U.S. Department of Agriculture Business & Industry (B&I) Loan Program

U.S. Department of Agriculture Business & Industry (B&I)Loan program is a rural business-cooperative program that is designed to create and maintain employment and improve the economic and environmental climate in rural communities. The USDA B&I Loan Program provides larger sums of funding than the SBA Loan Programs but with the same long-term and fully-amortizing benefits.

Eligible Borrowers:

• For-profit companies
• Non-profit companies
• Businesses must be located in rural areas with a population of less than 50,000

Loan Amounts

• Maximum: $5,000,000
• Minimum: n/a

Guaranty Percentages

• 80% up to $5,000,000

Terms

• Working capital: Up to 7 years
• Machinery and equipment: Up to 15 years
• Real estate: Up to 30 years

Approved Uses of Proceeds

• Business and industrial acquisitions
• Construction
• Conversion
• Expansion
• Repair
• Modernization or development costs
• Purchase of equipment, machinery, or supplies
• Start-up costs and working capital
• Processing and marketing facilities
• Pollution control and abatement
• Refinancing for viable projects
• Purchase of start-up cooperative stock for family sized farms where commodities are produced to be processed by the cooperative