Sheldon D. Richins

U.S. AgBank, FCB, is part of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of borrower-owned lending institutions and specialized service organizations. Congress created the System in 1916 to provide American agriculture with a dependable source of credit. Funds for lending operations are raised principally through the public sale of system-wide bonds and notes in capital markets. The bank provides funds for long-term real estate loans secured by first mortgages on farm and rural real estate. These long-term loans are made through Agricultural Credit Associations (ACAs) and/or Federal Land Credit Associations (FLCAs). They also provide short- and intermediate-term loan funds to Production Credit Associations (PCAs) and ACAs, and to other financing institutions (OFIs) serving agricultural producers. ACAs, FLCAs, and PCAs have direct lending authority and may operate under joint management. These jointly managed institutions may do business under the name of Farm Credit. U.S. AgBank, FCB serves Farm Credit Associations in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Associations provide credit and credit-related services to eligible borrowers for qualified agricultural purposes.