NSAC's Blog
Risk Management Education Funding Available
June 7, 2013
The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), operating through the Risk Management Agency (RMA), has announced available funds totaling approximately $3 million for the Risk Management Education Partnerships Program. The deadline for applications is July 22, 2013.
The Risk Management Education Partnerships Program is a competitive cooperative partnership agreement program that provides crop insurance education and risk management training. It aims to help agricultural producers identify and manage production, marketing, legal, financial, and human risk.
The program prioritizes educating producers of crops currently uninsured under Federal crop insurance, specialty crops, and underserved commodities, including livestock and forage. It also prioritizes collaborative outreach and assistance programs for limited resource, socially disadvantaged, new and beginning and other traditionally under-served farmers and ranchers.
The minimum award for a cooperative partnership agreement is $20,000 and the maximum award is $99,999. The awards will be distributed on a competitive basis up to one year from the date of the award.
In addition to priority commodities, the program prioritizes projects that address one or more of the five areas of risk — Production, Legal, Financial, Marketing, or Human Risk — including:
- Education on proper use of cover crops
- Record keeping practices
- Farm benchmarking for production and financial management
- Commodity contracting and hedging methods
- Marketing strategies to promote domestic and foreign market opportunities to local producers
- Production and market strategies to expand the use of farm products differently for value added
- Organic production methods
- Integrated livestock crop management practices
- Best practices to transition CRP land to crop production
- Crop insurance education and risk management training to producers in designated Strike Force areas
- Translating RMA risk management education brochures into Spanish, Hmong, or Navajo language for producer crop insurance education • Farm and food safety education to farm workers
- Proper irrigation methods
- Erosion control measures
- Good farming practices
- Forest, range, water management
- Crop Insurance Education on Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (Rainfall Index) program, Enterprise Units, or Prevented Planting
- Crop Insurance Education and Risk Management Training to High School or College students preparing for careers in agriculture
In addition to the Risk Management Education and Partnerships Program described above, the FCIC has announced available funds totaling approximately $5 million for the Risk Management Education in Targeted States. The targeted states are Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Applications must demonstrate how the proposed crop insurance education activities will help producers in the targeted states understand the following:
- the kinds of risk addressed by crop insurance
- the features of existing and emerging crop insurance products
- where applicable, the proper use and application of cover crops
- the use of crop insurance in the management of risk
- how crop insurance can affect other risk management decisions
- how to make informed decisions on crop insurance prior to the sales closing date deadline
- record-keeping requirements for crop insurance
Interested parties for either program may submit applications online here. The deadline is July 22, 2013.
Categories: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Organic