Extension Risk Management Education Competitive Grants Program Announces Funding Opportunities
The Extension Risk Management Education (ERME) program in conjunction with the Risk Management Education Centers (see map) announces the availability of grant funds and requests the submission of applications. Awards will fund 18-month projects conducted between April 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025. The grant program offers grant pools to serve educational programs to empower farmers and ranchers with tools to manage their business risks. ERME grant programs:
- Extension Risk Management Education Competitive Grants Program. This funding opportunity focuses on educational projects designed to help agricultural producers improve their economic viability through targeted risk management strategies. Funding will be provided for outcomes and outcome-based risk management education projects designed to help producers learn and use tools and approaches that can reduce the adverse effects of the uncertainties of weather, yields, prices, credit, government policies, global markets and other factors, including human resources and legal issues – all of which may result in wide swings in farm income or threaten the economic viability of the farm or ranch. Applications must clearly identify what the risk management outcomes will be for producers and how they will improve their economic viability. Applications must also develop and use measurable outcome verification to evaluate the progress that participating producers make toward achieving the proposed risk management outcomes.
- Risk Management Education for Producers Underserved by Crop Insurance. This funding opportunity is specifically designated for the delivery of risk management education to agricultural producers underserved by the Federal crop insurance program. Funding will be provided for outcomes and outcome-based risk management education projects designed to help producers who are underserved by crop insurance understand the risks inherent in their operation, the methods and tools available to mitigate these risks, how to effectively use these methods and tools, and how to manage risk by implementing these methods and tools. Applications must articulate the primary source(s) of risk faced by their target audience and develop training activities that will help those producers take specific actions that generate measurable results from managing these risks. Project outcomes may include strategies other than crop insurance; however, the educational focus should align with an enhanced understanding and use of crop insurance tools. Examples include recordkeeping, financial literacy, or marketing, as well as risk management strategies to use when a crop insurance program is not available or not applicable.
