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Canadian Agricultural Loans Act (CALA) Program
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada · The CALA Program is a federal loan guarantee program that helps farmers and agricultural co-operatives access credit by having the government guarantee 95% of…
Overview
The CALA Program is a federal loan guarantee program that helps farmers and agricultural co-operatives access credit by having the government guarantee 95% of lender losses on eligible loans. Farmers can borrow up to $500,000 per farm operation to establish, improve, or develop farms, while agricultural co-operatives can borrow up to $3 million to process, distribute, or market farm products.
Eligibility
Farmers operating a farm operationAgricultural co-operativesAccess to a lender willing to originate the loanEligible projects
Establishing farmsImproving and developing farm operationsPurchasing landConstructing or improving farm buildingsPurchasing farm equipment and implementsProcessing, distributing, or marketing farm products (for co-operatives)Consolidating or refinancing existing farm debtFinancing terms
Government guarantees 95% of net loss on eligible loans to the lenderMaximum loan of $500,000 for farm operations; $3 million for agricultural co-operatives with ministerial approvalLoans capped at $500,000 for land purchase and building construction/improvementLoans capped at $350,000 for other purposes including consolidation and refinancingHow to apply
1Check eligibilityConfirm you meet every criterion listed above before you start.
2Prepare the project packageProject description, budget with quotes, team, and recent financial statements.
3Apply on agriculture.canada.caGovgrant members can draft the application with AI and export a formatted PDF.
4Respond to reviewer questionsMost programs come back with one round of questions within a few weeks of submission.
Additional information
Program is a loan guarantee, not a direct grant—farmers borrow from private lenders and the government guarantees repayment to the lenderLoans for co-operatives exceeding standard limits require approval from the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-FoodAt a glanceMaximum$500KProviderAgriculture and Agri-Food CanadaDeadlineRolling intakeStatusOpenRegionCanadaOfficial sourceagriculture.canada.ca ↗
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