On Tuesday, October 26, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced its annual Partnership Agreement awards, which are geared primarily toward small and underserved producers.  This year, $9.6 million in funds were awarded, including $3.6 million in Community Outreach and Assistance Partnerships.

According to the USDA press release, these partnerships “can help farmers diversify production and marketing practices, or to provide planning tools to help farmers obtain the insurance and credit that are often critical to their ability to stay in business”.

RMA divides its Partnership Agreements into three categories: risk management and crop insurance education, community outreach and assistance, and research and development activities.  Within the community outreach and assistance category, seven NSAC member organizations were awarded partnerships for projects totaling $474,017!  Congratulations goes to:

• Land Stewardship Project for “Risk Management Training for Beginning Farmers: Meeting the Local Food Challenge”
• The Kansas Rural Center for “Increasing Risk Management Effectiveness”
• Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York for “Educating Organic and Sustainable Producers on General Risk Management and Food Safety Strategies in New York State”
• Maine Rural Partners for “Farm Energy Partners”
• Georgia Organics for “Seeding the South’s Sustainable Food Future”
• Southern SAWG for “Spreading the Wealth”
• California FarmLink for “Facilitating Mentorships for Young Beginning and Underserved Farmers: Managing Risk through Peer Relationships”

Within the “commodity partnerships for small agricultural risk education sessions” category, six NSAC member organizations were awarded partnerships, for projects totaling $59,909.  Congratulations to:

• Michigan Land Use Institute for “Producers Success Series: Planning and Marketing”
• Community Alliance with Family Farmers for “Risk Management Education through a Farmer to Farmer Forum”
• Northwest Coalition for Alternatives for Pesticides for “Financial and Production Risk Management Education for Idaho”
• Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York for “On-Farm Risk Management Training and Tools for New York Organic and Sustainable Producers”
• Just Food for “Risk Management Education and Outreach for Farmers Marketing in New York City”
• Southern SAWG for “Practice Risk Management Strategies for Organic Vegetable Farmers”

To read more about RMA’s Partnership Agreements, click here.  To see a full list of organizations awarded community outreach and assistance partnerships, click here.