Demand for Farm Loans Surges Amid Low Crop, Cattle Prices

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The nation's net farm income is the lowest since 2002, and with another year of low commodity prices, demand for agriculture loans is surging as farmers struggle to make ends meet.

A Kansas banker says today's grain prices will bring in enough to pay for basic operating costs, but it's not enough for farmers to make payments on equipment loans or even pay themselves. A recent U.S. Agriculture Department's Economic Research Service report showed U.S. farm debt is forecast to increase 6.3 percent in 2015.

And net income has plummeted by a staggering 55 percent since 2013 to $55.9 billion this year. The USDA's Farm Service Agency saw demand for loans across the nation soar over two from nearly $4 billion in 2013 to more than $5.6 billion in 2015.