Release No. 0238.01
Alisa Harrison (202) 720-4623
Maria
Bynum (202) 720-5192
WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2001-The
Agriculture Department announced today that it has awarded $4.8 million in
grants to carry out a comprehensive risk management education program for
agricultural producers in the United States.
"Managing risk is critical to
the success of our farmers and ranchers," said Agriculture Secretary Ann
M. Veneman. "These grants will
provide training to help producers enhance risk management skills they need to
thrive in today’s marketplace.”
Proposals were accepted from public and
private entities including colleges and universities; Federal, State, and local
agencies; non-profit and for-profit organizations; and others. All grants were
competitive and awarded based on merit
USDA's Cooperative State Research,
Education and Extension Service and Risk Management Agency collaborate
regularly on risk management education programs. Funding for this program came from the Federal Crop Insurance
Corporation fund, managed by the Risk Management Agency.
The grant awards are as follows:
COLORADO
--Colorado State University, Fort Collins,
$99,180--This project will develop an internet risk management education
program based on a "simulation game." The simulation provides many
"teachable moments" and allows coverage of more risk management
topics including risk faced by livestock producers.
DELAWARE--University
of Delaware, Newark, $647,286--The Northeast Region Risk Management
Education Center at the University of Delaware will allocate funds to
cooperators in each state in this region to permit timely implementation of the
program. This will be followed by a
solicitation of proposals for additional projects that will be selected for
funding on a competitive basis by a Regional Advisory Committee.
ILLINOIS--University
of Illinois, Urbana, $75,000--This project will provide farmers with the
tools needed to evaluate the impact of newer crop marketing contracts and crop
insurance risk management products.
IOWA--Iowa
Soybean Association, Urbandale, $100,000--This grant will offer Midwest
farmers individual analysis of risk exposures as well as advice on assembling a
balanced package of tools and techniques to best address their needs.
MICHIGAN--Michigan
State University, East Lansing, $21,000-- The goal of this project is to
develop educational materials that help farmers recognize their common,
systematic biases that impede them from making sound farm management decisions.
MINNESOTA
--University of Minnesota, St. Paul, $175,000--This
project will improve producers' access to risk management education material by
supporting and expanding the role of the National Ag Risk Education Library.
NEBRASKA
--University of Nebraska, Lincoln, $962,868--The
North Central Regional Risk Management Education Center is located at the
University of Nebraska. It is now
identifying educational needs in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois,
Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and
Kansas. Direct grants are being awarded
to each of the 13 land-grant institutions in the region and a subsequent
competitive grants program will encourage collaboration among public and
private agencies and organizations involved in risk management education.
$100,000--This project will
establish a national resource center for women in agriculture and thus increase
the opportunities for farm and ranch women to gain knowledge and skills in all
aspects of business management, including risk management.
NORTH
CAROLINA --North Carolina State University, Raleigh,
$75,000--This project will design and deliver an educational program
reflecting the shift from production agriculture crop insurance needs to
personal liability insurance needs.
OHIO--Ohio
State University, Columbus, $50,000--This project develops an internet web
site called AgRisk OnLine that will help farmers evaluate different
combinations of risk management strategies such as using futures and options;
buying crop insurance; or entering into a hog marketing contract.
OKLAHOMA—Oklahoma
State University, Stillwater, $60,000--The project will assist producers in
understanding and addressing risk through the development of five resource publications
which will be distributed through the National AgRisk Education Library, state
risk management coordinators, and the regional risk management education
centers.
SOUTH
CAROLINA --South Carolina State University,
Orangeburg, $75,000--This grant will be used to form a collaboration with
the 1890 Extension programs to develop risk management educational materials
that are relevant to the needs of small-scale and limited- resource
farmers.
TEXAS
--Texas A&M University Research and Extension Center at Stephenville,
$1,154,884--The Risk Management Education Center for the Southern Region
resides at Texas A&M University Research and Extension Center at
Stephenville and will be expanding its programs into 13 states and Puerto
Rico. The programs will address risk
encountered in the full range of farm operations with specific projects
designed to meet the needs of limited-resource and minority producers.
WASHINGTON
--Washington State University, Spokane, $991,679--The
Western Regional Risk Management Education Center operated by Washington State
University will coordinate and conduct risk management education programs in
Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho,
Washington, Alaska, Oregon, California and Hawaii. Projects will improve the risk management skills of agricultural
producers and their families.
$182,413--This project will design and implement a results‑based data collection and reporting system on the nature and amount of change in the risk management behavior of farmers, ranchers and their families.
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