Risk Management Education

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency (RMA) works with private partners to assist producers, especially limited resource, socially disadvantaged and other traditionally under-served farmers and ranchers, in effectively managing long-term risks and challenges.

Through these partnerships, producers receive assistance understanding and using crop insurance and other farm safety net tools so they can make the best risk management decisions for their agricultural operations. Past award recipients have included universities, county cooperative extension offices and non-profit organizations.

RMA’s Risk Management Education Division manages the cooperative agreements for the Risk Management Education Partnership Program and the Crop Insurance in Targeted States Program.

The Risk Management Education Partnership Program is authorized under the Federal Crop Insurance Act and provides funding for risk management training and informational efforts for agricultural producers through the formation of partnerships with public and private organizations.

The Risk Management Education Partnerships Program develops training and education tools to help farmers and ranchers, especially those traditionally underserved or with limited resources, learn how to effectively manage long-term risks and challenges. Education activities developed under the Risk Management Education Partnerships Program provide U.S. farmers and ranchers with training and information opportunities.

Offered by RMA in all 50 states, this program delivers crop insurance education and risk management training to U.S. agricultural producers to assist them in identifying and managing production, financial, marketing, legal and human resource risk.

The Crop Insurance in Targeted States Program also is authorized under the Federal Crop Insurance Act. It delivers crop insurance education and information to U.S. agricultural producers in states where there is traditionally a low level of Federal crop insurance participation and availability, and producers are underserved by the Federal crop insurance program.

The program ensures that producers in these states are fully informed of existing and emerging crop insurance products, which is one of the RMA’s strategic goals.

Participating states are Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Groups eligible for funding include not-for-profit organizations; state departments of agriculture; state cooperative extension services; federal, state or tribal agencies; groups representing producers; community based organizations; nongovernmental organizations; junior and four-year colleges, universities or foundations maintained by a college or university; and other organizations with the capacity to lead the local programs on crop insurance and risk management education for producers.

To learn more about federal grants or find RMA grant opportunities, visit Grants Website and search by Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Numbers (CFDA): 10.460 for Risk Management Education Partnerships Program and 10.458 for Crop Insurance in Targeted States Program.

Information on exploring risk management options, completing a risk management checklist, and completing a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threat (SWOT) analysis is available at farm-risk-plans.rma.usda.gov.

The Ag Risk & Farm Management Library organizes thousands of materials to help agricultural producers and professionals quickly find the information they need on risk management, marketing, financial management and more. Information is available at agrisk.umn.edu.

Information on Risk Management Education programs, crop insurance, and the farm safety net is available on RMA’s website www.rma.usda.gov and by email at RMA.Risk-ED@rma.usda.gov.