COOPERATIVE AGRICULTURE IN FLORIDA


were using the services of the 13 banks for cooperatives.
These include federated cooperatives so the number of
cooperatives served would be much higher. They had
$491 million in loans. In Florida, 29 cooperatives had
loans of $11.5 million outstanding from the Columbia
Bank for Cooperatives on June 1954 In that fiscal year,
the Columbia Bank made 51 loans for $18 million to Flor-
ida Co-ops.
 Farmers m the United States obtained 266,907 loans
totaling $1 2 billion from the 498 production credit asso-
clations in the year ended June 30, 1954. In Florida,
farmers obtained 3,589 loans for $23 million from the 10
Florida Production Credit Associations. There are 6,588
farmer-members of PCA's m this State.
 Florida farmers obtained 362 farm mortgage land
bank loans for $2 million through their 12 national farm
loan associations in the year ending June 1954. And as
of this date there were 3,009 Florida Farmers with land
bank loans amounting to $11 million. Besides providing
most of the lending funds for this State's 10 PCA's, the
Columbia Federal Intermediate Credit Bank made loans
and discounts of $887,460 to other financial institutions in
Florida.


 THE FEDERAL BANK AND NATIONAL FARM
 LOAN ASSOCIATIONS

 Federal land bank loans are made through National
Farm Loan Associations to persons who are engaged or
about to become engaged in farming or raising livestock,
or whose principal income is derived from such opera-
tions. Loans are made for the purchase of land for agri-
cultural uses, purchase of farm equipment and livestock,
to erect and improve farm buildings, and to pay debts
of the farmer. Loans can be made for any agricultural
purpose or any needs related to the farmer and his
family.