loans

Some 4,650 financially distressed farmers who owe money on USDA direct and guaranteed loans will share $250 million in payments from the government, said the Agriculture Department on Monday. With the assistance, "more than 4,600 producers across the country will see another production season," said Zach Ducheneaux, Farm Service Agency administrator.

With profit margins weak due to low commodity prices, farmers and ranchers are offering their land as collateral to obtain short-term operating loans — and banks are demanding it amid "a growing sense of risk in the farm sector," said the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank.