P&S dealer bonds.
Buying livestock. From $100.
A dealer, or a market agency buying livestock on commission, must file a Packers & Stockyards bond with USDA AMS under 7 U.S.C. §204. The amount tracks your purchase volume; the premium is 0.5% of the bond amount plus a $50 fee, with a $100 minimum — enter your figure and your exact price appears at the application.
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Three steps. One sitting.
Your registration with USDA AMS is waiting on this bond. Here is the whole process:
Apply once, online
Business details, the bond amount your purchase volume requires, and an effective date. The only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. The credit check is a soft pull that never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
File with USDA AMS
Receive the executed bond on the standard P&S bond form, ready to file with the Packers & Stockyards Division. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the P&S bond actually guarantees
Under the Packers and Stockyards Act (7 U.S.C. §181 et seq.), a livestock dealer — and a market agency buying on commission — must register with USDA AMS and maintain a surety bond. The bond stands behind the money you owe the people you buy livestock from.
The amount is fixed by 9 CFR §201.30. For a dealer or buying agency, it is computed from your average dollar value of livestock purchased over a representative period, rounded up to the next $5,000, with a $10,000 minimum and a graduated cap on large operations.
It is a three-party guarantee — you (the principal), the surety, and the United States as obligee — protecting the sellers and others the Act covers. It is not insurance for you: if the surety pays a valid claim, you repay the surety.
You need this bond if you are
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your bond is issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Federal bonds.
Keep your AMS registration current.
From $100, short application, bond issued when you pay. Free until issued.