Agri-Link Investment Program Relaunched

Treasurer Stacy Garrity, Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding, Rep. Rich Irvin, and the chairs of the Senate and House Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committees announced the relaunch of the Agriculture Linked (Agri-Link) Investment Program. The program offers low-interest loans to Pennsylvania agriculture operations implementing best management practices (BMPs).

They were joined in the announcement by representatives of the agricultural community and the four chairs of the legislative committees with oversight of agricultural issues.

“Giving our farmers access to these affordable loans once again will help sustain agriculture operations in every corner of the Commonwealth,” Garrity said. “Agriculture is one of the biggest drivers of our state’s economy, and this support will allow farmers to implement new and innovative best practices.”

“How Pennsylvanians farm today has a powerful impact on our ability to feed a growing population tomorrow,” Secretary Redding said. “Measures to improve soil and water and keep our streams clean and our farms growing come at a substantial cost to farmers. We are pleased to subsidize reduced interest rates through Agri-Link and the other PA Farm Bill investments that support the future vitality of our industry and our economy.”

Agri-Link is open to farmers in all 67 counties and offers low-interest loans up to $250,000 with terms no longer than 12 years. More information is available on the Agri-Link page on the Department of Agriculture’s website.

The agriculture industry directly employs more than 300,000 Pennsylvanians and supports nearly 300,000 other jobs statewide. Agriculture operations across the state have a total economic impact of $132.5 billion.

A previous version of Agri-Link was discontinued more than a decade ago. The program was re-established by Act 37 of 2019, and allows the State Conservation Commission (SCC) at the Department of Agriculture to subsidize qualifying loans. The subsidy is funded by an annual appropriation from the General Assembly for payments to offset interest rates. The current appropriation is $500,000. Treasury will pay the lending institution the full value of the qualifying Agri-Link loan. The borrower’s interest rate is reduced by a subsidy provided by the SCC. Borrowers pay back principal and interest to their lenders, and Treasury is paid principal and interest every six months over the life of the loan by the depository institution.

Those interested in applying for the program can do so through their local lending institution or a Farm Credit Service institution. County conservation districts and the SCC review applicants’ projects to determine whether they meet Act 37 criteria. To be eligible, borrowers must have BMP projects included in an approved nutrient management, manure management, agricultural erosion and sedimentation, or other SCC-approved federal or state conservation plans.