The Farm Credit Administration (FCA) is an independent agency of the executive branch of the federal government responsible for the regulation and examination of the banks, associations, and related entities of the Farm Credit System (FCS), a network of borrower-owned financial institutions that provide credit to farmers, ranchers, and agricultural and rural cooperatives. The FCA was established in 1933 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia. The FCS is composed of four banks and over 70 associations with more than 500 branch offices across the United States. The FCS is the largest single provider of agricultural credit in the United States.