Advocates for USDA Guaranteed Lending Programs to support rural economic development

Our mission is to advocate for USDA Guaranteed Lending programs to support rural economic development. Guaranteed lending is an often overlooked resource for the needed capital for businesses and communities in rural America that often goes unmet. Various guaranteed lending programs fill an important gap in access to capital for rural business, communities, not-for-profits and tribal entities. NRLA hopes to educate the banking communities of the advantages of such loans through their membership and outreach to improve rural communities.

Download a copy of NRLA's 2023 Farm Bill Policy Priorities by clicking the button below.
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Read the testimony given by Debra Nesbitt, Chair of the National Rural Lenders Association, before the Subcommitte on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development Committee on Agriculture U.S. House of Representatives by clicking the button below.
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Read the testimony given by Bette Brand, before the Small Business Committee U.S. House of Representatives, concerning Rural Entrepreneurship: Examining the Challenges and State of Rural Small Businesses by clicking the button below.
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On April 8,2024, NRLA Chair Alan Hoskins was invited to speak at an USDA Farm Service Agency event held in Houston, TX.

NRLA members visited Members of Congress in March 2023 to advocate for the Farm Bill and funding for USDA programs.

On June 13, 2023, NRLA Chair Debra Nesbitt testified before the House Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development, at a hearing titled “Stakeholder Perspectives on USDA’s Rural Development Programs.

NRLA’s Government Relations Advisor Lorren Walker, and NRLA Chair, Debra Nesbitt, talk with House Agriculture Committee Chairman Representative Glenn “GT” Thompson.