Agribusiness Loans

Agribusiness loans, provided by the North Carolina Agricultural Finance Authority (NCAFA), assist agribusinesses in obtaining capital to start up, increase, or make changes to their business. They are designed to provide capital to acquire and build facilities.

North Carolina agribusinesses licensed by the Secretary of State, or a proprietor living in North Carolina; active agricultural businesses in manufacturing, processing, or retail/wholesale servicing the agricultural community, or processing agricultural commodities for sale in general commerce. The applicant must be an individual or business entity located in North Carolina that lacks the current financial strength to obtain sufficient capital to acquire or improve their business.

Loan limits. "Maximum Loan - Approximately $5 million; Minimum Loan - Normally $100,000.00." Both figures are hedged ("approximately," "normally") on NCDA&CS's own page.

Rate and term. "Maximum term will not normally exceed 15 years. Variable rate based on the Prime Rate published in the Wall Street Journal." No fixed-rate option and no spread over Prime is published, so the actual rate has to come from NCAFA directly.

Fees. "The application fee is $500.00. An origination fee will be assessed for one percent of the loan amount." (On a $1M loan that is $10,000 in origination plus the $500 application fee.)

Match / cost share. None — this is a repayable commercial loan, not a grant or cost-share program.

The eligibility screen cuts both ways. The applicant must be an active NC agricultural business ("manufacturing, processing, or retail wholesale servicing the agricultural community or... processing agricultural commodities for sale in general commerce") that "lacks current financial strength to obtain sufficient capital to acquire or improve their business" — so a borrower who already qualifies for conventional bank credit is not the target.

No security requirement is published for this program (unlike NCAFA's Facilities Disaster Loans, which specify a junior lien).

Verified 2026-09-04.

Apply through the North Carolina Agricultural Finance Authority. The application fee is $500.00 and an origination fee of one percent of the loan amount is assessed. Terms: maximum term will not normally exceed 15 years; variable rate based on the Prime Rate published in the Wall Street Journal. Loan limits: maximum loan approximately $5 million; minimum loan normally $100,000.00.