Kirk and Tina Sczepanik had a dream. They wanted a ranch of their own. But with the rising cost of land and the demands of raising three young children, the possibility of realizing their dream often seemed remote.
Kirk, 29, grew up on a ranch. He earned a degree in Agriculture, and now works for a construction company.
Tina teaches Spanish at their local high school in South Texas.
From the time they got married, they had their eye out for available ranchland. They investigated financing, and they learned they would need a down payment of at least ten percent.
Most area banks required twenty percent. On top of the purchase price, they would need to finance any improvements, equipment, and livestock. If the property they selected didn't have a home already built on it, they would need to finance construction of a house. Despite the apparent obstacles, they never gave up hope.
Tina spent months researching on the Internet. She followed up on every lead for ranches and financing. Finally, she came across a reference to a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Farm Service Agency. The program, called the Direct Farm Ownership Program, is designed to support and encourage people just like the Sczepaniks to settle in rural areas and either farm or ranch, or both.
Immediately, Tina contacted FSA and they completed an application. In order to qualify for the funding, they first had to be rejected by conventional funders.That part was easy. Tina simply explained her need to local banks, and they wrote her a letter verifying she would not qualify under their guidelines.
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