USDA Expands Transparency New Rural Lending Dashboard

Greater transparency into USDA-backed lending can help rural lenders and producers better assess credit availability and investment trends.

farm business biz handshake_stock image_AdobeStock_225938944.jpeg

StockMediaProduction – stock.adobe.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD NEWS) — Rural lenders, producers, and community leaders now have clearer insight into where federal capital is flowing, as USDA rolls out a new public dashboard designed to track Rural Development loan activity nationwide. The Lender Lens, launched January 19, makes USDA’s full commercial guaranteed loan portfolio accessible through the Rural Data Gateway.

The tool allows users to quickly evaluate loan performance, geographic distribution, sector exposure, and delinquency trends tied to USDA Rural Development guarantees. Data are refreshed monthly and can be downloaded down to the individual-loan level, giving lenders and rural stakeholders more timely visibility into credit conditions and investment patterns.

USDA says the dashboard strengthens transparency while helping communities monitor how federal dollars support business growth, healthcare access, infrastructure, and job creation across rural America. The platform also enables lenders to better manage risk and benchmark activity across regions and programs.

Lender Lens builds on the Rural Data Gateway, launched in 2023, which aggregates investment data from more than 80 Rural Development programs over the past decade. Together, the tools aim to improve access to capital by making information easier to analyze at the state, county, and congressional district levels.

Farm-Level Takeaway: Greater transparency into USDA-backed lending can help rural lenders and producers better assess credit availability and investment trends.
Tony St. James, RFD NEWS Markets Specialist
Related Stories
Farm legal and taxation expert Roger McEowen briefly discusses a range of topics related to farm-related taxes, estate planning, and farm transitions.
Recurring (and recent) tax and legal issues impacting farmers and ranchers – it’s the topic of today’s Firm to Farm blog post by farm legal and tax expert Roger McEowen with the Washburn School of Law.
Zachary Lane Bryan, aka Zach Bryan, is an American singer-songwriter from Oologah, Oklahoma. Bryan has taken the country music scene by storm since his rise to fame over the last three years.
Farm legal and taxation expert Roger McEowen discusses tariffs’ impacts on agriculture, deferred payment contracts, tax easement issues, and the rise in warrantless searches on farms and ranches.

Tony St. James joined the RFD-TV talent team in August 2024, bringing a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to RFD-TV and Rural Radio Channel 147 Sirius XM. In addition to his role as Market Specialist (collaborating with Scott “The Cow Guy” Shellady to provide radio and TV audiences with the latest updates on ag commodity markets), he hosts “Rural America Live” and serves as talent for trade shows.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Farmers await concrete trade commitments from China. Until then, export prospects for soybeans, corn, and sorghum remain uncertain against strong South American competition.
National Sorghum Producers CEO Tim Lust said farmers face a challenging year with strong supply, murky trade conditions, and uncertain access to their largest market: China.
RFD-TV Markets Expert Tony St. James breaks down the state of agribusiness and harvest progress across the U.S. for the week of Monday, September 15, 2025.
U.S. trade talks with China resume, but meat industry leaders say dealing with shifting demand and market uncertainty is nothing new in this side of the ag sector.
Tariffs are pushing up input costs, with fertilizer prices rising $100 per ton and machinery costs climbing due to steel and parts duties.
Harvested acres are estimated at 90.0 million, making this year’s corn crop one of the largest since the 1930s.