USDA Announces Risk Management Education Program Grants

Jul 02, 2015

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) today announced the availability of $7 million in grants to create risk management education and training programs. The programs would provide organizations with resources to develop training and education tools to help farmers and ranchers effectively manage long-term risks and challenges.

"Education and training are essential tools for farmers of all sizes and operations to help manage risk,” said RMA Associate Administrator Mike Alston. “Through these grants and the crop insurance program, we are ensuring that our farmers can succeed even after tough years.” Through these partnerships, producers will receive assistance in understanding and using crop insurance programs as well as other risk management strategies and tools so they can make the best risk management decisions for their agricultural operations.

Past training partners have included universities, county cooperative extensions and non-profit organizations that specialize in crop insurance and risk management education. Funding includes $5 million for the Crop Insurance in Targeted States Program. The program provides funding for the development of crop insurance education programs in 16 states targeting underserved producers. Additionally, approximately $2 million in funding is available for the Risk Management Education Partnerships Program, which provides funding for the development of general nationwide crop insurance education as well as other risk management training programs.

A broad range of risk management training activities are eligible for consideration under each of the funding opportunities. The 2014 Farm Bill expanded the list to include farm financial benchmarking efforts. Training can also focus on educating farmers on the federal crop insurance program and options resulting from the Farm Bill provisions.

Source:usda.gov

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.