When used in this article, the following words and phrases have the following meanings:

(1) AGRICULTURE and AGRICULTURAL. Those activities, land, buildings, and machinery relating to any of the following:

a. The raising, harvesting, rotation, selling, or marketing of crops or products of the soil planted, served, or saved including cereals, vegetables, fruits, fibers, sugars, resins and pitches, grasses, grains, seeds, nuts, bulbs, feed, forage, wood and wood by-products, nursery stock, including trees and shrubs or other plants grown or kept for propagation, distribution, or sale, vegetable oils, flowers, silage, pasturage, and other products and produce thereof.

b. The feeding, breeding, management, raising, marketing, sale, or production of livestock of all types, poultry, insects, fish, and other aquatic animals for meat, leather, eggs, fur, milk, bone, liquids, and other products and produce thereof.

c. Recreational or educational activities directly involving or relating to the production of farm products of the types described in paragraphs a. and b., fishing or the taking, capture, or capture and release of wildlife, including wildlife animal feeding, husbandry, and conservation activities, as well as fish and game management, culling, hunting, and related wildlife environmental preservation activities.

(2) AGRICULTURAL BORROWER. Any individual, partnership, cooperative, corporation, or other entity engaged in agriculture or agricultural activities, or both, and which meets all of the following criteria:

a. Derives at least 60 percent of gross income from agriculture or agricultural activities.

b. Is an Alabama resident.

c. Is headquartered and operating in Alabama.

d. Does not currently owe any defaulted taxes to the State of Alabama or any political subdivision.

(3) CONSTANT MATURITY TREASURY RATE (CMT). Yields interpolated by the United States Treasury from the daily yield curve. This curve, which relates the yield on a security to its time to maturity is based on the closing market bid yields on actively traded U.S. Treasury securities in the over-the-counter market. These market yields are calculated from composites of quotations obtained by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

(4) ELIGIBLE BORROWER. An agricultural, emergency, or small business borrower that meets the definition and criteria to participate in the program.

(5) ELIGIBLE LENDING INSTITUTION. Any bank or financial institution designated as a state depositary, as provided under Section 41-14-3, and amendments thereto, that agrees to participate in the program and completes a linked deposit participation agreement.

(6) EMERGENCY BORROWER. Any individual, business, organization, or local government which has suffered loss, and which is located in areas in which property loss has occurred due to fire, flood, tornado, hurricane, or other act of God, or other natural or man-made disaster.

(7) LINKED DEPOSIT. Deposit of state funds made by the Treasurer in support of loans made by eligible lending institutions to eligible borrowers.

(8) LINKED DEPOSIT LOAN. Reduced rate loan made to an eligible borrower by an eligible lending institution that received a below market rate linked deposit for the same term.

(9) LINKED DEPOSIT PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT. The written agreement between the Treasurer and the eligible lending institution that specifies duties and responsibilities of each party consistent with this article and the program.

(10) PROGRAM. The linked deposit program, created in Section 41-14-52, and administered by the Treasurer whereby an investment of state funds is placed with an eligible lending institution which in turn funds a loan in the full amount of the deposit to an eligible borrower.

(11) SMALL BUSINESS BORROWER. Any individual, proprietor, corporation, partnership, or other entity which meets all of the following criteria:

a. Is headquartered in Alabama.

b. Maintains operations and transacts business in Alabama.

c. Employs fewer than 150 full-time and part-time employees.

d. Is organized for profit.

e. Does not currently owe any defaulted taxes to the State of Alabama or any political subdivision.

(12) TREASURER. The Treasurer of the State of Alabama, or the designee of the Treasurer.