Summary
Yes: there is a free farm business plan template in Word and PDF, built around what USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) lists for direct-loan and guaranteed-loan applications, with FSA's rules quoted as current as of 2026-10-16. You download it with your first name and email. Every figure in it is a labelled example to replace.
Key Takeaways
- •The template is a Word (.docx) file with a 20-page PDF copy. Enter your first name and email to download it.
- •Its appendix maps items 1 to 13 of FSA's direct-loan application list (7 CFR 764.51(b), current as of 2026-10-16) to the plan section that holds each one, or to FSA's form or your FSA office where no section fits.
- •FSA's direct-loan limits, $600,000 for farm ownership (shared with down payment, conservation, and soil and water loans) and $400,000 for operating loans, cap outstanding principal balances at loan closing (7 CFR 761.8, current as of 2026-10-16).
- •FSA's rule making Application Fast Track permanent took effect 2026-10-01 (91 FR 56741). Ask your FSA office whether your application goes through it.
Is there a free farm business plan template for an FSA loan?
Yes.
- Farm business plan template (Word .docx, about 54 KB)
- Farm business plan template (PDF, 20 pages, about 485 KB)
Click either file and enter your first name and email. The form says: “Your download starts right away. We'll also add you to our free business-plan newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime.” It also says: “Free sample: check all information before you use it. Provided as is, without support.”
What's in the file
The PDF is 20 pages; the Word file may paginate differently. Page 1 is a release note. Then come a “Which program?” box, a one-page summary and 10 numbered sections.
Sections 1 to 8 follow the SBA's 8 traditional plan sections (SBA: Plan your business; no date shown, opened 2026-10-20). Section 9 covers risks; section 10, an FSA application checklist, is labelled as an addition. Inside are the farm schedules: experience and goals (4.1 to 4.3), the operation (5.1 to 5.7), and the balance sheet, cash flow budget and workbook bridge (8.1 to 8.3).
The file goes beyond the SBA outline in three places: an appendix mapping FSA's application items to plan sections, a production table whose source column follows FSA's yield order, and one labelled example whose three tables share made-up numbers.
What it does not do
In the file's words: “FSA's own forms (for example the balance sheet worksheet) are the forms you file; this plan is the narrative and schedules around them.” Its other limits:
- No limits, rates, eligibility verdicts, yields, prices or land values; no Application Fast Track criteria.
- No built-in calculations.
- Checked in LibreOffice only. It has not been opened in Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
- Not legal, tax, accounting or lending advice.
FSA's final rule “Driving Efficiency in Farm Loan Delivery” (91 FR 56741, published 2026-09-04, effective 2026-10-01) changed several sections quoted here. Every quote from FSA's regulation on this page is from 7 CFR on eCFR, current as of 2026-10-16 (read 2026-10-20); check the current text.
Which program are you applying for?
It depends on who makes the loan: FSA itself, or a lender with an FSA guarantee.
| Route | What it is | Who you apply to |
|---|---|---|
| FSA direct loan | “a loan funded and serviced by the Agency [FSA] as the lender” (7 CFR 761.2, current as of 2026-10-16) | FSA |
| FSA-guaranteed loan | “a loan made and serviced by a lender” for which FSA has issued a loan guarantee (7 CFR 761.2, current as of 2026-10-16) | A lender, which applies for the guarantee |
| Commercial agricultural lender | No FSA guarantee | The lender; ask what it wants in the plan |
| USDA Rural Development | Separate from FSA farm loans; not covered here | Ask Rural Development |
FSA's list of lenders that want to make guaranteed loans “is made available to farmers upon request” (7 CFR 762.101(b), current as of 2026-10-16). The rule says a guarantee “will not exceed 90 percent”, then lists cases for operating and farm ownership loans issued at 95 percent, including a loan “made to a qualified beginning farmer” (7 CFR 762.129, current as of 2026-10-16). Ask your lender which applies.
Agriculture-related business but not a farm? Use our general business plan template.
What does FSA ask for in a direct loan application?
FSA's rule says a complete application, except in listed cases, “will include” 16 items (7 CFR 764.51(b), current as of 2026-10-16). The template's appendix maps items 1 to 13 to the plan:
| Item | What to gather | 7 CFR section (current as of 2026-10-16) | Where in this plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The completed FSA application form | 764.51(b)(1) | FSA form |
| 2 | Entities: member list; financial statements from each member and the entity; charter and entity documents | 764.51(b)(2) | Sections 2 and 8.1 |
| 3 | A written description of farm training and experience | 764.51(b)(3) | Section 4.1 |
| 4 | The last 3 years of farm financial records, including tax returns | 764.51(b)(4) | Section 5.5 |
| 5 | The last 3 years of farm production records | 764.51(b)(5) | Section 5.2 |
| 6 | Documentation that credit is not available elsewhere on reasonable rates and terms (not for Conservation Loans) | 764.51(b)(6) | Section 5.6 |
| 7 | Documentation of compliance with FSA's environmental regulations | 764.51(b)(7) | Section 5.7 |
| 8 | Verification of all non-farm income | 764.51(b)(8) | Section 5.5 |
| 9 | A current financial statement and the farm operating plan, including the projected cash flow budget | 764.51(b)(9) | Sections 8.1 and 8.2 |
| 10 | A legal description of the farm property owned or to be acquired; leases, contracts and options on request | 764.51(b)(10) | Section 5.4 |
| 11 | Payment for a credit report | 764.51(b)(11) | Ask your FSA office |
| 12 | Verification of all debts | 764.51(b)(12) | Section 5.5 |
| 13 | Any additional information FSA deems necessary | 764.51(b)(13) | Ask your FSA office |
Items 4 and 5 do not apply if you have farmed less than 3 years; items 14 to 16 are for emergency loans and Conservation Loans only; and you need not resubmit information “that already exists in the applicant's Agency file and is still current” (7 CFR 764.51(b) and (g), current as of 2026-10-16).
What a lender sends for a guaranteed loan
The lender submits a shorter list for smaller loans and a longer one for larger loans; ask your lender which size line applies (7 CFR 762.110(c) and (d), current as of 2026-10-16); EZ Guarantee applications have their own paragraph (762.110(b)).
| Loan size | What the lender submits | 7 CFR section (current as of 2026-10-16) | Where in this plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smaller loans (other than EZ Guarantees) | The application form; a loan narrative, including a plan for servicing the loan; a balance sheet; a cash flow budget; a credit report | 762.110(c) | Sections 7, 8.1 and 8.2 |
| Larger loans | Everything for smaller loans, plus verification of income; verification of debts above an amount FSA sets; three years of financial history; three years of production history (for standard eligible lenders only); proposed loan agreements; and, if construction or development is planned, the plans, specifications and development schedule | 762.110(d) | Sections 4.1, 5.2, 5.5 and 8 |
What goes in a farm operating plan, and how are yields projected?
FSA's application list asks for “the operation's farm operating plan, including the projected cash flow budget reflecting production, income, expenses, and loan repayment plan” (7 CFR 764.51(b)(9), current as of 2026-10-16). FSA's rule on the plan (7 CFR 761.104, current as of 2026-10-16) says:
- You submit it “upon request” (a), and “may request Agency assistance” with it (b).
- It “will be based on accurate and verifiable information” (c).
- You “must sign the final farm operating plan prior to approval”, except as the rule provides (g).
FSA's order for projected yields
Projected yields “will be calculated according to the following priorities” (7 CFR 761.104(c)(3), current as of 2026-10-16). The template's production history (5.2) numbers its source column in this order:
- Your own production records for the previous 3 years
- The per-acre actual production history of the crops produced by the farming operation, used to determine Federal crop insurance payments, if available
- FSA Farm Program actual yield records
- County averages
- State averages
The template supplies no yields or prices. FSA's rule says “Unit prices for agricultural commodities established by the Agency will generally be used”, and an applicant with evidence of a premium price may use a higher one (7 CFR 761.104(d), current as of 2026-10-16).
