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A lot goes into growing food, fiber and fuel, and more times than not, farmers rely on operating loans to get from planting season to harvest time. To help Ohio farmers and agribusinesses finance the up-front costs of this year’s growing season, Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague recently opened the 2021 Ag-LINK application period.

“This program has been around since 1986, and the reason it’s been so successful is because of the partnerships we have with our community financial institutions to help implement this program and because of our partnership with Ohio Farm Bureau in helping get the word out about it,” Sprague said. “With Ag-LINK, farmers can buy things like feed, seed, fertilizer and fuel by getting a discounted rate working capital loan that they can pay back at the end of the harvest season.”

Through this application period ending March 19, farm operators and agribusiness owners based in Ohio can receive an interest rate reduction on loans up to $150,000. Although the exact amount of the discount will be provided to lenders in late March, a minimum 1% discount is in place.

“Last year, we helped 822 farmers and agribusinesses lower their interest rates for new loans totaling $91 million,” Sprague said. “Obviously interest rates are fairly low, in general, but if you can lower it by an additional 1% for free, it makes sense to participate in this program.”

Eligible farm operators and agribusinesses:

• Must be organized for profit.
• Must have headquarters and 51% of operations maintained in Ohio.
• Must use the loan exclusively for agricultural purposes.
• Must agree to comply with all program and financial institution regulations.

Those interested in Ag-LINK should contact their ag lender to begin the online loan application process. More information is available on the Ag-LINK program website.