The Power of Partnerships
April 27, 2023

Our Regional Offices, Outreach Specialists and Product Management teams are doing so much to meet the needs of underserved producers.  Among other achievements, we recently announced new programs to train and credential insurance agents in underserved communities and assist minority serving institutions with the grant application process.  We’re also working with Tribes to develop federal crop insurance for wild rice.

These accomplishments wouldn’t be possible without the partnerships we form with outside organizations, such as non-profits, grower groups, and university extensions.

USDA’s Dr. Dewayne Goldmon, Senior Advisor for Racial Justice and Equity, speaks at the
Extension Risk Management Education National Conference - Chicago, Illinois, March 28, 2023

This week the Extension Risk Management Education (ERME) National Conference took place in Chicago, bringing together public and private sector educators, crop insurance agents, lenders, and others to share successful risk management education efforts that target agricultural producers and their families.

 Conference participants learned about what is working to help farmers effectively manage the financial, production, marketing, legal and human risks associated with their agribusinesses. 

RMA’s Rebecca Carter - Risk Management Specialist and
North Central Extension Risk Management Councilmember

“The ERME National Conference was an incredible opportunity to meet with people across the United States and learn more about the projects in each region,” says Rebecca Carter from RMA’s Springfield Regional Office.  “The speakers and sessions were informative and re-energized my commitment to helping reduce the uncertainties that our producers face.”

 Rebecca, who has been with RMA since 2018 as a Risk Management Specialist, is a member of the North Central Extension Risk Management Council.  There are four such councils in the United States for different regions of the country and RMA has a representative on each one.

“Our council conducts the annual grants program to fund risk management education projects across the North Central Region, which serves the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin,” she explains.

The conference lasted three days and workshop topics ranged from Managing Risk for Women Livestock Producers to Addressing Agricultural Stress and Suicide Prevention.

“I also attended the pre-conference training, Understanding Heirs’ Property at the Community Level Train-the-Trainer, which will allow me to provide community-level training in the future,” Rebecca shares.  “It is inspiring to be surrounded by so many professionals at this conference that are passionate about our producers’ well-being.”

Sean Patrick, RMA Deputy Director of Risk Management Education and
Kevin Klair, Director of the Center for Farm Financial Management - University of Minnesota
Extension Risk Management Education National Conference – Chicago, Illinois, March 29, 2023

There are many risk management education grants and cooperative agreements offered by RMA and NIFA throughout the country, serving all 50 states and Puerto Rico.  Several past and present RMA recipients were in attendance.

“The goal of this conference is always to bring the cooperative agreement awardees, project directors and participants, together to talk about what made their projects successful and hopefully others can learn from it and build on it,” says Kevin Klair, ERME facilitator and Director of the Center for Farm Financial Management at the University of Minnesota.

Kevin and his team have a current contract with RMA to host a digital platform called the Results Verification System, or RVS, that helps our Outreach Specialists in our Regional Offices manage our cooperative agreements.

“We had 45 breakout sessions this year with 175 participants,” Kevin told me.  “That’s a lot of interactions and opportunities to continue to grow what we are all doing in Risk Management Education.”

I am grateful for the dedication of our partners across the country and for folks like Rebecca who help ensure the resiliency and success of America’s producers.

– Marcia

Marcia Bunger is the Administrator of USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA). Prior to her appointment, she served as a County Executive Director for USDA’s Farm Service Agency. A native South Dakotan, Bunger is also the owner and operator of a 2000-acre farm, a cum laude graduate of Augustana College, and the first member of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and first woman to serve as RMA Administrator.