The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA) makes operating loans of up to $5,000 to eligible individual rural youths age 10 through 20 to finance income-producing, agriculture-related projects. The project must be of modest size, educational, and initiated, developed and carried out by rural youths participating in 4-H clubs, FFA or a similar organization.

The project must be an organized and supervised program of work. It must be planned and operated with the assistance of the organization advisor, produce sufficient income to repay the loan, and provide the youth with practical business and educational experience in agriculture-related skills.

Further information and applications for the loan programs described are available at local FSA county offices. These are usually listed in telephone directories in the section set aside for governmental/public organizations under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency. To locate your local FSA Office, click here.