Addressing Farmers’ Legal Risks
May 4, 2023

There are so many resources available to producers today than when I started farming in the early 1980s. Of course, we did not have the internet back then.  The advent of the world wide web brought online resources to everyone’s fingertips and the world of agriculture was no exception. COVID also underlined the value utilizing the internet in business.

Last year, RMA funded a project with Farm Commons, a charitable organization located in Duluth, Minnesota, that produces workshops and other resources to help famers mitigate and navigate the legal risks they may encounter. 

Through an RMA funded agreement, Farm Commons produces a podcast series that addresses crop, property, and liability insurance coverage, uninsurable crops, workers’ compensation and disability insurance for farmers, and suspected discrimination in insurance, among other topics. The podcasts are particularly geared toward informing women, beginning, and specialty crop producers.

Farm Commons Team (L to R) Kate Cowie-Haskell (Farmed Education Associate), Rachel Armstrong (Executive Director), Bonita Croyle (Communications Manager), Eva Moss (Education Program Director), and Chloe Johnson (Staff Attorney). 

“Producers listen to these instructional podcasts in a virtual cohort setting,” explains Education Program Director Eva Moss. “They learn about legal risks and recommended best practices to manage those risks. The producers then share how those learning points align with their on-farm experience and wisdom, sharing feedback, generating stories, and committing to action steps.”

Eva, who has ancestral farming roots stretching from the island of Samoa to Southern Appalachia, leads the development of Farm Commons educational curriculum. She holds a master’s degree in Food and Agriculture Law from Vermont Law School, has taught food policy courses, and operated her own small farm business in central North Carolina.

“I’m passionate about guiding farmers and ranchers through our programming and connecting them with knowledge and tools that cultivate healthy farm business relationships,” Eva says.

Feedback from farmers suggests that the Farm Commons podcasts provide easily digestible legal information that has helped them think about insurance risk management strategies that they have not considered before.

“Producers appreciate the condensed format - 25-minute episodes - where our staff share crop insurance information through easy, accessible language and tips,” Eva adds. “They have made critical decisions as to what kind of insurance coverage best fits their unique risk factors, goals, and budget for their farm businesses.”

So far, Eva’s team has published more than six podcasts utilizing RMA’s recent funding. One of these episodes, Farmers Dig In to Crop Insurance, explores the decision making process for selecting an appropriate policy. It features actual producers’ feedback and stories that informs and hopefully inspires other farmers.

I would encourage you to visit farmcommons.org for more information and see how RMA funding is making a real difference for the people we serve.

– 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.