Purchasing with USDA Microloan funds

tigers2007 · Apr 28, 2013

Anyone here do this or know someone that has done this? Unforunately, I made terrible mistake by selling my tractor a couple years ago and now I'm in dire need of one to start up a small farming operation. I qualify for this program but I haven't read any anecdotes of sucess (or failure) with this program as it just started this January. Yeah I know that this involves uncle sam and therefore can be a cluster**** but I'm very used to that. It is supposed to be a streamlined program with minimal paperwork to get new or "disadvantaged" farmers up and running offering up to $35,000 at 1.35% interest for (up to) seven years. That should be plenty to get me a new or lightly used 35+HP unit with FEL and some implements so I can get my field ready.

jenkinsph · Apr 28, 2013

Check it out and see. I have dealt with the USDA alot this year, and the particular division I am working with has provided funding for projects that are keeping me busy. These payments on the projects are handouts to the landowners, not loans. The USDA checks the projects to make sure of the performance and then chips in about 50% or more.

landiniowa · May 1, 2013

Tigers,
you have any luck with the USDA ????

I tried working with the local FSA and lets just say it was worse than a joke.

tigers2007 · May 1, 2013

I have yet to contact them as my fulltime work schedule is next to insane. Oh, trust me. I will make sure that they at least give me a fair shake at this or I'll own them. If you've seen whats happend to the USDA over the past years with the ridiculous settlements (Pigford I & II, Natives, and now the Hispanics & Females), they've admitted over and over how they are "bad to non-white people". Of course the current administration has bent them over and gave it to them good even though 99% of that discrimination stuff is 150% bullsh*t. People with potted plants in their front porch considered themselves "discriminated farmers" and the US Government decided they were entitled to something like $50,000 each (before 1/3 attorney fees). Heck, they just extended the free $50,000 checks to Hispanics and Women that were "discriminated" against by the USDA until mid May I believe. Redistribution. Redistribution. YEAHHHHHH!

Oh yeah, the way I'm going to get into their skin if the USDA gives me the runaround will be due to the fact i'm an "under-represented minority" and how I'll be so "discriminated against" LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.... I love this country or at least whats left of this mess. I'll keep in touch. They better not be true clowns as I sue government agencies frequently when I'm wronged. Now if they honestly can't get things done due to a real problem, then I won't mess with them too bad.

My favorite quote:

"According to the census, there were 18,000 black farmers in the country when the lawsuit was filed. But 97,000 black “farmers” have applied for the money.

Black farmer Jimmy Dismuke says it’s fraud. He said lawyers went to black churches and told people who had never farmed to file for the money.

“People say well, how do I qualify?” Dismuke told us. “And then [the lawyers] started talking about potted plants. They said if you had a potted plant, you can be a farmer. And if you have a yard and you fertilize it, you're a farmer.”

landiniowa · May 2, 2013

Tigers I hear you brother. My dealings with them showed me that those govt programs are not setup for the honest working person. Both myself and my wife have good govt jobs with w2's to back that up. The people in Desmoines did not want to work with me from jump and found every reason not to do a loan. I had my real estate friend tell me that he had a property tied up for over a year still waiting for the FSA to allocate the money. You need 3 years verified farming income to qualify and what if you never owned a farm? That why its called beginning farmer mam. After giving them so many docs and the size of my short shorts it became obvious that the real hard working people can never qualify? You either make to much, no farm exp or hundreds of other clauses that knock you out. Funny thing is the higher up in the city that make the decisions never have been on the seat of a tractor. I could tell by the conversations that they had no time on a farm and really were not qualified or understood the cycle of farming other than from some excel spread sheet. I hope you have better luck......