Rep. Jeanne Poppe, DFL-Austin, praised Gov. Mark Dayton’s Friday signing of a bill containing appropriations for the Rural Finance Authority’s agricultural loan system.

Poppe supported the bill and attended its signing on Friday.

“These funds and the loans they support provide a real service to our farmers in Greater Minnesota,” Poppe said in a press release. “It was important to secure this funding as quickly as possible this session to give our farmers the support they need.”

There are numerous programs under the Rural Finance Authority loan umbrella, including the Basic Farm and Seller-Assisted programs, Agricultural Improvement, Livestock Expansion and more.

“This is a great program for our farmers and it also supports our local lenders who participate as well,” Poppe in the release. “It was born out of the farm crisis in 1986 and has been a valuable tool since then. I’m pleased to see it continue to receive support from the Legislature.”

According to Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture Matt Wohlman, participants in Rural Finance Authority loan programs have invested more than $200 million since 1986.