Credit constraints and the survival and growth of beginning farms

Purpose Credit may help farmers survive and grow by helping farm households cope with farm or off-farm income variation and by allowing farmers to adopt more efficient production technologies and take advantage of scale economies. This study estimates how credit constraints affect the survival and growth of beginning farms and explores how this effect varies depending on the age of the farm operator. Design/methodology/approach Farms businesses are classified as credit constrained using a measure of repayment capacity: the interest expense ratio (interest expenses relative to gross income). Linked data from consecutive Agricultural Censuses are used to track individual farms over time. Findings Results show that beginning farms with a high interest expense ratio take on less new debt over the subsequent five years. These credit-constrained farms were found to have lower five-year survival and growth rates than similar unconstrained farms. The negative effect of being constrained on growth is greater for farms with operators younger than 40 years old. Practical implications The finding that credit constraints impede the growth and survival of beginning farms supports a rationale for targeted loan programs designed to help beginning farmers. Results suggest that some of the benefits from these programs will be greater for farms with younger operators. Originality/value This study is the first to estimate the effect of credit constraints on the survival and growth of farm businesses. The expansive farm-level panel dataset, which includes almost all beginning farmers in the US, allows for precise coefficient estimates while controlling for numerous farm and operator characteristics.