Fact Sheet Farm Credit Administration

1501 Farm Credit Drive

McLean, VA 22102-5090

August 11, 2022 Contact: Mike Stokke or Emily Yaghmour, 

703-883-4056

Email: info-line@fca.gov

Website: www.fca.gov

Fact sheet on Farm Credit System young, beginning, and small (YBS) 

farmer lending results for 2021 

The following information summarizes 2021 Farm Credit System lending activity to young, 

beginning, and small (YBS) farmers, ranchers, and producers or harvesters of aquatic 

products. 

Note: FCA defines young farmers as those who are 35 years old or younger, beginning 

farmers as those who have been farming for 10 years or less, and small farmers as those 

with gross annual sales of less than $250,000.

Outstanding loans

From Dec. 31, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2021, dollar volume outstanding for total System loans 

grew by 10.9%. Loan dollar volume outstanding to young farmers grew by 10.3%, to 

beginning farmers by 18.1%, and to small farmers by 14.2%.1

For the same period, the number of total System loans outstanding increased by 1.8%. The 

number of loans outstanding to young farmers increased by 2.9%, to beginning farmers by 

4.8%, and to small farmers by 1.7%.

New loans

The dollar volume of loans made in 2021 by the System overall increased by 12.7% in 

2021. New loan dollar volume to young farmers increased by 8.3%, to beginning farmers by 

16.7%, and to small farmers by 9.3%. 

For the same period, the number of new loans made by the System overall grew by 2.1%. 

The number of loans to young farmers increased by 2.8%, to beginning farmers by 3.0%, 

and to small farmers by 0.8%. 

Young — In 2021, the System reported making 67,647 loans to young farmers. The 

volume of total new loans to farmers in this category amounted to $14.9 billion. The loans 

1 Please note that some System institutions revised their totals for loan numbers and dollar volume 

after FCA’s 2020 annual report was published. This revision was part of the normal course of business 

adjustments to their call report data. As a result, the System totals reported for 2020 changed slightly 

from the totals reported in last year’s annual report, and one should not calculate year-over-year 

increases based on totals reported in last year’s annual report.
2

to young farmers in 2021 represented 17.9% of all loans the System made during the year 

and 11.0% of the dollar volume of loans made. At the end of 2021, the System reported 

186,323 loans outstanding to young farmers, totaling $37.0 billion.

Beginning — In 2021, the System reported making 97,127 loans to beginning farmers. The 

volume of total new loans to beginning farmers amounted to $26.2 billion in 2021. The 

loans made to beginning farmers in 2021 represented 25.6% of all System loans made 

during the year and 19.2% of the dollar volume of loans made. At the end of 2021, the 

System reported 297,289 loans outstanding to beginning farmers, totaling $64.7 billion.

Small — In 2021, System institutions reported making 167,729 loans, totaling $25.6

billion, to small farmers. The loans in 2021 to farmers in this category represented 44.3% of 

all loans made during the year and 18.8% of the dollar volume of loans made. At the end of 

2021, the System reported 478,672 loans outstanding to small farmers, totaling $66.9

billion.

Total — In 2021, the System reported making a total of 378,779 new loans, totaling 

$136.4 billion. The total number of outstanding loans at year-end 2021was 963,530, 

amounting to $350.3 billion.

YBS loans made during 2021

YBS 

category

Number of 

loans

Percentage 

of total 

number of 

System 

loans

Dollar 

volume of 

loans in 

millions

Percentage

of total 

dollar 

volume of 

System 

loans

Average 

loan size

Young 67,647 17.9% $14,946 11.0% $220,941

Beginning 97,127 25.6% $26,234 19.2% $270,096

Small 167,729 44.3% $25,627 18.8% $152,790

YBS loans outstanding as of Dec. 31, 2021

YBS 

category

Number of 

loans

Percentage 

of total 

number of 

System 

loans

Dollar 

volume of 

loans in 

millions

Percentage 

of total 

dollar 

volume of 

System 

loans

Average 

loan size

Young 186,323 19.3% $37,021 10.6% $198,695

Beginning 297,289 30.9% $64,665 18.5% $217,516

Small 478,672 49.7% $66,863 19.1% $139,685

Sources: Annual YBS Farmer Report submitted by each System lender through the System banks.

Note: Because the YBS mission is focused on each borrower group separately, data are reported separately for 

each of the three YBS borrower categories. Since some loans fit more than one category, adding the loans across 

categories does not produce an accurate measure of the System’s YBS lending.