An extended period of continued low commodity prices, growing debt,
and declining agricultural asset values created more risk for Texas
farmers and ranchers. The ability of producers to meet short-term debt
obligations is increasingly in jeopardy. Now more than ever, producers are using risk management education, crop insurance, and other tools to
manage through these challenging times. This project targeted Texas crop
and livestock industries with programs directed at production,
marketing, financial, and legal risk management education. The program
highlighted crop insurance education for traditional producers as
well as programs designed for underserved audiences such as PRF,
dual-purpose wheat, and whole farm revenue suitable for specialty crop,
marketing, or production practices. A wide variety of programs aimed to
move producers from better understanding to implementing comprehensive
risk management strategies.
Meetings were intended for a wide
variety of audiences, but a dedicated effort with program partners and
specific topics was designed and engaged underserved audiences including
beginning, veteran, and limited resource producers. In total, our
project was heavy on program delivery, ranging from introductory to
in-depth training. We included 18 Extension faculty hosting 119 meetings
with an approximate attendance of 5,864.