Statewide & Federal
USDA Veteran Farmer Resources
Every USDA benefit for veteran farmers in one place: loans, disaster coverage, crop insurance, and conservation, plus how to sign up.
Who Counts as a Veteran
- You served in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, or Space Force, including the reserves, and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
- For FSA and NRCS programs, you qualify if you have farmed for less than 10 years or first became a veteran within the last 10 years.
- For crop insurance, you qualify if you have farmed five years or less or first became a veteran within the last five years.
- In a farm business, every member must qualify on their own. If you don’t meet the veteran definition, ask about beginning or underserved farmer benefits, which are often similar.
Loans & Grants
- FSA Microloans to veterans don’t count against the limit on how many years you can borrow through FSA’s direct loan program.
- Direct loans normally require three years of farm management experience. Military leadership or management experience can count for one of those years.
- When loan money is tight and two applications arrive the same day, a veteran’s application gets preference.
- The Direct Farm Ownership Down Payment Loan helps finance the purchase of a family-size farm.
- Value-Added Producer Grants give ranking priority to beginning farmers who are veterans.
- For more on loans, see the FSA Toolkit.
Disaster & Insurance
- NAP covers crops that can’t get crop insurance, and veterans pay no service fee and get 50% off buy-up premiums.
- ELAP covers livestock, honeybee, and fish losses, and veterans get higher payment rates on some of them, like 90% of feed hauling costs instead of 60%.
- With crop insurance, veterans pay no admin fee, get 10 extra points of premium subsidy, and get a better replacement yield for up to five years.
- For Dairy Margin Coverage, USDA lists the $100 yearly fee as waived for veterans.
- Veterans can get ARC and PLC payments on farms with 10 or fewer base acres.
- Getting ready for storms and floods? See Emergency & Disaster Preparedness.
Conservation
- Veterans are included in the 5% of EQIP and CSP funds set aside for beginning and historically underserved farmers, and state offices can give their applications priority.
- Veterans may get higher payment rates on conservation practices.
- Under EQIP, veterans can get an advance payment of at least 50% of a practice’s cost before the work starts.
- Learn more about NRCS EQIP and the Conservation Stewardship Program.
Family Land, Leadership & Learning
- Our heirs’ property page explains how to get a farm number on inherited land without a clear deed.
- You can vote or run for your FSA county committee, the local group that oversees farm programs. 2026 ballots are due December 7.
- USDA’s webinars for veterans have free recordings and slides on loans, conservation, crop insurance, and taxes.
How to Get Started
- Call your local USDA Service Center and make an appointment. Ask what documents to bring.
- Bring your DD-214 and file form CCC-860 (veteran certification) with FSA. One form unlocks most of the benefits above.
- Ask for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coordinator to help you navigate veteran-specific provisions.
- Crop insurance is sold through private agents. Ask your agent for the veteran farmer application.
Sources: farmers.gov Military Veteran Farmers page (updated August 2026), USDA Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Risk Management Agency. Rules change, so confirm details with your local office.
