Tax-Exempt Bond Financing for Beginning and Low-Equity Farmers: The Case of ‘Aggie Bonds’

The ‘‘Aggie Bond’’ program was established in the 1980s to provide beginning and lowequity farmers access to capital. The bonds, which pay tax-exempt interest, may be used by qualifying famers for purchases of farm real estate and equipment. Using Aggie Bond data collected from states and Census of Agriculture data spanning 25 years, we examine whether the program has had an impact on farm entrance, land ownership, and the size of operation. We do not find strong evidence that the program led to an increase in the proportion of beginning farmers; however, we find limited evidence the program helped beginning farmers become full land owners as well as increased the rate of growth in the proportion of beginning farmers who are full land owners.