Notes Payable (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Schedule of Short-term and Long-term Borrowings [Line Items]

Schedule of Debt [Table Text Block]

The following tables set forth information related to Farmer Mac's borrowings as of December 31, 2012 and 2011:

	December 31, 2012
	Outstanding as of December 31				Average Outstanding During the Year
	Amount		Rate		Amount		Rate
	(dollars in thousands)
Due within one year:
Discount notes	$	4,966,010	0.16	%	$	5,181,559	0.18	%
Medium-term notes	194,989		0.15	%	84,961		0.20	%
Current portion of long-term notes	1,406,367		0.80	%
Total due within one year	$	6,567,366	0.30	%
Due after one year:
Medium-term notes due in:
2014	$	1,679,364	2.36	%
2015	1,128,413		1.40	%
2016	863,799		1.74	%
2017	616,187		1.19	%
Thereafter	746,976		2.97	%
Total due after one year	5,034,739		1.99	%
Total	$	11,602,105	1.03	%

	December 31, 2011
	Outstanding as of December 31				Average Outstanding During the Year
	Amount		Rate		Amount		Rate
	(dollars in thousands)
Due within one year:
Discount notes	$	5,129,978	0.14	%	$	4,102,109	0.22	%
Medium-term notes	45,000		0.17	%	130,009		0.30	%
Current portion of long-term notes	912,901		1.40	%
	$	6,087,879	0.33	%
Due after one year:
Medium-term notes due in:
2013	$	937,690	1.11	%
2014	1,277,938		3.09	%
2015	632,905		2.21	%
2016	760,772		2.10	%
Thereafter	495,577		3.84	%
Total due after one year	4,104,882		2.41	%
Total	$	10,192,761	1.17	%

Schedule of Maturities of Long-term Debt [Table Text Block]

Callable medium-term notes give Farmer Mac the option to redeem the debt at par value on a specified call date or at any time on or after a specified call date.  The following table summarizes by maturity date, the amounts and costs for Farmer Mac debt callable in 2013 as of December 31, 2012:

Debt Callable in 2013 as of December 31, 2012
Maturity	Amount		Rate
(dollars in thousands)
2014	$	63,977	0.29	%
2015	206,820		0.48	%
2016	33,970		0.59	%
2017	256,798		0.91	%
Thereafter	169,533		2.46	%
	$	731,098	1.08	%