“Can I use my FSA Farm Ownership loan to purchase land with another farmer or rancher?” With land prices soaring, this question has become increasingly popular, and despite development and funding efforts to support producers, land access issues persist. Agricultural communities deserve affordable land access options now, but what cooperative purchasing and financing options are viable?
Farm Commons partnered with Viva Farms this summer to tackle this issue in detail through their brand new resource, Cooperative Purchasing and Financing Guide for Farm and Ranchland.
This new guide explores the viability of FSA Farm Ownership loans and offers concrete steps on how to qualify while exploring other cooperative financing mechanisms and examples. The focus is on practical and implementable strategies.
“I think this guide really responds to the questions that a lot of farmers have. I think it really serves, whether it is the incubator farming community or the land matching community, the need for this kind of information, and because it is in English and Spanish, I hope it can get out there to as many communities as possible,” said Anna Chotzen, Viva Farms Director of Farm Viability. “I also hope that this resource helps us facilitate a bit of dialogue with FSA to see if they can make any kind of revisions to their program.”
Cooperative Purchasing and Financing Guide for Farm and Ranchland is free to access on the Farm Commons website and features twelve criteria that need to be met for an FSA Farm Ownership loan, interactive checklists, and a hypothetical case study. The guide can be viewed in English or Spanish.
Farm Commons and Viva Farms recognize that it may be useful to translate this guide into other languages. While there are currently no plans for further translation, please reach out to Anna Chotzen at Viva Farms if you have translation needs and would like more information. Interested in partnering with Farm Commons on a legal guide, resource, webinar, or something else? We’d love to hear from you. Review Farm Commons’ partnership opportunities here or contact Farm Commons directly with questions.