Help Local Farmers: Farm Credit Administration Seeks Comments

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Is supporting your local farmers by visiting your farmers market, CSA, food coop, or other local food source important to you? Then Please Help. The Farm Credit Administration Seeks Comments on an Important New Rule

Well, this is an exceptional opportunity to make sure your local farmers have the resources they need to continue to grow the local food economy. All you have to do is write a short note today – and you can make a big difference for local and regional food systems all across this country. The Farm Credit Administration (FCA) is asking the public to comment on a proposed rule that, if adopted, would direct Farm Credit System lending associations to be more responsive to the credit needs of small and mid-sized farmers and ranchers producing for local and regional food markets.

The Farm Credit Administration is the federally chartered agency that oversees the nationwide network of locally-controlled and borrower-owned cooperative lending associations that make up the Farm Credit System (FCS). FCS supplies nearly 40% of all U.S. farm financing and has the capacity to provide millions of dollars in capital and technical assistance to local food producers, and to leverage other sources of capital for the task of rebuilding our local and regional food system infrastructure.

Ask the FCA to adopt this new rule and bring badly needed capital to small and mid-sized farmers and ranchers producing for the local and regional market.