Canadian Agricultural Loans Act Program

About the Program

The Canadian Agricultural Loans Act (CALA) Program is a loan guarantee program designed to increase the availability of loans to farmers and agricultural co-operatives. Farmers can use these loans to establish, improve, and develop farms, while agricultural co-operatives may also access loans to process, distribute, or market the products of farming.

Eligible purposes

Real Property Purposes

  • Purchase of land
  • Construction, repair or alteration of, or additions to, any building or structure on a farm
  • Purchase, movement to and installing on a farm of complete or partially complete structures and, where necessary, the completion of the installed structures

Other loan purposes

  • Purchase, installation, alteration, major overhaul, or major repair to/of:
    • tools, implements, apparatus and machines of any kind not usually affixed to real or immovable property
    • machinery and apparatus for the generation or distribution of electricity, whether or not affixed to real or immovable property
  • Purchase of breeding livestock which will provide a long-term improvement to a farm operation including:
    • horses and other equines
    • cattle, sheep, goats and other ruminants
    • swine, poultry, bees and fur-bearing animals
    • any other prescribed animal
  • Erection or construction of fencing or works for drainage
  • Clearing, breaking, irrigating and reclaiming of land
  • Conservation of soil, prevention of soil erosion by the planting of trees and shelter belts
  • Repair or overhaul of fencing where the cost is $2,000 or more
  • Purchase and the planting of trees for syrup production and the purchase and planting of fruit trees, Christmas trees, and ginseng, where the cost is $2,000 or more
  • Construction of a road or driveway on a farm
  • Land transfer tax, survey, appraisal and legal costs relating to the purchase of additional land
  • Purchase of shares for inter-generational farm transfers
  • Consolidation/refinancing of loans

How to Apply

Please visit any of the following lender organizations to apply for a loan under the CALA program:

  • chartered banks
  • credit unions
  • caisses populaires
  • Alberta Treasury Branches
  • any other organization designated by the Minister

The lender will go through its loan application process and determine the financing best suited for your needs, which may include a loan under the CALA program.

Loan Details

Maximum Interest Rates

Interest to be paid on a floating rate is a maximum of the lender's prime rate plus 1%.

Interest to be paid on a fixed term rate is a maximum of the lender's residential mortgage rate, for a comparable term, plus 1%.

Repayment Terms

The maximum repayment terms are:

  • 15 years for land purchases. Lenders may amortize loans for longer than 15 years provided a balloon payment is scheduled for the loan at the end of the 15 year period. The remaining loan amount could then be refinanced under the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act (CALA) for a further 10 years.
  • 10 years for all other purposes.

Fees

The registration fee is 0.85% of the amount of the loan. This fee must be submitted to the “Receiver General for Canada” at the time of loan registration.

An administration fee may also be charged by the lender. For loans up to $250,000, the administration fee is capped at 0.25% of the amount of the loan (to a maximum of $250). For loans over $250,000, the administration fee is capped at 0.1% of the amount of the loan.

Both of these fees may be incorporated into the amount of the loan provided the total doesn’t exceed loan maximums.

Find more information here.