USDA SPUR guaranteed loans for FY 2027: who qualifies and how to apply
Agriculture Department. November 2, 2026. Read the source.
What is the USDA SPUR Guaranteed Loan Program for fiscal year 2027?
The Strengthening Processing for US Ranchers (SPUR) Guaranteed Loan Program makes at least $5 billion in guaranteed loans available beginning in fiscal year 2027. USDA Rural Development guarantees loans that lenders make to borrowers that establish, reopen, retrofit, expand, or improve a meat, poultry, or seafood processing facility. There are no geographic restrictions, so urban plants qualify as well as rural ones. Applications opened October 27, 2026, and are accepted until funds are exhausted. The guarantee covers 90 percent of the loan, with a 3 percent guarantee fee.
What SPUR pays for
SPUR exists to add processing capacity and competition in the American meat, poultry, and seafood industries. USDA describes the sector as particularly vulnerable to disruption, consolidation, and concentration. Loans support entities that want to establish, reopen, retrofit, expand, or improve a processing facility.
The program has no geographic restrictions. A processor in a city is as eligible as one in a farm county. USDA also says it intends the money to open local market opportunities and add value-added lines of business.
The Rural Business-Cooperative Service runs SPUR under the American Rescue Plan Act, section 1001(b)(4). It works much like the Business and Industry (B&I) Guaranteed Loan Program, with changes for the beef industry and ranchers. Loans are administered under 7 CFR part 5001, the OneRD Guaranteed Loan Program, as amended or supplemented by the notice of funding opportunity.
How a guaranteed loan works
SPUR is a loan guarantee. USDA does not lend the money itself. A commercial lender makes the loan to the processor, and USDA guarantees up to 90 percent of it. The lender must keep at least 10 percent of the total loan amount.
So the first step for a processor is a lender willing to make the loan. Community development lenders often help with the share a bank will not finance.
Fees for FY 2027
The notice sets the SPUR terms for fiscal year 2027. They match the fees in effect for B&I guaranteed loans under OneRD.
Guarantee fee: 3 percent. Periodic guarantee retention fee: 0.55 percent. Loan guarantee percentage: 90 percent. Fee for issuing the loan note guarantee before construction is complete: 0.5 percent.
If the fees need to change, USDA will publish another notice in the Federal Register.
How to apply
Completed applications have been accepted since October 27, 2026. There is no fixed deadline. USDA takes applications until the funds run out, so an early application has the full pool to draw on.
Applications are accepted electronically only. Application documents and requirements are at rd.usda.gov/onerdguarantee. USDA asks applicants to contact their Rural Development State Office for the email address to submit to, and lists those offices at rd.usda.gov/about-rd/state-offices.
USDA is also funding technical assistance through providers who specialize in meat, poultry, and seafood processing and in business planning. A processor building its first plan can start there.
Grants to go with the loan
A guaranteed loan covers the build. State agriculture departments, economic development agencies, and foundations can fund the training, equipment, and market development around it. Quillify searches 5,000+ open grants and 480+ community development lenders in one place, matched to what your plant does and where it is. How Quillify finds funding for your business.
What you can do today
More policy news: NIH webinar notices, October 26 to 28, 2026. The 2026 proposal to trim HHS block grant regulations. The 2026 final rule trimming child support program regulations. SBA surety bond guarantee fees: what changes on November 30, 2026. LSC 2027 Basic Field Grants: who LSC intends to fund.
Find the funding open to you this week.
Browsing and keyword search are free, and there is no card required.