7 CFR 1436.6 – Eligible storage or handling equipment
(a) All eligible storage and handling facilities must be one of the following types:
(1) Conventional-type cribs or bins designed and engineered for whole grain storage and having a useful life of at least the entire term of the loan;
(2) Oxygen-limiting storage structures or remanufactured oxygen-limiting storage structures built to the original manufacturer’s design specifications using original manufacturer’s rebuild kits or kits from a supplier approved by the Deputy Administrator, Farm Programs, and other upright silo-type structures designed for whole grain storage or other than whole grain storage and with a useful life of at least the entire term of the loan;
(3) Flat-type storage structures including a permanent concrete floor, designed for and primarily used to store facility loan commodities for the term of the loan and having a useful life of at least the entire term of the loan;
(4) Structures that are bunker-type, horizontal, or open silo structures designed for whole grain storage or other than whole grain storage and having a useful life of at least the entire term of the loan;
(5) Structures suitable for storing hay that are built according to acceptable design guidelines from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) or land-grant universities and with a useful life of at least the entire term of the loan;
(6) Structures suitable for storing renewable biomass that are built according to acceptable industry guidelines and with a useful life of at least the entire term of the loan; or
(7) Bulk storage tanks, as approved by the Deputy Administrator, suitable for storing any eligible loan commodity, as determined appropriate by county committees and having a useful life of at least the entire term of the loan.
(b) For all eligible facility loan commodities, except sugar, the calculation of the loan amount may include costs associated with building, improving, or renovating an eligible storage or handling facility, including:
(1) Drying and handling equipment, including perforated floors determined by the FSA approving committee to be needed and essential to the proper functioning of the storage system;
(2) Safety equipment as required by CCC and meeting OSHA requirements such as lighting, and inside and outside ladders;
(3) Equipment to improve, maintain, or monitor the quality of stored eligible facility loan commodity, such as cleaners, moisture testers, and heat detectors;
(4) Electrical equipment, including labor and materials for installation, such as lighting, motors, and wiring integral to the proper operation of the eligible facility loan commodity storage and handling equipment;
(5) Concrete foundations, aprons, pits, and pads (including site preparation, labor and materials) essential to the proper operation of the eligible facility loan commodity storage and handling equipment; and
(6) Flooring appropriate for storing hay and renewable biomass suitable for the region where the facility is located and designed according to acceptable guidelines from NIFA or land-grant universities.
(c) For all eligible facility loan commodities, except sugar, no loans will be made for installation or related costs of:
(1) Structures of a temporary nature that require the weight or bulk of the stored commodity to maintain its shape (such as fences or bags);
(2) Structures that are not suitable for storing the facility loan commodities for which a need is determined; or
(3) Storage structures to be used as a commercial facility. Any facility that is in working proximity to any commercial storage operation will be considered to be part of a commercial storage operation.
(d) Loans for all eligible facility loan commodities, except sugar, may be approved for financing additions to or modifications of an existing storage facility with an expected useful life of at least the entire term of the loan if the county committee determines there is a need for the capacity of the structure, but loans will not be approved solely for the replacement of worn out items such as motors, fans, or wiring.
(e) Loans for all eligible facility loan commodities, except sugar, may be approved for facilities provided the completed facility has a useful life of at least the entire term of the loan. The pre-owned facility must be purchased and moved to a new location. Eligible items for such a loan include costs such as bin rings or roof panels needed to make a purchased pre-owned structure useable, aeration systems, site preparation, construction off-farm paid labor cost, foundation material and off-farm paid labor. Ineligible items for such a loan include the cost of purchasing and moving the used structure.
(f) The provisions of this paragraph apply only to sugar storage facility loans.
(1) The loan amount may include costs associated with the purchase, installation, building, improving, remodeling or renovating an eligible storage or handling facility. Eligible facilities include the following:
(i) Conventional-type bins or silos designed for and used to store raw or refined sugar, having a useful life of at least 15 years;
(ii) Flat-type storage structures including a permanent concrete floor, designed for and used to store raw or refined sugar, having a useful life of at least 15 years;
(iii) Storage structures designed for and used to store in-process sugar, having a useful life of at least 15 years.
(iv) Permanently affixed sugar handling equipment determined by the CCC to be needed and essential to the proper functioning of the sugar storage system;
(v) Safety equipment CCC requires such as lighting, and inside and outside ladders;
(vi) Equipment to improve, maintain, or monitor the quality of stored sugar, such as moisture testers, and heat detectors;
(vii) Electrical equipment, including labor and materials for installation, such as lighting, motors, and wiring integral to the proper operation of the sugar storage and handling equipment; and
(viii) Concrete foundations, aprons, pits, and pads (including site preparation, labor and materials) essential to the proper operation of the sugar storage and handling equipment.
(2) Sugar storage facility, loans may be approved for financing additions to or modifications of an existing storage facility with an expected useful life of at least 15 years if CCC determines there is a need for the capacity of the structure.
(3) No sugar storage facility loans will be made for:
(i) Structures of a temporary natures that require the weight or bulk of the stored commodity to maintain its shape (such as fences or bags);
(ii) Structures that are not suitable for storing raw or refined sugar; or
(iii) Weigh scales.
(g) The provisions of this paragraph apply only to cold storage facility loans.
(1) For cold storage facility loans, the loan amount may include costs associated with the purchase, installation, building, improving, remodeling, or renovating an eligible storage or handling facility. Costs associated with the construction of a cold storage facility include, but are not limited to, the following: An insulated cement slab floor, insulation for walls and ceiling (including, but not limited to, loose fill cellulose, foam insulation sheets, sprayed-on and foam-in-place materials), and a vapor barrier.
(2) Eligible facilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
(i) A cold storage facility of wood pole and post construction, steel, or concrete, that is suitable for storing cold storage commodities produced by the borrower and having a useful life of at least the entire term of the loan;
(ii) Walk-in prefabricated cold storage coolers that are suitable for storing the producer’s cold storage commodities and having a useful life of at least the entire term of the loan;
(iii) Equipment necessary for a cold storage facility such as refrigeration units or system and circulation fans;
(iv) Equipment to maintain or monitor the quality of commodities stored in a cold storage facility;
(v) Electrical equipment, including labor and materials for installation, such as lighting, motors, and wiring integral to the proper operation of a cold storage facility.
(3) FSFLs may be approved for financing additions or modifications to an existing storage facility having an expected useful life of at least the entire term of the loan if CCC determines there is a need for the capacity of the cold storage facility.
(4) FSFLs will not be made for structures or equipment that are not suitable for facility loan commodities that require cold storage.
(h) Storage and handling trucks for facility loan commodities are authorized according to guidelines established by the Deputy Administrator. Storage and handling trucks may include, but are not limited to, cold storage reefer trucks, grain haulers, and may also include storage trucks with a chassis unit. The Deputy Administrator, Farm Programs, or a State Committee may rescind this provision on a Statewide basis if it is determined that allowing loans for storage and handling trucks has increased loan defaults and is not in the best interest of CCC.
(i) The loan collateral must be used for the purpose for which it was delivered, erected, constructed, assembled, or installed for the entire term of the loan.