Young, Beginning and Small Farmers

Farm Credit Services of Hawaii, ACA recognizes that young, beginning and small farmers (YBS) represent the future of agriculture and have unique and diverse needs, but may have difficulty finding adequate financing.

We are committed to providing sound, constructive, and competitive credit to these farmers. In order to address the unique needs of those YBS farmers who have a satisfactory credit history, and strong financial and production management (as evidenced by financial records showing positive earnings and balance sheet trends), accommodations and credit enhancements may be offered. These accommodations/enhancements may include:

• Modified Loan Underwriting Standards.
• Reduced interest rates for a transitional period of time.
• Use of Loan guarantee programs (we are a Preferred Lender with Farm Service Agency and a Non-Bank Lender Participant with the Small Business Administration).

You may qualify for these accommodations/ enhancements if you are an owner/ operator (no investors) whose primary income is from the farm operation and who meet any one of the following characteristics:

• Young - 35 years of age or younger.
• Beginning – Less than 10 years of agriculture experience.
• Small – A producer with less than $250,000 in annual gross sales of agricultural or aquatic products.

If you meet any of these characteristics and are interested in our YBS program you can call or contact one of our branch offices.