Don't count on farm programs to help you pay for land. Especially right now. The programs available right now will likely change after the election. I'm not saying you won't qualify or won't get anything, but I wouldn't recommend including government assistance in the budget.

As far as federal loans and programs to help you acquire land, most of those are available only to ag producers. And they are only available if you cannot obtain credit from traditional lenders. When I was actively involved in farm programs, you had to be turned down by at least three traditional lenders.

Once you buy land, you may qualify for WHIP, EQIP, or other programs that help you improve your land, but those programs won't do much to help you purchase it. They mainly provide cost-share assistance to help you improve it.

Another thing to keep in mind is compliance with the farm bill provisions. If you take government money, you have to comply with government rules. One that people don't think about is sod-busting, especially thinking they are going to do some food plots. Farm land is classified as either HEL (highly erodible land) or NHEL (non-highly erodible land). Land classified as HEL has limitations on what can be planted, as well as mandatory conservation practices that must be put into place. Failure to comply with those provisions can result in disqualification from the farm bill.