Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 57 - PLANNING, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (§§ 57-NEW-001 — 57-123-55) › Chapter 10 - SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE (§§ 57-10-1 — 57-10-731) › Article 9 - MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS FINANCE CORPORATION BEGINNING FARMER PROGRAM (§§ 57-10-301 — 57-10-309) › Section 57-10-307 - Development of program; general powers of corporation; rules and regulations

(1)
The corporation shall develop a beginning farmer loan program to facilitate the acquisition of agricultural land and improvements and depreciable agricultural property by beginning farmers. The corporation shall exercise the powers granted to it in Title 57, Chapter 10, Article 9 and Title 57, Chapter 10, Article 7, Mississippi Code of 1972, in order to fulfill the goal of providing financial assistance to beginning farmers in the acquisition of agricultural land and agricultural improvements and depreciable agricultural property. The corporation may participate in and cooperate with programs of the Farmers Home Administration, Federal Land Bank or any other agency or instrumentality of the federal government or with any program of any other state agency in the administration of the beginning farmer loan program and in the making or purchasing of mortgage or secured loans pursuant to this article.
(2)
The corporation may participate in any federal programs designed to assist beginning farmers or in any related federal or state programs.
(3)
Prior to carrying out the powers granted under Sections
57-10-301
through
57-10-305
, the corporation shall promulgate rules and regulations governing activities authorized hereunder, including but not limited to rules and regulations including the following:
(a)
The beginning farmer is a resident of the state. If the beginning farmer is a partnership, all partners shall be residents of the state.
(b)
The agricultural land and agricultural improvements or depreciable agricultural property the beginning farmer proposes to purchase will be located in the state.
(c)
The beginning farmer has sufficient education, training or experience in the type of farming for which the beginning farmer requests the mortgage or secured loan. If the beginning farmer is a partnership, all partners shall have sufficient education, training or experience in the type of farming for which the beginning farmer requests the mortgage or secured loan.
(d)
A loan to a beginning farmer for the acquisition of agricultural land and agricultural improvements does not exceed Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000.00). A loan to a beginning farmer for the acquisition of depreciable agricultural property does not exceed One Hundred Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($125,000.00).
(e)
If the loan is for the acquisition of agricultural land, the beginning farmer has or will have access to adequate working capital, farm equipment, machinery or livestock. If the loan is for the acquisition of depreciable agricultural property, the beginning farmer has or will have access to adequate working capital or agricultural land.
(f)
The beginning farmer will materially and substantially participate in farming. If the beginning farmer is a partnership, each partner shall materially and substantially participate in farming.
(g)
If the beginning farmer is an individual, the agricultural land and agricultural improvements shall only be used for farming by the individual, the individual's spouse, the individual's minor children, or any of them. If the beginning farmer is a partnership, the agricultural land and agricultural improvements shall only be used for farming by the partners, each partner's spouse, each partner's minor children, or any of them.
(h)
The beginning farmer has not previously received financing under this article for the acquisition of property similar in nature to the property for which the loan is sought. However, this restriction shall not apply if the amount previously received plus the amount of the loan does not exceed Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000.00) in the case of agricultural land and improvements or One Hundred Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($125,000.00) in the case of depreciable agricultural property.
(4)
The corporation may provide in a mortgage or secured loan made or purchased pursuant to this article that the loan may not be assumed or any interest in the agricultural land or improvements or depreciable agricultural property may not be leased, sold or otherwise conveyed without its prior written consent and may provide a due-on-sale clause with respect to the occurrence of any of the foregoing events without its prior written consent. The corporation may provide by rule the grounds for permitted assumptions of a mortgage or for the leasing, sale or other conveyance of any interest in the agricultural land or improvements. However, the corporation shall provide and state in a mortgage or secured loan that the corporation has the power to raise the interest rate of the loan to the prevailing market rate if the mortgage or secured loan is assumed by a farmer who is already established in that field at the time of the assumption of the loan.
(5)
The corporation may participate in any interest in any mortgage or secured loan made or purchased pursuant to this article with a mortgage lender. The participation interest may be on a parity with the interest in the mortgage or secured loan retained by the corporation, equally and ratably secured by the mortgage or securing agreement securing the mortgage or secured loan.
Laws, 1992, ch. 461, § 4, eff. 5/5/1992.