Question 2. What percentage (in money terms) of your short term loans
 goes to farmers?

 Number of banks responding Percent of banks responding
 in each category(#) in each category (%)

Over 75% 0 0
50-74% 15 7
30-49% 22 10
15-29% 27 12
5-14% 22 10
Less than 5% 139 61
No answer* 55
 100

Question 3. What are your present short term loans to farmers (in money
 terms), compared with five years ago:

 Number of banks responding Percent of banks responding
 in each category (#) in each category (%)

Much higher now 12 6
Higher now 47 24
About the same 108 54
Less than 5
years ago 33 16
No answer* 80
 100

 Perhaps the most striking feature from these three questions is
that 50% of the banks rated agriculture at least fairly important in
their areas. Even so, nearly two thirds of them have less than 5% of
their short term loans allocated to farmers. While 30% of the banks have
increased their farm loans as a percentage of total short term lending,
over half have not changed during the last five years and 16% have de-
creased their proportion. These decisions have occurred during a time
of growing popular national interest in, and awareness of agriculture,
and while Florida's citrus, tomato, sugar cane, ornamental and vegetable
enterprises have received considerable attention.
 Responses to other questions in Part I found that short term bank
lending in Florida went mainly to beef, citrus, nursery ornamentals, and
vegetables in decreasing order of importance. There were 91 banks lending
to beef enterprises, averaging 31% of these banks' total short term farm

 *Questionnaire was returned, but this question was not answered.