Agribusiness Finance

Stinson represents the nation's leading agribusiness industry participants in a broad range of financing matters, earning a reputation for providing trusted and cost-effective legal counsel to both lenders and borrowers. The continued growth in the size, complexity and sophistication of agricultural businesses demands that industry participants partner with outside counsel with the proven ability to deliver deep agribusiness experience across the entire range of financial products.

Experience

Our attorneys represent both Farm Credit System institutions and commercial banks in a variety of financing transactions. We also represent borrowers across the entire supply chain, including producers, processors and marketers, and national and regional agribusiness cooperatives, corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships and trusts. We have experience handling financings involving a wide range of commodities, including dairy, grain, protein and biofuels. We also offer valuable complementary experience in ancillary areas such as animal health, environmental matters, and local and federal rules, restrictions and regulations that impact the agribusiness industry.

Capabilities

Our agribusiness finance attorneys advise lenders and borrowers, on both the commercial and consumer sides, on the full range of financing techniques and issues, including the following:

• Secured and unsecured term and revolving debt financing
• Asset-based lending
• Working capital loans
• Acquisition and construction finance
• Syndicated, club and bilateral loan transactions
• Loan participations (including FASB issues)
• Review of loan documentation software and forms
• ISDA/Swap Transactions
• Lease transactions
• Securitizations (A/R, CMBS and others)
• Letters of credit/credit enhancement transactions
• Industrial Revenue Bond financings
• New Market Tax Credit transactions
• Dealer paper programs
• State-by-state licensing and compliance issues
• Credit cards and open-end credit products
• Small-dollar and specialty credit programs
• ACH and cash management products
• FinTech

Lender Experience

• Represented a cooperative bank as lead lender in credit facilities consisting of $80 million in term loans and $20 million in revolving commitments to a commodity producer located in the Southwest.
• Represented a cooperative bank as lead lender in $80 million secured revolving credit facility to a commodity processing and marketing company located in the Southwest.
• Represented a cooperative bank as lead lender in $50 million revolving credit facility secured by ranchland located in multiple states.
• Represented a cooperative bank as agent in syndicated credit facilities consisting of $114 million in revolving commitments and $5 million term loan to a marketing, agronomy and feed supply cooperative located in the Southeast.
• Represented a cooperative bank in $160 million asset-based revolving loan to an owner and operator of feedlots located in the Southwest.
• Represented a cooperative bank in $80 million revolving and $40 million term asset-based loans to an owner and operator of feedlots located in the Midwest.
• Represented the administrative agent in a $200 million secured syndicated financing to an ethanol producer.
• Represented a cooperative bank in an $18 million secured bilateral financing to an ethanol producer.
• Represented a cooperative bank in a $9 million secured bilateral financing to a dairy.
• Represented the lead arranger in a $180 million secured financing to a grain marketing and agronomy cooperative located in Iowa.
• Represented the lead arranger in a $220 million secured financing to a grain marketing, agronomy and feed supply cooperative located in Nebraska.
• Represented the lead arranger in a $165 million secured financing to a grain marketing, agronomy and feed and farm supply cooperative located in Ohio.
• Represented the administrative agent in a $52 million secured financing to a grain cooperative located in Arkansas.
• Represented the lead arranger in a $140 million unsecured financing to an agronomy input supplier based in Tennessee.
• Represented the lead arranger in a $194 million secured financing to a grain marketing, agronomy, feed supply and energy cooperative located in Nebraska.

Borrower Experience

• Represented an agricultural real estate investment trust in connection with a $66 million syndicated term loan secured by farmland in multiple states.
• Represented an agribusiness company in connection with a $114 million secured credit agreement.
• Represented a commercial dairy operator developing an anaerobic-digester project with respect to debt financing, grant applications, the power purchase agreement, tax matters, equipment contracts and regulatory compliance.
• Represent client that is re-developing livestock production operations in a tribal area with respect to debt and equity financing, leasing and sub-leasing arrangements, regulatory and environmental compliance, grant applications and renewable-energy strategies.
• Represent a municipal power agency in its development, tax credit financing, construction and interconnection of a 7.5-MW biomass digester to electricity project.
• Negotiated and documented contractual agreements relating to the purchase and sale of ethanol, biodiesel, and distillers grains; ethanol plants, including corn origination; ethanol and biodiesel marketing and merchandising.
• Acquired biofuels assets and developed joint ventures with biofuels companies, ethanol plants, and grain handling facilities, including purchasing assets held by bankrupt producers and suppliers.