Completed Project Report


Laying the Groundwork for Farm Success: Strategies for Risk Management for Beginning and Limited-Resource Farmers

  • Award Amount: $49,980
  • Regional Center: Southern Extension Risk Management Education Center
  • Grant Program: 2018 Education Projects
  • Project Director: Rockiell Woods
  • Email: rockw@ncat.org
  • Organization: National Center for Appropriate Technology

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Project Overview

Beginning farmers face many risk management challenges as they start their farming enterprises. This project employed various methods, including a series of workshops, risk management resources, and one-on-one technical assistance, to help beginning and limited resource farmers mitigate these risks. The educational risk management trainings addressed financial risk through business and strategic planning; legal risk through personal and business liability; marketing risk through marketing plans and strategies; and production risk through insurance products and transitioning to new, sustainable production systems. Four on-farm, risk management workshops were held in Mississippi. NCAT partnered with Alcorn State Extension Service, the Mississippi Minority Farmers Alliance, and three local farmers to recruit and train beginning, veteran, limited resource, and historically under-served farmers. Project participants developed business, financial, and marketing goals, performed risk assessments and developed risk management plans, identified areas of legal risk and developed plans to address them, and evaluated enterprise diversification and insurance options for their farms. They received planning workbooks, resources, and follow-up assistance to develop complete business/financial plans for their operations. The project provided at least 7 training hours to 85 producers and 1 hour of training to 30 producers through workshops.

Number of Participants: 115

Outcomes

Project Steps

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

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EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

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REPORTS & EVALUATIONS

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DELIVERY AREA

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