Beginning Farmer Loans

Grow Ahead with our young, first-time, and beginning farmer loan program, created to help you build a bright future for your agriculture endeavors.  

 

What is Grow Ahead for beginner farmers?

As a young, new, or beginner farmer, securing a financial partner is a great first step in supporting your growth.  

With over 100 years in agriculture lending, we designed Grow Ahead, a suite of programs for beginning farmers, to provide fast, reliable financing, educational resources, grants, and additional opportunities to the next generation of farmers — making credit accessible and helping you build a solid foundation for success.

At Horizon Farm Credit, Grow Ahead includes beginning farmer loans uniquely designed to support beginning farmers by providing financing and support to serve both full-time and part-time farming needs.

Outside of loans, other benefits of Grow Ahead include:

  • Educational resources to grow your financial literacy
  • Opportunities to work with experienced agriculture mentors
  • Grants and Awards for the next generation of farmers  

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Who is eligible for Grow Ahead?

Our Grow Ahead loan program is specifically designed for young and beginner farmers to replace the uncertainty of starting a farm with reliable financing and support. We define “young” and “beginner” as follows:

  • Young farmers: Farmers 35 years old or younger
  • Beginner farmers: Farmers with 10 years or less experience farming on their own

Outside of Grow Ahead loans, we also offer agriculture loans for ‘small’ farmers; those with an annual gross cash income of $350,000 or less.

What are the benefits of the Grow Ahead loans?

When you Grow Ahead with our beginner farm loans, you get access to benefits like: 

  • Relaxed underwriting requirements
  • Customized loan terms
  • Discounted pricing and reduced fees

FarmStarter Loans

The FarmStarter microloan program is an exciting part of Grow Ahead, specifically designed for promising young AND beginning farmers with limited credit and collateral. Applicants are given consideration for qualitative attributes such as experience, attitude, and various aspects of a business plan including cash flow, marketing and risk management. 

Hands holding soil

Young, Beginning, and Small Farmer Grant

The Young, Beginning, and Small Farmer Grant Program will award ten $20,000 grants to help farmers start, grow, or strengthen their operations. Open to eligible young, beginning, and small farmers. Apply by August 21, 2026 at 4:00p.m.

Ready to get started?

Get the financing you need at a pace that works for you. Reach out to one of our Farm Credit experts today.

Emma Jagoz, Moon Valley Farm
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"The traditional banks were not interested in lending to me, and so when I reached out to Farm Credit, they actually believed me."

Emma Jagoz Moon Valley Farm Woodsboro, Maryland