In 1987, the Farm Credit System was bailed out by US taxpayers to the tune of $4 billion. At the time, the FCS was worth $40 billion. Today, the Farm Credit System is worth $382 billion; if FCS needed another bailout, it would cost taxpayers $38.2 billion – a 955% increase from 1987.

If the Farm Credit System were a bank, it would be the 10th largest in the country – and nobody seems to notice. Its tax advantages, unparalleled access to taxpayer-backed credit, and lack of regulation often leave it as the only source of credit in rural areas.

Farm Credit System loans, far from their mission to support small local farmers, are being used to finance huge multinationals like Verizon, AT&T, Rayonier Inc., Cyrus One Inc. and more.