This project provided risk management education that advanced-beginning Maine farmers (those who
had been in business for 5-15 years) expressed a need for. Responding to that need, our
content focused on two risk areas: financial and human.
Financial. 4 seminar sessions and 3 farmer-to-farmer forums covered all aspects of
financial management and planning, both short and long term.
Human. 2 seminar sessions and 4 farmer-to-farmer forums addressed multiple factors
that threaten the health and well-being of our family farmers here in Maine, such as
communication skills, stress management, and work/life balance.
The seminar series was delivered online while the farmer-to-farmer forums were a mix of online and
on-farm engagements. Individual technical assistance to program participants was available in any format. Risk management education was provided through MOFGA’s comprehensive Maine Farm Resilience Program (MFRP), as well as a la carte to any advanced-beginning or established farmer.
We had 12 farms participate in the MFRP program, plus an additional 175 who attended the 7
farmer-to-farmer forums, and improved their economic viability by understanding and
implementing strategies that mitigated their risks.