HMI Training Courses are FSA Approved
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) has a number of loan programs for farmers and ranchers who need to borrow money to start, expand, sustain or make changes to their businesses. To better qualify for many of the FSA’s loan programs, applicants may need to take training courses, or “borrower 
training credit”, in order gain skills necessary for farm/ranch production or financial management.
We’re pleased to offer a number of Holistic Management courses that provide financial and production planning that have been rigorously reviewed and approved by the FSA. These courses include:
- Getting Started Holistic Grazing Planning
- Getting Started Holistic Financial Planning
- Individualized Distance Holistic Grazing Planning
- Individualized Distance Holistic Financial Planning
- Beginning Farmers & Ranchers Series
- Whole Farm/Ranch Business Planning
- Whole Farm/Ranch Land Management
The financial and production planning curriculum in these courses are approved in the following state FSA offices:
| Arizona | California | Colorado |
| Connecticut | Idaho | Maine |
| Massachusetts | New Hampshire | New Mexico |
| New York | Oregon | Pennsylvania |
| Rhode Island | Texas | Vermont |
Check back with us, as we plan to add more states in the near future. In addition, a number of our Holistic Management® courses have been recognized and approved for the Nebraska Beginning Farmer Tax Credit.
Process for FSA Participants
When you register online for a course through HMI, you MUST notify us that you are taking the course to qualify for borrowing. Just check the box, “Are you taking this course for FSA training?” This alerts HMI staff to work with your instructor to ensure all your documents are in order and evaluated, including successfully completing of quizzes and the FSA evaluation form. We’ll ask you for your loan officer’s information so we can ensure they receive the info they need.
If you apply for an FSA loan within a year after taking any of the courses above, your training may still qualify. Contact Julie Fierro, HMI’s Education Manager, at [email protected] Please provide her with copies of your completed assignments and provide your loan officer’s contact information, and we will follow up with FSA on your behalf.
More About FSA Loans
The FSA is a branch of the US Department of Agriculture and they offer a number of different low-interest agricultural loans. You can find out more about the organization, their loans, (including microloans for beginning famers) and state loan officers on their website.
If you would like to apply for a loan with FSA, completing any of the approved courses above may improve your standing with the loan officer and may allow you to waive further requirements before receiving a loan. If you’ve already applied and been told you need “borrower training credit”, all the courses above will qualify in the states mentioned above.
