The Cerro Gordo County Farm Service Agency in Iowa services two Amish communities that are 30 miles apart and nearly 50 miles from the FSA county office. Like all Amish communities, modern amenities are non-existent. There is no electricity or phones, horse and buggy are used for local travel and farming operations are labor intensive without the use of machinery.
The relationship between FSA employees and the Amish community has strengthened over the years. “One key to helping the Amish is to be aware of their beliefs,” said Samuel Offerman, farm loan manager, who drives to the Amish communities each week to help defray the time and cost it would take for them to commute to the county office. “It is necessary to understand their ways in order to give help without conflicting with their values and beliefs.”
Several Amish families were interviewed regarding their experience with the FSA loan programs:
Q: How has FSA assisted with your operation?
A: FSA provided a loan for land without a down payment. When land came up for sale, we did not have a down payment. Without FSA, we could not have purchased the land at that time. Since we purchased the land, prices have increased. If we would have purchased at a later date, the land would have cost more, making repayment difficult or impossible.
A: FSA provided guidance on structuring debt. With little borrowing experience, my repayment plans were overly optimistic. FSA structured the debt in a manner that was more realistic with my repayment ability.
A: FSA provided the basic equipment I needed to get started. I used the loan to buy equipment, which gave me a way to create an income.
Q: What do you like about working with FSA?
A: FSA makes it easy to do business as they come to the farm. The FSA office is approximately 50 miles away and travel is expensive as we need to hire drivers to go that far. Also, the travel would take away time we could be spending on the farm. The loan officers are in the area once a week and will stop in to see if we need anything.
A: FSA provided suggestions and guidance when we were starting our dairy herd. We were trying to get started with as little expense as possible. We took the loan officer’s advice to purchase good quality breeding stock rather than the cheapest. We have not regretted the decision as it provided us with a good base herd and our production is undoubtedly higher than if we would have bought lower quality cows.
A: FSA’s loan rates and terms are reasonable. FSA sets up the loans so the repayment is affordable. At times I have been overly optimistic about my repayment ability. FSA offered guidance on structuring the loans and I can pay ahead if I have additional funds.
Q: Would you recommend FSA to other Amish?
A: Yes. FSA was recommended to me by family and neighbors as a way to get started. Since I have done business with FSA and have become familiar with the programs, I have made suggestions to several people to contact FSA for their financing needs.
A: I heard about FSA before I got into farming. I was aware that they were in our area on a regular basis. When I needed a loan to start my operation, they came to the farm and discussed my plans and how they could help. It was easy to start the loan process and they helped me with the application and paperwork. This was a great help as I was not familiar with the paperwork. I have recommended FSA to others as they were helpful when I started.
