This qualitative study served to gather the perceptions of selected Black farm owners in Michigan about the meaning of their farm ownership, credit acquisition experiences, and recommendations to improve the process. Through a critical race methodology of 11 semi-structured interviews, key findings indicate the preference of non-government loans, private lending difficulty, and lack of outreach. Key recommendation findings include promoting fairness among all farm loan applicants and better education. A thematic grounded analysis of the findings using a Critical Race Theory (CRT) framework suggests a history of mistrust with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) impacts farm loan preference for these Black farm owners. FSA may not be "the lender of last resort" for these farmers due to historical discriminatory lending and lack of access to pertinent information that often doesn't reach small, Black farmers. Race, farm size, and farm type presents an intersectional barrier that needs to be considered in the construction of farm loan policy.
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