USDA Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) Program
USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), for the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC)
Up to $500,000
Researched for this program: 5 rejection traps · 6 required documentsWhat decides this award ↓
Low-rate on-farm storage loans
The Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) Program provides low-interest direct financing so agricultural producers can build, upgrade, or buy permanent and portable on-farm storage and handling facilities and equipment. Administered by USDA's Farm Service Agency on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation, it has issued over 33,000 loans since 2000. Eligible facilities include grain bins, hay barns, bulk milk/cold-storage tanks, and storage-and-handling trucks for a wide range of commodities (grains, oilseeds, pulses, hay, hemp, honey, fruits and vegetables, dairy, eggs, unprocessed meat/poultry, maple, hops, floriculture, and aquaculture). Interest rates are tied to comparable-maturity U.S. Treasury securities and adjust monthly. The program is a standing, continuously-available facility — producers apply year-round at their local FSA county office.
- Funding type
- Loan
- Level
- Federal
- Amount range
- $1,000 – $500,000
- Realistic amount
- Most FSFL borrowers finance a single bin, cold-storage unit, or handling-equipment purchase in the $20,000–$200,000 range. Small and beginning producers frequently use the microloan tier (up to $50,000, 5% down).
- Deadline
- Rolling — applications accepted year-round at the local FSA county office.
- Status
- active
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- loan
Who qualifies
- Applicant must be an agricultural producer of an eligible commodity (owner, operator, landlord, tenant, or sharecropper) with a satisfactory credit history and demonstrated ability to repay
- Must demonstrate a need for storage capacity (regular FSFLs use 3 years of production history; microloans waive this requirement)
- Eligible commodities include grains, oilseeds, peanuts, pulse crops, hay, hemp, honey, renewable biomass, fruits and vegetables, floriculture, hops, maple sap/syrup, dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, butter), eggs, unprocessed meat and poultry, rye, and aquaculture
- Facility/equipment must be new or used, permanently affixed or portable, and located on land the producer owns or controls
- Must provide the required down payment (15% regular; 5% microloan) and meet environmental and lien requirements
- Must not be delinquent on federal debt
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- New or used grain bins, hay barns, bulk milk/cold-storage tanks, and cold-storage facilities
- Drying, handling, and storage equipment, including storage-and-handling trucks
- Permanently affixed or portable structures for eligible commodities
- Concrete foundations, electrical, and site work directly required for the financed facility
Ineligible expenses
- Facilities for storing commodities not on the eligible list
- General working capital or operating expenses
- Land purchase
- Refinancing of existing debt
- Residential or non-agricultural structures
How to apply
-
1
Contact local FSA county office and confirm need
Meet with the FSA county office to confirm eligibility, determine whether a regular FSFL or microloan fits, and document storage need (production history for regular loans).
~3 hrs
-
2
Complete application form CCC-0185
Submit the FSFL application (CCC-0185) with facility/equipment cost estimates or quotes, ownership/control documentation for the site, and financial information establishing repayment ability.
~4 hrs
-
3
FSA review, credit and environmental clearance
FSA reviews creditworthiness, completes any required environmental review (NEPA) for the facility site, and approves the loan amount, term, and locked interest rate.
~2 hrs
-
4
Down payment, lien filing, and disbursement
Provide the required down payment, execute loan and security documents, and FSA disburses funds (often after the facility is in place or per agreed schedule). The facility serves as collateral.
~2 hrs
If you're a small, beginning, or specialty-crop producer, ask specifically about the FSFL microloan tier — it cuts the down payment to 5% and waives the 3-year production-history requirement, which is the main hurdle that stops new producers from qualifying for a regular FSFL.
Deadline & timing
FSFL is a continuous, standing program with no competitive cycle. Producers apply through their local FSA county office using form CCC-0185. Interest rates are reset monthly based on comparable-maturity Treasury securities, so timing affects the locked rate.
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