What FSA assesses
FSA's initial assessment “must evaluate, at a minimum” eight items (7 CFR 761.103(b), current as of 2026-10-16):
- organization and key personnel
- type of operation
- goals, including a marketing plan
- adequacy of resources
- historical performance
- the farm operating plan
- a progression lending plan (a plan for graduation)
- a training plan
Historical performance and the operating plan are excepted for Application Fast Track loans (explained below); historical performance and the progression plan, for streamlined Conservation Loans.
How do you show training and experience?
In writing: the application lists “A written description of the applicant's farm training and experience” (7 CFR 764.51(b)(3), current as of 2026-10-16), and section 4.1 is a table for it. FSA lists education, on-the-job training and farming experience as ways to show managerial ability, “as determined by the Agency” (7 CFR 764.101(i), current as of 2026-10-16). Ask your FSA office how your record, and older experience, is counted.
The farm-ownership experience checklist (4.2)
FSA's rule for direct farm ownership loans is worded for an entity: “at least one member who will be the operator of the family farm, must have participated in the business operations of a farm for at least 3 years out of the 10 years prior to the date the application is submitted” (7 CFR 764.152(d), current as of 2026-10-16). Ask your FSA office whether and how it applies to you.
Eight listed experiences “can substitute for up to 2 of the 3 years”; the template prints them as tick boxes (7 CFR 764.152(d)(1), current as of 2026-10-16).
How do you build a cash flow budget that shows repayment?
List every cash inflow and outflow for the period, then subtract. FSA's definition: “Cash flow budget is a projection listing all anticipated cash inflows (including all farm income, nonfarm income and all loan advances) and all cash outflows (including all farm and nonfarm debt service and other expenses) to be incurred during the period of the budget.” The definition allows a 12-month period, a typical production cycle or the life of the loan, “as appropriate”, and a monthly version with the expected operating credit balance (7 CFR 761.2, current as of 2026-10-16).
Section 8.2 has an annual budget and a monthly grid; see also our cash flow statement templates in Excel.
FSA's test: “Feasible plan means when an applicant or borrower's cash flow budget or farm operating plan indicates that there is sufficient cash inflow to pay all cash outflow.” (7 CFR 761.2, current as of 2026-10-16)
Example: an annual cash flow budget
Example — replace with your numbers. A hypothetical operation with made-up enterprises A and B, made-up units and a made-up price; no yield, price or cost here is typical or an FSA figure.
The file's three examples share Enterprise A: Table A's 3-year average of 49 units an acre ((46 + 52 + 49) ÷ 3) gives Table B's income of 58,800 (200 acres × 49 × $6) and direct costs of 42,000 (200 × $210), which Table C uses.
Example — replace with your numbers. Table C.
| Inflows | $ | Outflows | $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise A sales | 58,800 | Enterprise A direct costs | 42,000 |
| Enterprise B sales | 24,000 | Enterprise B direct costs | 15,000 |
| Non-farm income | 30,000 | Overhead (insurance, repairs, utilities) | 12,000 |
| Household living | 26,000 | ||
| Income and self-employment taxes | 4,000 | ||
| Existing debt payments | 6,000 | ||
| New loan payment | 5,000 | ||
| Total | 112,800 | Total | 110,000 |
Inflows 112,800 − outflows 110,000 = 2,800. That $2,800 difference only shows the arithmetic. FSA's rule asks for consideration of “a reasonable amount of cash flow margin” (7 CFR 761.104(f), current as of 2026-10-16) and states no amount. No loan amount, rate or term sits behind the $5,000 new loan payment.
The balance sheet (8.1)
The application asks for “A current financial statement” (7 CFR 764.51(b)(9)), and a lender's guaranteed-loan application includes a “Balance sheet” (7 CFR 762.110(c)(3)), both current as of 2026-10-16. The template uses plain groups, not an FSA form: what you own (cash, inventories, equipment, land and buildings) and what you owe (operating, equipment and real estate debt), with net worth as the difference.
What are FSA's direct-loan limits?
