To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to modify the experience requirement for direct farm ownership loans, eliminate the 10-year limitation on direct farm ownership loans, allow direct loans to be used for refinancing indebtedness, increase the lifetime limitation on debt forgiveness per borrower, and provide flexibility with respect to loan fund set asides for beginning farmers and ranchers, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · November 18, 2024
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
The Debt Relief and Farm Credit Access Act modifies federal loan programs to help farmers and ranchers access credit more easily and reduce their debt burden. The bill reduces the experience requirement for direct farm ownership loans from a higher threshold to just one year of farm management experience, though beginning farmers can get a waiver if they have a mentor or relevant education. It eliminates the 10-year time limit on direct farm ownership loans, allows farmers to use these loans to refinance existing debts up to four times, and doubles the lifetime debt forgiveness cap from $300,000 to $600,000 per borrower. The legislation also provides flexibility in how the Department of Agriculture sets aside loan funds for beginning farmers and ranchers by allowing more time to allocate these resources. These changes are designed to make it easier for new and existing farmers to get credit and manage their debt without specifying new funding amounts or implementation deadlines.
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