Financial Assistance Branch: Poultry Best Management Practices Loan Program

The Poultry Best Management Practices Loan Program provides a source of low interest financing for managing poultry manure, dead poultry, and other sources of poultry related pollution in an environmentally sound and cost effective manner. These loans help poultry farmers implement best management practices on their farms to reduce the potential for pollution from their farming operations.

This program is managed jointly by the Financial Assistance Branch, the Division of Soil and Water Conservation, and the state's Conservation Districts. Eligibility is open to any poultry producer with a grower contract with one of the following integrators that participates in the loan program:

• Allens Hatchery, Inc.
• Mountaire Farms of Delmarva, Inc.
• Perdue Farms, Inc.
• Townsends Inc.
• Tyson Foods

Financing is available at an interest rate of 3 percent, for 1 to 7 years, with a minimum loan of $1,000 and a maximum loan of $60,000, for the following poultry waste and manure management practices:

• Construction of poultry manure storage structures.
• Construction of deadbird composters.
• Purchase of a front-end loader or bucket attachment for use in dead-bird composting.
• Purchase of a calibratable spinner manure spreader.
• Purchase of nutrient reduction equipment.
• Purchase of precision farming equipment as part of a precision farming system.
• Purchase of composting equipment for on-farm composting of poultry litter and dead-bird carcasses.

There are several loan options available and cost share dollars may also be available. For more information, please contact: