USDA FSA Borrower Training

An online Nebraska Extension course designed to assist beginning farmers and ranchers with understanding financial record-keeping and planning has been approved as a borrower training course by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency. 

Produced by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Center for Agricultural Profitability, the USDA FSA Borrower Training course is the only online asynchronous borrower training certification available to agricultural producers in Nebraska. 

The course is a five-part, 15-hour program designed to help participants strengthen their financial and operational management skills. The curriculum covers topics like goal setting, risk management and financial planning. By the end of the course, participants will be equipped to set specific farming or ranching goals, understand key financial documents and use them to make sound business decisions. Participants have one year to complete the course and receive certificate of completion.

The program is available through NU Advance, the university’s course delivery platform for online non-credit and professional development offerings. Jessica Groskopf, a Nebraska Extension educator and course instructor, said this allows for a dynamic learning experience on desktop and mobile devices, making course content like videos, discussion boards and activities more accessible for borrowers who need to satisfy the terms of their loans.

“FSA often requires borrowers to complete training as part of their loan agreements and we are excited to offer this course, which allows participants the flexibility to complete it at their own pace over the course of a year, whenever and wherever they can,” Groskopf said. “We’re glad to be able to offer this as the only such online course with that sort of flexibility for producers in Nebraska.”

After completing this course, participants will be able to define specific goals for their farming or ranching operations and outline a plan for achieving these goals, supported by present and projected cash flow budgets. They will also be prepared to establish and maintain a financial management information system, utilizing tools such as income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow budgets to guide their decisions.

Each of the five modules includes interactive content and case studies that guide participants through critical aspects of agricultural business management:

• Module 1 – Goal Setting & Record Keeping: Participants learn effective goal-setting techniques and explore key accounting concepts, such as cash vs. accrual accounting, and record reconciliation.
   
• Module 2 – Balance Sheet Construction and Analysis: This module focuses on building and analyzing balance sheets, with an emphasis on financial ratios like working capital and debt-to-asset ratios.
   
• Module 3 – Cash Flow & Income Statements: Participants gain insight into cash flow management, budgeting, and income statement development, including accrual adjustments.
   
• Module 4 – Taxes: This session introduces farm taxation basics.
   
• Module 5 – Case Study: The program concludes with a comprehensive case study, allowing participants to apply their learning by conducting a financial assessment of their own operation or a simulated case study farm.

The USDA FSA Borrower Training course is now available through the NU Advance system. Register here.

For information on Farm Service Agency loans available to farmers and ranchers, visit your county’s USDA Service Center or find information at https://farmers.gov/loans.