USDA Renews Borrower Training Agreement with University of Tennessee

Contact: Greer Gill
greer.gill@usda.gov
(615)277-2615

USDA and UT Extension Leadership sign the renewed Borrower Training Agreement, which expands program offerings for FSA’s financial training curriculum. Front row: FSA State Executive Director John Litz and UT Senior Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice President Keith Carver. Back row from left: UT Extension’s Assistant Dean Justin Rhinehart, Dean Ashley Stokes, and FSA Farm Loan Chief James Welborn. Photo by Greer Gill, USDA.


KNOXVILLE, Tenn., May 15, 2023 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) and University of Tennessee (UT) Extension renewed their partnership by executing an extension of the Borrower Training Agreement for the ninth time on May 4, 2023. John Litz, FSA State Executive Director for Tennessee, signed the renewal agreement with UT Extension leaders Keith Carver, Ashley Stokes, and Justin Rhinehart as well as FSA Farm Loan Chief James Welborn. 

With the signing of this agreement, the partnership is expanded to make several other UT Extension educational programs available as part of the financial and production training curriculum.  These educational programs include the Master Farm Manager and Farming Fundamentals Programs and Commodity-Specific Master Education Production Programs offered to producers by UT Extension.

“Farming and ranching requires a wide range of expertise, and FSA is committed to helping producers start and maintain their agricultural operations,” said Litz. “UT Extension educational programs are designed to make sure that producers in Tennessee have access to the knowledge and resources they need to be successful with their farming operations.”

The first agreement was signed in 1994.  Since that time UT Extension has provided financial and production training to FSA customers throughout Tennessee.  Prior agreements utilized the MANAGE Program for financial training and locally scheduled training programs, farm tours and AgResearch Field Days for production training.  

For more information on FSA’s farm loan programs, please contact your local FSA office or visit farmers.gov.