(a) In general

(1) Establishment

Notwithstanding any other section of this subchapter, the Secretary shall establish, within the farm ownership loan program established under this subchapter, a program under which loans shall be made under this section to qualified beginning farmers and ranchers for down payments on farm ownership loans.

(2) Administration

The Secretary shall be the primary coordinator of credit supervision for the down payment loan program established under this section, in consultation with the commercial or cooperative lender and, if applicable, the contracting credit counseling service selected under section 2006b(c) of this title.

(b) Loan terms

(1) Principal

Each loan made under this section shall be in an amount equal to 30 percent of the purchase price or appraisal value, whichever is lower, of the farm or ranch to be acquired, unless the borrower requests a lesser amount.

(2) Interest rate

The interest rate on any loan made by the Secretary under this section shall be 4 percent.

(3) Duration

Each loan under this section shall be made for a period of 10 years or less, at the option of the borrower.

(4) Repayment

Each borrower of a loan under this section shall repay the loan to the Secretary in equal annual installments.

(5) Nature of retained security interest

The Secretary shall retain an interest in each farm or ranch acquired with a loan made under this section that shall -

(A)

be secured by the farm or ranch;

(B)

be junior only to such interests in the farm or ranch as may be conveyed at the time of acquisition to the person (including a lender) from whom the borrower obtained a loan used to acquire the farm or ranch; and

(C)

require the borrower to obtain the permission of the Secretary before the borrower may grant an additional security interest in the farm or ranch.

(c) Limitations

(1) Borrowers required to make minimum down payment

The Secretary shall not make a loan under this section to any borrower with respect to a farm or ranch if the contribution of the borrower to the down payment on the farm or ranch will be less than 10 percent of the purchase price of the farm or ranch.

(2) Maximum price of property to be acquired

The Secretary shall not make a loan under this section with respect to a farm or ranch for which the purchase price or appraisal value, whichever is lower, exceeds $250,000.

(3) Prohibited types of financing

The Secretary shall not make a loan under this section with respect to a farm or ranch if the farm or ranch is to be acquired with other financing that contains any of the following conditions:

(A)

The financing is to be amortized over a period of less than 30 years.

(B)

A balloon payment will be due on the financing during the 10-year period beginning on the date the loan is to be made by the Secretary.

(d) Administration

In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable -

(1)

facilitate the transfer of farms and ranches from retiring farmers and ranchers to persons eligible for insured loans under this subchapter;

(2)

make efforts to widely publicize the availability of loans under this section among -

(A)

potentially eligible recipients of the loans;

(B)

retiring farmers and ranchers; and

(C)

applicants for farm ownership loans under this subchapter;

(3)

encourage retiring farmers and ranchers to assist in the sale of their farms and ranches to qualified beginning farmers and ranchers by providing seller financing; and

(4)

coordinate the loan program established by this section with State programs that provide farm ownership or operating loans for beginning farmers and ranchers