NSAC's Blog
USDA Awards $7 Million for Risk Management Education
October 28, 2015
Last week, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced awards totaling over $7 million for risk management education and training programs through the Risk Management Education Partnerships Program and the Targeted States Crop Insurance Education Program.
Although farming is risky business, farmers can take a variety of actions to mitigate the inherent risk in farming. This year, these two grants programs will support 51 organizations that provide farmers with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed risk management decisions for their operations.
Risk Management Education Partnerships
RMA awarded $2,622,185 in grants through the Risk Management Education Partnerships Program. This program encourages the formation of partnerships with public and private organizations to inform farmers about risk management strategies.
The 35 funded projects will help to educate and train farmers on a range of risk management topics, including crop insurance, farm succession planning, farm labor, food safety, local food marketing and branding, and conservation best practices.
This year, the Request for Applications (RFA) prioritized several risk mitigation strategies including education on Whole Farm Revenue Protection. Of the grants awarded, 12 projects aim to promote Whole Farm Revenue Protection.
It is unclear what organizations are being funded since the partnerships listed on the regional RMA office websites list only a description of the project, the award amount, and the states in which the partnership will operate. However, we do want to recognize the following NSAC members that we know received awards this year:
- Farmer Veteran Coalition — The project aims to deliver comprehensive crop insurance education and risk management training to beginning farmers who are also military veterans.
- Michael Fields Agricultural Institute — The project will educate farmers in Wisconsin about Whole Farm Revenue insurance.
- Land Stewardship Project — This projects seeks to secure farm viability through stage-appropriate risk management education for specialty crop and livestock farmers.
- California Farm Link — This project will target small, beginning and limited-resource farmers to facilitate financial risk management and crop insurance understanding through group education and 1:1 technical assistance.
Targeted State Education Program
RMA also announced 16 awards totaling $4,904,377 through the Targeted States Crop Insurance Education Program.
This program provides funding to projects in 16 states that historically have had the lowest level of participation in the federal crop insurance program, including Northeastern states, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming.
As with the nationwide Education Partnerships Program, the Targeted States RFA also prioritized projects that include Whole Farm Revenue Protection training. Of the grants awarded, three projects aim to promote Whole Farm Revenue Protection.
To view project descriptions, visit each RMA regional office website for the 2015 Risk Management Education and Targeted States funding awards for that region.
Categories: Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Grants and Programs