(The answer might surprise you.)

You’ve been looking at poultry farms. Maybe for a few weeks. Maybe for months. You’ve clicked through the listings. You’ve looked at the pictures. You’ve probably done some math in your head.

And somewhere in the middle of all that, a thought crept in:

“Can I even get financing for this?”

If that sounds like you, keep reading. Because you’re not alone — and the answer might be a lot more hopeful than you think.

What’s Really Holding You Back?

Most people who want to buy a poultry farm don’t get stuck because they can’t do the work. They get stuck because they don’t know how to pay for it.

Maybe you’ve heard that you need three years of tax returns showing farm income — Schedule F — before anyone will lend to you. Maybe someone told you that you need to get turned down by a bank first. Maybe you’ve been told you just don’t have enough experience.

So you keep looking at farms online. And you keep waiting.

What if you didn’t have to wait?

The Biggest Problem Isn’t Money. It’s Bad Information.

Here’s something most people don’t know: the USDA has a lending program called FSA — the Farm Service Agency — that was built to help people just like you buy a farm. It’s not a small program. More than 70% of the poultry farm purchases our team handles use some form of FSA financing.

That’s not a typo. Seven out of ten.

FSA can guarantee a loan from a private lender for up to $2,343,000 in 2026. They can also lend money directly to a buyer for up to $600,000. These programs can even be combined on the same deal.

So why do so many people think they can’t qualify?

Because the “rules” they’ve heard aren’t actually rules. The three-year Schedule F requirement? It’s not a law. It’s just the easiest way most FSA offices check for farm experience. The requirement to be turned down by a bank first? That’s not a law either.

There are other ways to qualify. Real ones. And they might fit you better than you’d expect.

What If Your Background Already Qualifies You?

Think about your own story for a minute. Have you ever:

Worked on a farm — even for one year — where you helped make decisions?

That counts. If you’ve had hands-on experience managing any part of a farm operation, you may already have what FSA is looking for.

Owned or managed a business — any kind of business?

A restaurant. A trucking company. A landscaping crew. FSA recognizes business management experience as a path to qualifying. It doesn’t have to be a farm.

Served in the U.S. military?

An honorable discharge counts as one full year toward FSA’s experience requirement.

Taken any kind of farm management course?

A course through a community college, a cooperative extension office, a vocational ag program — even a short one — can count. These courses don’t have to take years.

Had a mentor who farms — or could you find one?

This one is powerful. If you have one year of on-farm experience with some management responsibility, and you have a qualified mentor willing to work with you, FSA can waive the entire three-year experience requirement. All of it.

You might be reading this list and thinking, “Wait — I have that.” That’s exactly the point.

What Happens If You Keep Waiting?

Farms sell. Interest rates change. The FSA limits get updated every year. The farm you’re looking at today might not be there next month.

But the bigger cost is this: every month you spend thinking you don’t qualify is a month you could have spent getting closer to owning a farm. Some of the buyers we’ve worked with thought they were years away from being ready. It turned out they were weeks away. They just didn’t know what they had.

The only way to find out is to have a conversation.

How FSA Actually Looks at Your Finances

One more thing worth knowing: FSA doesn’t just look at farm income. They look at everything. Your job. Your spouse’s job. Any business income. Any off-farm income. It all counts.

This matters because a lot of first-time poultry buyers have strong income from other sources. Maybe you’re working a good job right now while you figure out the farm side. FSA counts that. A buyer with solid off-farm income and a good work history is often in a much stronger position than they realize.

FSA also looks at poultry farms favorably. They see them as clean, repeatable operations. When a buyer shows up prepared — with good information and a clear picture of their qualifications — FSA wants to say yes.

The question is: are you showing up with the right picture?

Here’s What You Can Do Right Now

You don’t need to have all the answers. You don’t need to understand every FSA program. That’s our job.

But there are a few things you can do that will help us help you:

Think about your experience. Have you worked on a farm? Owned a business? Served in the military? Taken any farm-related courses? Write it down — even if you’re not sure it counts.

Know your income picture. What do you earn from all sources — farm and non-farm? FSA looks at the whole picture, so we need to see it too.

Think about mentors. Do you know a farmer who might be willing to guide you? A current or former employer in agriculture? This is one of the most powerful tools FSA offers, and a lot of people don’t even know to ask about it.

Then reach out to us.

Our team works with FSA financing on most of the poultry farms we sell. We’ve seen buyers who thought they couldn’t qualify walk into ownership because someone helped them understand what they already had. We’d like to do the same for you.

Fill out our contact form and tell us a little about yourself. What kind of farm are you looking for? What’s your background? We’ll take it from there.

Contact us here: poultrysouth.com/contact

Or call us at 256-475-0490

The PoultrySouth Team at Southeastern Land Group specializes in poultry farm sales across the Southeast. We help buyers and sellers navigate every part of the process — from financing to closing.