The Distressed Borrowers Assistance Network (DBAN) helps farmers facing financial distress connect with one-on-one support, technical assistance, and resources to stabilize their operations and work toward healthier financial futures. Organized by Farm Aid, RAFI, and Farmers’ Legal Action Group, with support from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), DBAN builds on the farmer advocate movement that emerged during the 1980s farm crisis.

DBAN trains Direct Service Providers (DSPs) in the network to help farmers better understand their financial situation, explore available options, recover financially, and more easily access resources such as FSA farm loans and USDA programs related to conservation, disaster recovery, crop loss, and income loss.

Whether you’re facing a loan payment you can’t make, trying to understand a letter from USDA, or simply feeling overwhelmed by paperwork, you don’t have to navigate it alone. Farmers seeking support can call the Farm Aid Hotline at 800.FARM.AID or RAFI’s Farmer Financial Crisis Hotline at 866.586.6746.

During the 2026 DBAN Network Gathering in Birmingham, Alabama, we asked Direct Service Providers from across the country how farmers can make the most of this kind of support. The answers shared one common message: don’t let perfect preparation stop you from making the call.

Tip 1: Start with what you have

“If you have more documents, bring them in,” says Sarah Wentzel Fisher of the Southwest Grassfed Livestock Alliance. “If you don’t need them, no worries — but more information is better.”

If you have a business plan — even an informal one — bring it. Financial statements are helpful, and they don’t need to be perfect. A simple description of your farm, your goals, and the records you currently keep can provide a strong starting point.

Any document connected to your operation may be useful: loan paperwork, tax records, production notes, receipts, leases, bank statements, crop or livestock records, or correspondence from USDA or your lender.

Tip 2: Open the mail

One piece of advice came up repeatedly: don’t ignore letters from the USDA, your lender, or other creditors.

Jeanette Lombardo, CEO of Farmer Veteran Coalition, often begins by asking farmers to pull out their loan documents and read them together. Many producers don’t realize what options already exist in their loan agreements. Understanding payment terms, deadlines, and available servicing options is often the first step toward finding a solution.

Even if you’ve misplaced important records — whether through a move, a natural disaster, or simply the passage of time — don’t let that stop you from asking for help. Many organizations can assist in replacing missing documents and rebuilding the information needed to move forward.

Tip 3: You don’t need perfect records

Not every farm keeps formal financial statements or detailed bookkeeping systems. Many Direct Service Providers work alongside beginning farmers, immigrant farmers, tribal producers, and others whose businesses don’t fit neatly into traditional recordkeeping models.

One DSP shared that many of the farmers they support have very little documentation — not because they aren’t working hard, but because the systems they’ve always used don’t match conventional expectations.

Instead of seeing that as a barrier, DSPs work to find creative approaches and solutions. Years of selling at a farmers market, customer relationships, production history, or other lived experiences can help tell a farm’s story.

Tip 4: Think about your farm goals

Before your conversation, spend a few minutes asking yourself what problem you’re trying to solve. What outcomes do you hope to achieve? What does success look like in six months?

Muajlis Larson of Friendly Hmong Farms believes these questions can help farmers and DSPs start in the same place. Having a clear picture of your goals — even if you’re unsure how to reach them — helps everyone work toward the same outcome.

Tip 5: Be honest about where you’re starting

“You don’t have to feel bad if you’re starting from ground zero,” says Erik Heimark of Renewing the Countryside.

If possible, sit somewhere you can access your computer, bank accounts, or other online records during your conversation. Being able to look things up together can save time and help answer questions as they come up.

Most importantly, be open about what you’ve already tried and where you’re feeling stuck. Your support team isn’t there to judge you — they’re there to help you figure out the next step.

Tip 6: Don’t wait until it’s too late

Many farmers wait too long before asking for help. Perhaps the strongest message from every conversation was this: Call early. The sooner you reach out, the more options you may have.

Financial stress can feel isolating, and many farmers hesitate to ask for help because they feel embarrassed or hope things will improve on their own. But the earlier you speak to a DSP, the more opportunities they will be able to help you access. Loan modifications, payment extensions, restructuring options, and referrals to trusted partners are generally much easier to secure before a situation becomes a crisis.

As Jeanette Lombardo puts it, creditors generally don’t want to repossess equipment or foreclose on farms; they want to find workable solutions. That process begins with communication.

You don’t need perfect records. You don’t need all the answers. You simply need to start the conversation.