The Small Farm Program (SFP) at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) will provide farm financial planning assistance, training and technical support to producers across Arkansas, according to Dr. Henry English, director of UAPB’s Small Farm Program. The initiative has been made possible thanks to a grant from the Southern Risk Management Center.
This initiative is part of the Distressed Borrowers Assistance Network (DBAN), a grant-funded program that brings together community-based organizations and universities to support distressed borrowers and other agricultural producers in multiple states. Through this program, UAPB’s Small Farm Program will serve distressed borrowers and other producers within Arkansas.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) defines a distressed borrower as an individual who is unable to make a scheduled loan payment due to financial hardship. This includes borrowers who are 90 days or more past due on an FSA direct loan or any FSA loan. Through DBAN, UAPB will assist both FSA borrowers and non-FSA producers who need support with farm financial planning and management.
Dr. English said the objectives of the DBAN program include helping producers to:
Evaluate and better understand their current financial situation
Explore options to address financial challenges
Develop strategies to improve the long-term financial health and stability of their farm or ranch
Access and participate in FSA farm loans and other USDA programs
Improve record-keeping practices and prepare program applications
Receive assistance with follow-up visits related to FSA lending requirements.
Interested producers can contact the UAPB Small Farm Program (serving southeast Arkansas) at 870-575-7225 or [email protected]; or the East Arkansas Enterprise Community in Forrest City (serving northeast Arkansas) at 870-270-2215 or [email protected]. For assistance in southwest Arkansas contact Kandi Williams at (870) 571-9428 or [email protected].
Pursuant to 7 CFR Section 15.3, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences, 1890 Research and Extension Programs, offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy, or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
