Rocky Boy-based group helps Indians obtain ag loans

At age 19, Clayton Jon Houle has grown his herd to 160 cattle. Four years ago, he had none. The Rocky Boy resident, who runs a ranch with his father a few miles north of the agency, financed the herd with two loans - totaling about $126,000 - from the Farm Service Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A national loan outreach project run from Rocky Boy helped him do it.

Houle is one of about 300 American Indians across 10 Western and Midwestern states that were assisted last year by the National FSA American Indian Credit Outreach Initiative. The project, which is administered by th...