Today, 262 credit unions are actively making agricultural business loans. The enactment of the Credit Union Membership Access Act will only promote the continued expansion of credit to the farm sector by credit unions. While the Farm Credit System poses the greatest challenge to farm banks today, bankers should not take lightly the competitive threat in their local markets arising from tax-exempt credit unions. As of 1997, credit unions had 0.5% market share of non-real estate farm business debt. While relatively small, agricultural business lending by credit unions, since 1992, has grown at a compounded annual rate of almost 13% to $417.1 million by 1997.