Description of the Protection against Interest Rate Hikes Program

La Financière agricole offers two kinds of protection against interest rate hikes:

Preferred Rate (PR)	Secure Rate for Aspiring Farmers (SRAF)
Applicable to financing of up to $500,000, for the loan term	Offered to part-time or full-time aspiring farmers Applicable to financing of up to $500,000 For a maximum period of five years

This protection is initiated, for a specified period of time, when market interest rates exceed a defined threshold.

Once a SRAF eligibility period is over, the PR applies on the terms shown in the table below.

Specifications	Preferred Rate (PR)	Secure Rate for Aspiring Farmers (SRAF)
Eligibility	Be 18 years of age and over No criterion for experience Work in agricultureWith the exception of forestry businesses, with an agricultural focus, and providing goods and services. Fermer l'infobulle	Be between 18 and 40 years of age Have one year’s experience in farming Be a part-time or full-time aspiring farmer (own at least 20% interest in the company)
Characteristics	60% of the portion of interests exceeding 8%	100% of the portion of interests exceeding 4% until March 31^st 2026As part of the measures to enhance the Interest Rate Protection Program, the STR at 4% will be guaranteed until March 31st, 2026, for eligible young farmers as of April 1st , 2024, even if this extends their protection beyond the usual 5-year period. After March 31, 2026, the level of protection will be reassessed. Fermer l'infobulle
Term	Over the loan term	5 years, starting automatically: upon obtaining an aspiring farmers’ grant or from the full payment of the loan which made the company eligible After this period of 5 years, the PR applies.

The following clients are not eligible for the Protection against Interest Rate Hikes: