

Our emergency assistance programs help eligible producers facing losses to crops, trees, livestock, farm land and specialty crops due to a qualifying natural disaster. When disaster does strike, USDA is here to help you with recovery. Military veterans who are beginning farmers may be eligible for reduced premiums, application fee waivers, increased insurance coverage and other incentives for a number of USDA’s risk management programs. USDA programs can help you proactively manage your risk, and protect your farm from downturns due to markets and weather. We can help you with risk management and recovery.Īgriculture is a weather- and market- dependent industry. Erin and her veteran husband, John Kimbrough, worked with USDA for a microloan, a conservation plan and technical assistance to improve their farm. No matter your individual story, USDA is here to help you succeed. Other producers have suffered financial setbacks from natural disasters, or need additional resources to establish and maintain profitable farming operations. In many cases, beginning farmers need support to qualify for commercial credit. USDA loan programs are designed to help family farmers and ranchers start, purchase or expand their farming operation. This enhanced farm loan opportunity is part of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s Battleground to Breaking Ground program, which has helped more than 900 veterans and beginning farmers and ranchers with their agribusiness. Through this project, participants receive intensified production and financial management training that they can combine with previous military leadership or management experience to satisfy this requirement in less time. Typically, qualifying loan applicants must participate in the business operations of a farm for at least three years during a 10-year period. Recently, USDA announced a new partnership with Texas A&M’s AgriLife Extension Service that will help veterans interested in USDA farm ownership loans get the training they need to qualify. USDA works to ensure that veterans looking to start a new career on a farm have the tools and resources they need to succeed. At USDA, we want to ensure that veterans looking to return to the family farm – and those starting a new farming career – have the tools and opportunities needed to succeed.Īre you a veteran interested in farming? We’re here to support you. Census Bureau, a larger percent of veterans live in rural America than members of the general public. They developed a conservation plan for their beef cattle operation using technical assistance provided by USDA.Īccording to the U.S.

Veteran Doug Havemann and his wife Melissa own Mesquite Field Farm in Nixon, Texas. Then he found a USDA program that provided technical and financial assistance to help him with the process. In the beginning, he spent backbreaking hours in the Texas heat clearing brush by hand. Chris purchased the family farm in Bastrop County, Texas, while actively serving in the U.S. Chris Barnes grew up farming with his grandfather and knew one day he would farm the land himself.
