FACT SHEET

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FARM SERVICE AGENCY

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September 2013

How to Complete an FSA Loan Application

Overview

This fact sheet describes 

how farmers can apply for a 

direct farm loan with the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture’s 

(USDA) Farm Service Agency 

(FSA). FSA must follow 

all relevant federal credit, 

environmental, and debt 

collection laws and policies 

when making farm loans.

Applying for a Loan

Farmers interested in applying 

for a loan should contact 

their local FSA office. FSA 

employees determine loan 

eligibility and approval. 

FSA direct farm ownership 

and operating loan funds 

can assist farmers with such 

needs as purchasing farmland, 

livestock, equipment, feed 

and other materials essential 

to farm operations; paying 

normal operating and 

family living expenses; and 

refinancing certain debts. 

FSA loans cannot be used to 

refinance personal debts, buy 

personal vehicles, or start and 

operate ineligible enterprises. 

FSA employees at the local 

office can explain what 

information is needed and 

how to obtain it. In some 

areas, FSA can arrange for 

an outside organization to 

help the applicant gather the 

information and complete 

the forms. If available, this 

help is provided at no cost to 

the applicant. Providing all 

of the following information 

will help the loan application 

process flow smoothly. (Please 

note that other information 

may be required depending on 

each individual situation).

FSA Forms

The following forms must be 

completed: 

■ FSA 2001: Request for 

Direct Loan Assistance 

If the applicant is a 

cooperative, corporation, 

partnership, joint operation, 

trust, or limited liability 

company, additional 

information will be 

required of each member 

of the entity. Applicants 

will need to discuss the 

structure of the business 

with an agency official. 

(Applicants will need to 

provide a credit report fee, 

which will vary in amount 

depending on how many 

individuals are applying 

and/or the business 

structure). 

■ FSA-2002: Three Year 

Financial History

■ FSA-2003: Three Year 

Production History

■ FSA-2004: Authorization 

to Release Information

■ FSA-2005: Creditor List

■ FSA-2006: Property 

Owned and Leased

■ FSA 2037: Farm Business 

Plan Worksheet-Balance 

Sheet

■ FSA 2038: Farm Business 

Plan Worksheet-Projected 

Income and Expense 

■ FSA-2302: Description 

of Farm Training and 

Experience.

Additional Information

In addition to forms, an 

applicant must provide FSA 

the following information as 

part of the loan process (Note: 

If the applicant is already an 

FSA borrower, this information 

should be on file with the 

FSA):

■ Proof that the applicant 

cannot obtain credit from 

private sources at reasonable 

rates and terms. A referral 

letter from a bank or other 

local lending institution serves 

as proof and may or may not 

be necessary depending on the 

applicant’s financial situation. 

■ Three years of federal 

income tax returns.

■ Copies of any leases, 

contracts or agreements.

■ Documentation 

showing compliance with 

regulations governing certain 

environmental programs. The 

local FSA office can assist the 

applicant with meeting this 

requirement.

For information on the 

Microloan operating loans, see 

the Microloan fact sheet.
FACT SHEET

How to Complete an FSA Loan Application September 2013

Emergency Loans (EM)

EM loans help cover 

production and physical losses 

for producers in counties 

declared as disaster or 

quarantine areas. Applicants 

requesting an EM loan based 

on losses in declared areas 

should also provide the 

following forms:

■ FSA 2309: Certification of 

Disaster Losses

■ FSA 2310: Request for 

Lender’s Verification of 

Loan Application

Actual Production History 

(APH) yields must be 

established by a producer’s 

crop insurance company 

and will be used to calculate 

losses. If APH yields are not 

available, three years of the 

producer’s production history 

will be used.

Obtaining Forms and 

Submitting Loan 

Obtaining Forms 

and Submitting Loan 

Applications

FSA forms can be obtained 

from the local FSA office or 

can be downloaded and printed 

from USDA’s E-forms website 

at http://forms.sc.egov.usda.

gov/eForms/. 

Applicants who are 

having problems gathering 

information or completing 

forms should contact their 

local FSA office for help. 

After completing the required 

paperwork, an applicant 

should submit the farm loan 

application to the local FSA 

office.

What Happens After a Loan 

Application is Submitted?

After a loan application is 

submitted, FSA reviews the 

application and determines 

if the applicant is eligible 

for the requested loan. The 

applicant will receive written 

notification of each step in 

the process, such as when 

the application is received, 

when more information is 

needed, when an eligibility 

determination is made, and 

when a final decision is made. 

If the application is approved, 

FSA makes the loan and funds 

are distributed as needed. 

If the application is denied, 

the applicant is notified in 

writing of the specific reasons 

for the denial, and provided 

reconsideration and appeal 

rights.

More Information

Visit FSA’s website, www.

fsa.usda.gov, for details on 

the types of loans and loan 

amounts offered, as well as 

for information about all FSA 

programs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) prohibits discrimination in 

all its programs and activities on the 

basis of race, color, national origin, 

age, disability, and where applicable, 

sex, marital status, familial status, 

parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political 

beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part 

of an individual’s income is derived 

from any public assistance program. 

(Not all prohibited bases apply to all 

programs.) Persons with disabilities 

who require alternative means for 

communication of program information 

(Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) 

should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). 

To file a complaint of Discrimination, 

write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil 

Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, 

SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or 

call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 

720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider and employer. 

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