Funds ready for farmers experiencing lending bias

TL/DR –

Farmers, forest landowners, and ranchers who have experienced discrimination in farm lending from the U.S. Department of Agriculture can apply for financial help until January 13. The help comes from the $2.2 billion federal Discrimination Financial Assistance Program, and to be eligible, applicants must have experienced discrimination by USDA farm loan programs before January 1, 2021. Applications are free and do not require a lawyer, and free, confidential technical help is available from the USDA.

Financial Assistance for Discriminated Farmers from USDA

Farmers, forest landowners, and ranchers who have been subjected to discrimination in farm lending practices by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have until Jan. 13 to apply for financial aid. This aid comes from the $2.2 billion federal Discrimination Financial Assistance Program established through the Inflation Reduction Act of August 2022.

In order to qualify, applicants need to demonstrate they were victims of discriminatory lending by USDA farm loan programs before Jan. 1, 2021. Alternatively, they should hold or have inherited USDA farm loan debt which was subject to such discrimination.

The application process is free, requires no legal assistance to file, and confidential technical support is provided by the USDA. For more details, to access the application, and a map of North Carolina’s county offices, visit the USDA North Carolina Office website.

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