Corporate Profile

The Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation, commonly known as Farmer Mac, is a stockholder-owned, government sponsored enterprise created by Congress to improve the availability of long-term credit for America’s farmers, ranchers, rural utilities, businesses and communities. Farmer Mac accomplishes this public policy mission by providing a secondary market for qualified agricultural mortgage loans, rural utilities loans (made by cooperative lenders) and the guaranteed portions of agricultural and rural development loans guaranteed by the United States Department of Agriculture.


The Farmer Mac secondary market provides liquidity and lending capacity to lenders by:
  • Purchasing eligible loans directly from lenders;
  • Issuing long-term standby purchase commitments ("LTSPCs") for eligible loans; and
  • Purchasing and guaranteeing loan-backed securities secured by eligible loans.

Farmer Mac conducts these activities through the following programs – Farmer Mac I, Farmer Mac II, and Rural Utilities:
  • Under the Farmer Mac I program, Farmer Mac purchases or commits to purchase agricultural mortgage loans or securities backed by agricultural mortgage loans. To be eligible for the Farmer Mac I program, loans must meet Farmer Mac’s credit underwriting, collateral valuation, documentation and loan servicing requirements. Eligible collateral includes agricultural real estate that is used for the production of one or more agricultural commodities or products (and may be improved by permanently affixed structures such as facilities and residences).
  • Under the Farmer Mac II program, Farmer Mac's subsidiary, Farmer Mac II LLC, purchases the guaranteed portions of loans guaranteed by the United States Department of Agriculture. These eligible USDA-guaranteed portions of loans include Farm Service Agency Guaranteed Farm Ownership, Operating (Term), and Conservation loans and Rural Development Business and Industry and Community Facility Guaranteed loans.
  • Under the Rural Utilities program, Farmer Mac purchases or commits to purchase, qualified rural utilities loans, or guarantees the timely payment of interest and principal of securities representing interests in or obligations backed by pools of such loans.

Farmer Mac’s programs provide participants with an efficient and competitive secondary market that enhances the participants’ ability to offer eligible loans to farmers, ranchers and to rural utilities, communities and businesses.


Please refer to the most recent Farmer Mac Annual Report for a more complete description.