Financial conditions in rural America have stabilized after being rocked by the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year, but some ag lenders say they’re concerned about the prospect of another wave of economic hardship if the virus were to intensify once again.

Farmworker bill on COVID-19 passes Assembly * California Dems join call for a COVID-19 rural task force * UK sees ‘way forward’ on ag

Some specialty crop growers are concerned about labor shortages, increased COVID-19 costs, and future market demand.

The Senate OKs a bipartisan agreement to infuse the highly popular Paycheck Protection Program with an additional $320 billion while also making farms eligible for a separate disaster loan program for small businesses. 

Banks and Farm Credit System institutions on Friday began taking applications from farmers and other small businesses for $349 billion in forgivable loans aimed at shoring up the economy during the COVID-19 crisis.

Some farm lenders are bracing for what could appear on the horizon as the human and economic fallout from COVID-19 unfolds.

Policy year in review for almonds * Conservatives look to stop ag labor fix

Agricultural giant CHS Inc. is the largest cooperative in the nation and had more than twice the revenue of any other co-op in 2018, the National Cooperative Bank reports.

The Ag Innovation Challenge sponsored by the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Farm Credit Administration will now receive applications through mid-October.