Skip to Content
Golden State Farm Credit

Young, Beginning and Small and Tomorrow’s Farmers

Golden State Farm Credit finances young, beginning and small (YBS) farmers, ranchers and producers or harvesters of aquatic products with a program designed to meet the needs of YBS applicants to the fullest extent of their creditworthiness. We believe the future of agriculture rests in the hands of the next generation of farmers and ranchers.

Our loan officers understand agriculture and the challenges young people face when getting involved in agriculture, starting an agricultural operation, or transferring or expanding an existing one.

Who Qualifies as a Young, Beginning or Small Farmer (YBS)?

  • Young Farmer – an individual who is 35 years of age or younger
  • Beginning Farmer - an individual who has 10 or fewer years farming, ranching or aquatic agriculture experience
  • Small Farmer - an individual who generates less than $350,000 in annual gross agricultural or aquatic sales

Golden State Farm Credit is committed to helping you face these challenges through our YBS and Tomorrow's Farmer loan programs. For many farmers and ranchers, we were the first, and often the only, lender chosen when they began their farming operation. Many of these farmers continue to use GSFC for all their agricultural financing needs. Our loan officers would be glad to review the program guidelines with you to determine if you qualify.

GSFC makes a concerted and cooperative effort to support YBS farmers and ranchers through educational programming, outreach and financing to this specialized group of borrowers. Below is a list of several resources that we hope will help you achieve your business development goals. We look forward to working with you.

Small Business Development Centers:

USDA Resources:

Business Planning Templates:

National Farmers Union:

Fill out my online form.