|
Quick
Facts About the NLPA Sheep & Goat Fund
It
is the mission of the National Livestock Producers Association’s
Sheep & Goat Fund to encourage innovation and efficiency in
the sheep and goat industries by providing credit to eligible
and qualified entities.
What
is the National Livestock Producers Association Sheep and Goat
Fund?
The NLPA Sheep and
Goat Fund is a revolving fund established within NLPA to assist
the U.S. sheep and goat industries by strengthening and enhancing
the production and marketing of sheep and goats and their products
in the United States.
The Fund is
the result of a joint effort of the National
Sheep Industry Improvement Center (NSIIC) (now
the American Sheep and Goat Center) and the National
Livestock Producers Association (NLPA). The NSIIC
made funds available to NLPA, which serves as an Intermediary
and established the Sheep and Goat Fund. NLPA has the ability
to service and administer this important program and was selected
for their ability to provide:
-
expertise
with livestock production, processing and marketing-related
lending;
-
nationwide
capability in urban and rural areas; and
-
the
ability to process and service loans from all segments of
the sheep and goat industries; from production through the
packer/processor/retail level.
Is the NLPA
Sheep & Goat Fund part of the 201 Lamb Industry Recovery
Plan?
The NLPA Sheep &
Goat Fund is not a part of the 201 Lamb Industry Recovery Plan
even though it shares many of the same goals.
What are the
goals of the NLPA Sheep and Goat Fund?
It is the mission
of the NLPA Sheep & Goat Fund to encourage innovation and
efficiency in the sheep and goat industries by providing credit
to eligible and qualified entities. NLPA has established the
following goals with NSIIC for the Sheep & Goat Fund:
-
Make
capital available for enhancing production methods and services.
-
Improve
marketing efficiency, product quality, and industry infrastructure.
-
Create
opportunities for adding value to sheep and goat products.
Who is an
eligible borrower?
An individual (sole
proprietor) is not considered an eligible entity. This restriction
was written into the legislation that set up and funded the
Sheep Center. However, applicants may be a public, private,
or cooperative organization; an association; corporation; nonprofit
organization; a partnership; a limited liability company; a
federally recognized Indian Tribe; a public or quasipublic agency;
or any other recognized business organization.
Basic facts about
the Fund
-
-
The
Fund is revolving, therefore a loan repayment plan is required
from applicants.
-
Applications
are reviewed by the Sheep & Goat Fund Committee.
-
Loans
are available in any amount up to $1 million per applicant.
-
Interest
rates and terms are determined during the approval process.
-
In
most cases, matching funds are not required. However, if matching
funds are available, that information should be provided.
It will help demonstrate that there is a financial commitment
by those advocating the project and others who have an intrest
in seeing the project succeed. Loans from other sources should
be included in the matching fund information.
-
The
maximum term of the loan will be determined by the individual
needs of the proposed project. The Sheep & Goat Fund Committee
has the flexibility to tailor a repayment plan in accordance
with the needs of each individual project.
What ways
can the funds be used?
The Sheep and Goat
Fund is administered by the Sheep and Goat Fund Committee. Members
of the Committee have experience in either the sheep or goat
industry or in agribusiness financing. The Committee has flexibility,
within the guidelines of the agreement with NSIIC, to use the
funds for the benefit of the sheep and goat industries. Following
are some examples of areas where the NLPA Sheep and Goat Fund
may be used:
-
Investment
in the development, processing and commercialization of new
sheep or goat products.
-
Improve
marketing efficiency and product quality.
-
Purchase
of equipment, leasehold improvements, machinery, or inventory
for sheep or goat processing.
-
Business
conversion, construction, enlargement, repair, modernization
or development in processing facilities for sheep, goats or
their products.
-
Investment
in development and use of new equipment and methods to process
sheep or goat products.
-
Facilitate
infrastructure and business development in the sheep and goat
industries.
-
Purchase
and development of land, easements, rights-of-way, buildings,
or facilities for the purpose of sheep or goat processing.
-
Investment
in efforts to manufacture and market new products for sheep
or goat disease prevention and control; predator control;
genetic and reproductive performance.
-
Commercialization
of sheep or goat products that have been developed by public
or private institutions.
|
|
|
