New FSA Guaranteed Lender Status will support increased capital needs of Native farmers and ranchers.
March 5, 2021
Four Bands Community Fund is pleased to announce we have been approved as a lender in USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) Guaranteed Farm Loan Program. With this new designation, we will have the ability to deploy agriculture loans that are guaranteed by the FSA.
“We are excited about this new development in our ag lending program, because it means we will be able to meet the capital needs of more Native farmers and ranchers,” says Kristen Stambach, Director of Lending at Four Bands.
Although we have worked with Native farmers and ranchers in varying capacities since our inception in 2000, we dramatically increased our deployment of agricultural loans beginning in 2018. To date, we have approved over $2.5 million in agricultural loans that have supported the start-up, expansion, or operating capital needs for ag producers.
“Agriculture is an integral part of our community that strengthens cultural connections to the land, but access to affordable capital is a challenge for any business. By strengthening our ag lending program with our FSA guarantee status, we hope to also strengthen our local ag operations,” says Stambach.
Four Bands is only one of two certified Native community development financial institutions in the nation to have the status of an FSA guaranteed lender.
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