Loans and services to support your success
California FarmLink is a non-profit, mission-based business lender serving farmers, ranchers, and fishers. Certified as a CDFI, we have made more than $75 million in loans since 2012. Our team understands the unique financing needs of agriculture and fishing businesses. Our lending aims to be fair and affordable. Learn more about the people we serve here.
Current Rates & Terms
Operating & Term Loans
Interest: 6-8% fixed rate based on term and Resilerator participation (1% discount)
Operating expenses, working capital, equipment, vessels, permits, infrastructure, permanent crop development and replanting, and vehicles.
Loans starting at $5,000
Fees: 0.5% to 2%
Land & Housing Loans
Interest: Rates are competitive with other lenders. Ask us.
Land purchase, land refinance, farmworker or farmer housing, and term loans secured by real estate.*
Loans up to $2.2 million
Fees: 0.5% to 2%
Disaster Relief Loans
Interest: 0%
Clean-up and recovery from eligible disasters and related working capital. Limited funds available.
Loans up to $50,000
Fees: 0%
Conservation Loans
Interest: 3.5%
Bridge financing for conservation practices to be reimbursed by partners.**
Loans up to $100,000 (exceptions apply)
Fees: 0.5% to 2%
NOTE: Rates and terms updated December 1, 2024 and are subject to change. Very limited loan scenarios may fall outside of these rates and terms. Please inquire about your specific situation.
*Limited funds available for Down Payment Assistance to eligible borrowers. Inquire for more information.
** USDA EQIP or California's Healthy Soils and Carl Moyer programs.
Loan Inquiry Process Overview
Loan Types, Terms, and Eligibility
Operating & Term Loans
Small- and mid-scale farmers, farmers of color and beginning farmers and ranchers have limited access to business loans. Many lenders may not understand your business needs, and it’s often difficult to secure an affordable loan that is just the right size to meet your needs. We can consider loan requests as small as $5,000.
Types of Operating & Term Loans
Our loans can help you pay for general operating costs, lines of credit, refinancing business debt, equipment and infrastructure, fishing vessels, and vehicles.
Loan Terms
Our affordable interest rates vary (see table above) with a loan fee of 0.5-2% payable at loan closing. We can arrange a seasonal repayment schedule for operating loans, and we never penalize early repayment. Resilerator course graduates get a 1% interest rate discount.
Eligibility
To be eligible, you must meet the following criteria:
- Current management role in a California-based farm or ranch,
- Two or more years of farming experience (earning farm income as an owner or employee),
- Secure land tenure verified through written lease or ownership,
- Active marketing or sales channels, and
- Appropriate registrations and certifications for the business.
Please contact us with any questions.
Materials Needed to Apply
- Clear idea of how much money you want to borrow and how you want to use it
- Tax returns for the prior three years
- Current financial statements including income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow projections
- Production records for the prior three years.
Please contact us with any questions.
Qualified Use of Funds
Purchasing land to be used by your farm or ranch business, or purchasing and/or building housing for farmers and/or farmworkers.
Loan Terms
Our interest rates are competitive, with a loan fee of 0.5-2%, depending on the size of the loan. The loan fee is payable at loan closing. We never penalize early repayment.
Eligibility
To be eligible, you must meet the following criteria:
- Current management role in a California-based fishing business
- Two or more years of fishing experience (earning income as an owner or employee of a fishing business)
- Active marketing or sales channels
- Appropriate registrations and certifications for the business.
Materials Needed to Apply
- Clear idea of how much money you want to borrow and how you want to use it
- Tax returns for the prior three years
- Current financial statements including income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow projections
- Historical catch records for the prior 2-3 years
Please contact us with any questions.
Land & Housing Loans
High quality land tenure and quality housing are fundamental challenges for many farmers and ranchers. Our focus is on helping borrowers to build wealth over time. Land ownership is one way to build wealth, and adequate housing is an investment in everyone’s well-being. We can consider loan requests up to $2.2 million.
Disaster Loans
People are increasingly impacted by fires, floods, and mandated fishing season closures. We can offer: 1) Payment deferments for borrowers who are unable to make payments due to lost revenue, 2) Loans up to $50,000 with 0% interest to address business impacts resulting from a disaster, and 3) “Bridge loans” designed to help in the near-term if you are waiting for disaster assistance payments. Please contact us with any questions.
Types of Loans
Our loans can help you pay for the costs of disaster recovery, including: 1) Damage to real estate, equipment, vehicles, and lost crops or products, 2) Lost revenue due to inability to access fields, fisheries, products, or markets, and 3) Lost revenue due to mandated fishing season closures.
Loan Terms
Interest rate at 0% with no fees and maximum loan size of $50,000. We may be able to arrange a seasonal repayment schedule and we never penalize early repayment.
Eligibility
Businesses must be able to provide a description and documentation of disaster impacts, as well as have:
- Current management role in a California-based farm, ranch or fishing business,
- 2+ years of farming or professional fishing experience (earning farm income as an owner or employee)
- Secure land tenure verified through written lease or ownership
- Active marketing or sales channels, and
- Appropriate registrations and certifications for the business.
Materials Needed to Apply
- Clear idea of how much money you want to borrow and how you want to use it,
- Tax returns for the prior three years,
- Current financial statements including income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow projections,
- Production records for the prior three years, and
- Demonstrated capacity for loan repayment. Applications submitted for government disaster relief will be considered when assessing how you plan to repay the loan.
Please contact us with any questions.
Types of Conservation Loans
We aim to expand access to conservation programs, including the USDA NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and California’s Healthy Soils Program (HSP) and Carl Moyer Program. These programs support and enable farmers to identify, plan, and implement practices to build soil organic matter, conserve water, protect waterways, support beneficial insects, and more. The Carl Moyer Program can help to upgrade engines to cleaner technologies.
Loan Terms
Our conservation loan interest rate is 3.5% with a loan fee of 0.5-2% payable at loan closing. In many cases, we can arrange a repayment schedule that meets your unique needs. We never penalize early repayment.
Eligibility
The same as Operating & Term Loans (current management role, two or more years of farming experience, etc) as well as an agreement to work with a Resource Conservation District in Monterey or Santa Cruz counties or Zero Foodprint.
Materials Needed to Apply
Same as for Operating and Term Loans, but also evidence that you are working with a conservation partner (see Qualifications above) Please contact us with any questions.
Conservation Loans
Many farmers are adopting regenerative practices that can improve soils, sequester carbon, diversify on-farm habitat, and conserve water. Various programs provide financial support for conservation, but they can be difficult to access due to the financial commitment required. We help by offering “bridge loans” to cover upfront costs that are often required before getting reimbursement.
FAQs
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.
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.
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 other taxpayer identification number (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.
To apply for a loan with FarmLink, provide a detailed plan fo rusing 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.
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.