FSA's direct-loan limits are $600,000 for farm ownership (the same line in the rule also covers down payment, conservation, and soil and water loans) and $400,000 for operating loans (7 CFR 761.8(a)(1)(i) and (a)(2)(i), current as of 2026-10-16). They apply to outstanding principal balances, not to one loan alone: the balances of an applicant or anyone who will sign the promissory note “cannot exceed” them “at the time of loan closing or assumption of indebtedness”. Other limits, including combined limits, apply; ask your FSA office.
Guaranteed-loan limits are increased each fiscal year based on the Prices Paid by Farmers Index, and “The maximum loan limits for the current fiscal year are available in any FSA office” (7 CFR 761.8(b), current as of 2026-10-16). This page gives no rates, terms or fees.
What is Application Fast Track?
Application Fast Track (AFT) is “an accelerated underwriting process for direct loans, which uses financial and repayment data to benchmark and identify applicants least likely to default” (7 CFR 761.2, current as of 2026-10-16). FSA's final rule acts “to permanently implement the Application Fast Track (AFT) process” (91 FR 56741).
For loans processed through AFT, “the likelihood of repayment is evaluated by the financial benchmarking process in lieu of a farm operating plan” (7 CFR 761.104(i), current as of 2026-10-16). This page states no AFT criteria; ask your FSA office whether your application goes through AFT.
How do you turn the plan into projections?
Work the Word file's cash flow budget first, then use our free Excel business plan workbook as a cross-check for the 5-year view. Section 8.3 of the template says where the workbook stops:
- Fits: up to five revenue lines, one per enterprise; seasonality by calendar month; payroll; owner draws, where household living can go (a modeling choice, not a rule); a loan amount.
- Does not fit: non-farm income, loan advances, per-acre or per-head structure, production history, and receivables, payables or inventory timing.
To make the Word file read like your own operation, see how to customize a business plan template.
Sources
- FSA regulation, 7 CFR §§ 761.2, 761.8, 761.103, 761.104, 762.101, 762.110, 762.129, 764.51, 764.101 and 764.152, eCFR, current as of 2026-10-16 (read 2026-10-20)
- Federal Register, “Driving Efficiency in Farm Loan Delivery”, final rule, Farm Service Agency, 91 FR 56741, published 2026-09-04, effective 2026-10-01
- SBA — Plan your business (no date shown; opened 2026-10-20)
- Let's Talk Business Plans — Free Excel business plan workbook
FAQs
Do I have to give my email to download it?
Yes. The form asks for your first name and email, and says it also adds you to the free business-plan newsletter; you can unsubscribe anytime.
Is this the FSA form?
No. In the file's words: “FSA's own forms (for example the balance sheet worksheet) are the forms you file; this plan is the narrative and schedules around them. Ask your FSA county office which forms your loan needs.”
What does FSA say about credit scores?
FSA's general eligibility section, 7 CFR 764.101, contains no FICO score. That section asks for “acceptable credit history demonstrated by debt repayment”, and a “no history” of credit transactions does not automatically indicate an unacceptable credit history (7 CFR 764.101(d), current as of 2026-10-16). FSA's rules name a FICO credit score of at least 700 in two Conservation Loan paths: the streamlined direct application and the cash flow budget waiver for a guarantee (7 CFR 764.51(e)(5) and 762.110(f)(3)(iv), current as of 2026-10-16). Each path also requires a debt-to-asset ratio of 40 percent or less and a net worth of 3 times the requested loan amount or more, among other criteria. Ask your FSA office or lender.
Do I need a conservation plan, or is that only for a Conservation Loan?
FSA's application list names a conservation plan for a Conservation Loan only: item 15 reads “For CL only” (7 CFR 764.51(b)(15), current as of 2026-10-16). FSA's definition of a conservation plan says it “only applies to the direct loans and guaranteed loans for the Conservation Loan Program” (7 CFR 761.2, current as of 2026-10-16). A complete direct-loan application lists “Documentation of compliance with the Agency's environmental regulations” (7 CFR 764.51(b)(7), current as of 2026-10-16). Ask your FSA office which environmental review applies.
Does it open in Microsoft Word?
Not confirmed. The Word (.docx) file and its PDF copy were checked in LibreOffice only, not in Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
