The Maine Farm Service Agency has announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency makes and guarantees loans to eligible socially disadvantaged farmers and beginning farmers to buy and operate family-size farms.

Each fiscal year, the agency targets a portion of its direct and guaranteed farm ownership and operating loan funds to SDA and beginning farmers. An SDA farmer or rancher is a group whose members have been subject to racial, ethnic or gender prejudice because of their identity as members of a group without regard to their individual qualities. These groups consist of American Indians or Alaskan Natives, Asians, Blacks or African-Americans, Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders, Hispanics and women.

A beginning farmer is an individual or entity who has not operated a farm for more than 10 years; meets the loan eligibility requirements of the program to which he/she is applying; substantially participates in the operation; and, for FO purposes, does not own a farm greater than 30 percent of the median size farm in the county.

All applicants for direct FO loans must have participated in the business operation of a farm for at least three years.

More information and applications can be obtained at the local FSA office serving the area where the operation is located or on the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov.