Reviewed September 2026 against USDA Farm Service Agency lending-rate notices, USDA NASS Wyoming statistical bulletins, and Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments loan program terms.

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Wyoming farmers and ranchers borrowing today have three main doors to knock on: the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments’ state farm loan program, and cooperative lenders under the Farm Credit System. As of December 2025, FSA’s farm operating loan rate is 4.625%, down from 5.125% in January 2025. Wyoming’s own state-funded farm loan program lends at 8% up to 50% loan-to-value. And Farm Credit alone carried $1.2 billion in loan volume across 2,012 Wyoming customer accounts as of December 2024. This article breaks down what each option actually costs, who qualifies, and how to find a lender near you — whether you’re searching from Cheyenne, Sheridan, or Granbury, Texas.

Table of Contents

• Wyoming’s Agricultural Lending Landscape
• Farm Loan Rates Compared: FSA vs. State vs. Farm Credit
• USDA FSA Farm Loans in Wyoming
• Wyoming State Farm Loan Program
• Farm Credit and Private Ag Lenders
• Finding Farm and Ranch Loans Near You
• Farm and Ranch Loans Outside Wyoming: The Granbury, TX Example
• Loan Payment Calculator
• How Farm Technology Affects Loan Applications
• FAQ
• Try it: Run your own numbers

Wyoming’s Agricultural Lending Landscape

Wyoming counted 10,500 farms and ranches operating across 28.8 million acres of farmland in 2024, according to the USDA NASS Wyoming Annual Statistical Bulletin. That works out to an average operation of 2,743 acres — among the largest average farm sizes in the country, driven by the state’s extensive cattle-ranching operations rather than row-crop agriculture. Cattle and calf inventory stood at 1.22 million head as of January 1, 2025, a 3% decline from January 2024, with the beef cow herd at 651,000 head and a 2024 calf crop of 620,000 head.

That scale matters for financing. A 2,743-acre average operation means Wyoming borrowers are frequently seeking loan amounts well above what a smaller row-crop state would need — land acquisition, cattle inventory financing, and equipment loans all scale with acreage. Lenders active in the state size their products accordingly, from FSA’s federally guaranteed operating and ownership loans to Farm Credit’s cooperative model built specifically for large land-based collateral.

Farm Loan Rates Compared: FSA vs. State vs. Farm Credit

Rate is the first number every borrower asks about, and it varies significantly by lender type. Here’s how the three main channels compare on the figures currently published:

The FSA rate dropped half a percentage point between January 2025 and December 2025 (from 5.125% to 4.625%), which is a meaningful swing on a six-figure operating note. FSA republishes its lending rates on the first business day of every month at fsa.usda.gov/news-events/news — check that page directly before you lock a rate, since the figures above will be outdated within weeks of publication. The Wyoming state program’s 8% rate and 50% loan-to-value ceiling are structural terms of that program rather than a market rate that moves monthly, but confirm the current figure at lands.wyo.gov’s farm loans page before applying, since state program terms can be revised by the Board of Land Commissioners.

Farm Credit does not publish one blanket interest rate because loans are underwritten individually against the borrower’s operation, collateral, and term — this is standard for cooperative ag lenders nationally, not unique to Wyoming. What Farm Credit does publish is volume: $1.2 billion in outstanding Wyoming loan volume and 2,012 customer accounts as of December 2024, figures updated annually at farmcredit.com/states/wyoming. Check that page each December for the newest year-end tally.

USDA FSA Farm Loans in Wyoming

The Farm Service Agency runs the most widely used federal loan programs for U.S. producers, including direct and guaranteed operating loans and farm ownership loans. Operating loans cover annual expenses — seed, feed, fuel, cattle purchases, equipment repair — while ownership loans finance land purchases, construction, and major improvements.

FSA’s interest rates move monthly based on the government’s cost of borrowing, and the agency posts each month’s rate as a news release. Two data points bracket the last year of movement: 5.125% in January 2025 and 4.625% in December 2025, both published by USDA’s Farm Service Agency news page. That’s a full 0.5-point decline over eleven months. For a $200,000 operating loan, half a point is roughly $1,000 a year in interest — enough to change the math on whether to lock now or wait. Because these rates republish monthly, the number you need is the one posted the day you apply, not the two cited here as historical reference points.

FSA loans are administered through county-level Farm Service Agency offices — Wyoming has offices covering each county, and eligibility depends on factors like being unable to obtain credit elsewhere on reasonable terms (for direct loans) or meeting a participating lender’s standards (for guaranteed loans, where FSA backs a percentage of a private loan rather than issuing it directly). Beginning farmers and ranchers, as defined by FSA, get priority access to a reserved pool of direct loan funds each fiscal year.

Wyoming State Farm Loan Program

Separately from FSA, the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments runs its own farm loan program, funded through the state’s permanent land fund investments. The published terms: an 8% interest rate on loans up to 50% of the appraised value of the land pledged as collateral. This is a state-specific option that borrowers outside Wyoming won’t have access to, and it’s administered directly through the state land board rather than a bank or federal office.

The 50% loan-to-value ceiling is conservative compared to typical private ag real estate lending, which functions as built-in risk management for the state’s investment fund — the program is capitalized by state trust assets, not a federal appropriation, so the terms reflect a fiduciary mandate to protect the underlying fund rather than a growth mandate to maximize lending volume. Full program terms, application requirements, and any rate updates are posted at lands.wyo.gov’s state-funded grants and loans page.

Farm Credit and Private Ag Lenders

Farm Credit is a network of borrower-owned cooperative lenders operating nationwide, and its Wyoming-serving associations reported $1.2 billion in loan volume and 2,012 customer accounts as of December 2024. That’s roughly $596,000 in average loan volume per customer account — a figure consistent with a state where the average farm spans 2,743 acres and where cattle inventory financing (1.22 million head as of January 2025) represents a significant share of borrowing needs alongside land and equipment.

Farm Credit doesn’t quote a single public rate because pricing is loan-specific, based on the borrower’s balance sheet, the collateral type, and term length. What you can do before calling is gather your operation’s numbers — acreage, herd size or crop plan, existing debt, and three years of financial statements if you have them — since that’s what determines the quote you’ll actually be offered. Confirm current volume and customer figures directly at farmcredit.com/states/wyoming, which Farm Credit updates annually with December year-end data.

Beyond FSA, the state program, and Farm Credit, community banks across Wyoming also originate agricultural loans, often as FSA-guaranteed lenders. Ask any prospective lender directly whether they participate in the FSA guarantee program — it can lower the down payment and collateral bar for a loan that otherwise reads as conventional.

Finding Farm and Ranch Loans Near You

“Near me” searches for farm and ranch financing typically point to one of three starting points, regardless of which state you’re in:

1. Your county FSA office. Every agricultural county in the U.S. has a Farm Service Agency office; find yours through the USDA Service Center locator and start with a direct conversation about operating and ownership loan eligibility.
2. Your regional Farm Credit association. Farm Credit is organized by geographic territory, not a single national bank — the Wyoming-serving association is listed at farmcredit.com/states/wyoming, and Farm Credit’s national site lets you search by state or ZIP code for other regions.
3. Local community and ag banks. Many rural banks specialize in agricultural lending and participate in FSA’s guarantee program; ask any bank in your county whether ag lending is a core line of business, not a side offering.

For Wyoming specifically, add the state land board’s program to that list — it’s a state-only option that a generic “farm loans near me” search often misses because it’s not a bank product.

Farm and Ranch Loans Outside Wyoming: The Granbury, TX Example

Not every reader searching for farm and ranch financing is looking at Wyoming. Granbury, Texas, in Hood County, is cattle and hay country in its own right, and the same three-channel structure applies there: an FSA county office serves Hood County, a regional Farm Credit association operates across north-central Texas, and Texas does not run a state land-board farm loan program equivalent to Wyoming’s — Texas ag lending runs through FSA, Farm Credit, and private banks only.

The practical difference for a Granbury-area borrower is that the Wyoming state program’s 8%-rate, 50%-LTV structure isn’t available; the comparison that matters locally is FSA’s published monthly rate against whatever a Texas Farm Credit association or local bank quotes. The method is the same regardless of state: check FSA’s current monthly rate at fsa.usda.gov/news-events/news, then get a comparison quote from the Farm Credit association covering your county.

Farm Loan Payment Calculator

Use the calculator below to compare a monthly payment estimate across the published Wyoming state loan rate, the two FSA rates cited above, and any rate a private lender quotes you.

This calculator assumes a standard fixed-rate, fully amortizing loan with no fees, points, or balloon payment, and does not account for FSA loan limits, the Wyoming state program’s 50% loan-to-value requirement, or Farm Credit’s individualized underwriting. It’s a planning estimate only — get a formal quote from your lender before making a borrowing decision.

How Farm Technology Affects Loan Applications

Lenders increasingly ask for documentation of yield history, input costs, and land condition when underwriting operating and ownership loans — and satellite-based farm monitoring tools can help produce that record. Farmonaut provides satellite crop health monitoring, historical NDVI trend data, and AI-based advisory reports that give a Wyoming rancher or farmer a documented record of field and forage conditions over time — the kind of supporting evidence that can strengthen a loan file, though it is not a substitute for the financial statements a lender will require.

Farmonaut’s platform is built on the same kind of satellite and weather data infrastructure that underlies precision agriculture more broadly; read more about the wider set of tools reshaping farm decision-making in this overview of agriculture technology breakthroughs. Developers building their own farm data tools can access the same satellite and weather feeds Farmonaut uses through its API, documented in full at the API developer docs.

For ranchers specifically, the value of a documented forage and pasture record compounds at renewal time. A lender reviewing a renewal on an operating line wants to see that grazing land condition and stocking rates have been consistent — or understand why they haven’t. Wyoming’s cattle inventory fell 3% between January 2024 and January 2025 (from a higher base to 1.22 million head), a statewide trend that individual ranchers may need to explain in a loan file if their own herd numbers moved in step with it.

A Durable Checklist for Comparing Farm and Ranch Loans

Rates and volumes in this article will be outdated within months — FSA republishes monthly, Farm Credit publishes annually, and the state program can be revised by the land board. What doesn’t expire is the method for comparing offers. Before signing anything, run every quote through this checklist:

• Confirm the rate is current, not historical. Pull FSA’s rate for the current month directly from fsa.usda.gov/news-events/news rather than relying on any article’s cited figure, including this one.
• Check the loan-to-value ceiling. Wyoming’s state program caps at 50% of appraised land value; private and Farm Credit terms vary by lender and collateral quality — ask directly.
• Ask whether the loan is direct or guaranteed. FSA direct loans come from the agency itself; FSA guaranteed loans come from a private lender with FSA backing a portion — the qualifying criteria differ.
• Get the total cost of the loan, not just the rate. Origination fees, appraisal costs, and closing costs vary by lender and can offset a lower headline rate.
• Match loan type to purpose. Operating loans for annual input costs and livestock purchases are structured differently from ownership loans for land and buildings — don’t finance a land purchase with a short-term operating note.
• Recheck volume and eligibility data annually. NASS Wyoming’s Annual Statistical Bulletin, Farm Credit’s state page, and FSA’s monthly notices are the three sources this article draws from, and each refreshes on its own schedule — bookmark all three if you borrow regularly.

What the Data Doesn’t Cover Yet

Several figures relevant to Wyoming borrowers are not published in the sources cited here, and it’s more useful to say so than to guess:

• Average principal loan amount by type in Wyoming. Neither FSA nor Farm Credit publishes a Wyoming-specific average loan size; the closest proxy is dividing Farm Credit’s $1.2 billion volume by its 2,012 accounts (roughly $596,000 per account), which blends operating, real estate, and equipment loans together rather than isolating one type.
• Wyoming-specific crop production and acreage for wheat, hay, and barley. These are tracked by NASS but not included in the figures gathered for this article — pull them directly from the NASS Wyoming Annual Statistical Bulletin if your loan application needs crop-specific yield history.
• Farm operator age and succession statistics for Wyoming. Relevant to estate-planning-linked loans but not covered in NASS’s most recent Wyoming bulletin as gathered here; check the bulletin’s demographic tables directly or ask your county FSA office, which tracks beginning-farmer status for loan-priority purposes.
• Farm Credit’s specific interest rate. As noted above, Farm Credit does not publish a single public rate — the only way to get a real number is to request a quote against your operation’s financials.

NASS QuickStats at data.nass.usda.gov updates quarterly with new Wyoming crop and inventory data, and the next January 1 cattle inventory count will land in early 2027 following the same schedule as the January 2025 release cited above.

FAQ

1. What is the current interest rate for farm loans in Wyoming?
   It depends on the lender. The Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments’ state farm loan program charges 8% up to 50% loan-to-value. USDA’s Farm Service Agency publishes a separate operating loan rate monthly — 4.625% as of December 2025, down from 5.125% in January 2025. Farm Credit does not publish a single rate; pricing is quoted per loan.
2. How do I find farm and ranch loans near me?
   Start with your county’s USDA Farm Service Agency office, your region’s Farm Credit association (for Wyoming, listed at farmcredit.com/states/wyoming), and local community banks that participate in FSA’s loan guarantee program. Wyoming residents can also apply through the state land board’s farm loan program directly.
3. Are farm and ranch loans available outside Wyoming, such as in Granbury, TX?
   Yes. Granbury, in Hood County, Texas, is served by its own FSA county office and a regional Farm Credit association, though Texas does not have a state land-board loan program equivalent to Wyoming’s. The same comparison method — check FSA’s current monthly rate, then get a Farm Credit or bank quote — applies in any state.
4. What’s the difference between an FSA direct loan and a guaranteed loan?
   A direct loan is issued and serviced by FSA itself. A guaranteed loan is issued by a private lender — a bank or Farm Credit association — with FSA guaranteeing a portion of it against default, which can make approval easier for borrowers who don’t qualify for a fully conventional loan.
5. How large is the average Wyoming farm or ranch, and why does it matter for financing?
   The average Wyoming farm covered 2,743 acres in 2024, per NASS Wyoming — among the largest average farm sizes nationally, driven by cattle ranching. That scale means Wyoming borrowers often need larger operating and real estate loans than producers in row-crop-dominant states.
6. How much loan volume does Farm Credit carry in Wyoming?
   $1.2 billion across 2,012 customer accounts as of December 2024, according to Farm Credit’s Wyoming state page. Farm Credit updates this figure annually with December year-end data.
7. Does Wyoming’s cattle inventory affect loan underwriting?
   It can. Wyoming’s cattle and calf inventory was 1.22 million head as of January 1, 2025, a 3% decline from January 2024, with 651,000 beef cows and a 620,000-head calf crop. Lenders financing cattle operations may ask how an individual herd’s trend compares to the statewide direction.
8. What documentation strengthens a Wyoming farm loan application?
   Standard requirements include financial statements, production history, and collateral appraisals. Satellite-based crop and pasture monitoring — such as Farmonaut’s platform — can supplement that file with a documented record of field and forage condition over time, though it doesn’t replace the financial documentation a lender requires.
9. Where can I check for the most current FSA loan rate before applying?
   FSA posts updated lending rates on the first business day of every month at fsa.usda.gov/news-events/news. Any rate cited in an article, including this one, should be confirmed against that page before you lock a loan.
10. What if my farm’s crop or acreage data isn’t in this article?
    Wyoming-specific crop acreage and yield figures for wheat, hay, and barley are tracked by NASS but weren’t part of the dataset gathered for this piece — pull them directly from the NASS Wyoming Annual Statistical Bulletin, or contact your county FSA office for figures specific to your operation.

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