2-4 months from initial contact to loan closing and funding. For example, obtaining an operating loan will generally be a quicker process compared to a land loan.

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Your ability to demonstrate the business’ capacity to repay the loan, based on historical and projected production and financial records, will significantly reduce the amount of time it will take to process your application. We can help you assess your “loan readiness” prior to applying, so you have an idea of how long the entire process will take.

No, there is no penalty for early repayment.

We base the loan term on the use of proceeds and what's affordable for the borrower. The amount of a loan we offer may differ from what you request.

We are a nonprofit, mission-driven lender dedicated to making our loans as affordable as possible. Our rates are determined annually by a volunteer advisory committee.