Completed Project Report


Cooperation as a Risk Management Tool for Small- and Medium-Sized Farmers

  • Award Amount: $39,700
  • Regional Center: North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center
  • Grant Program: 2006 Competitive Grant Program

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Project Overview

Cooperative approaches can provide a viable alternative for producers to reduce risks and more effectively manage farm resources. Faced with a shortage of available skilled labor and rapidly rising equipment costs, some producers have found creative ways to share both labor and equipment in their operations. Others have expressed interest in sharing resources, but lack the knowledge to do so. Additionally, sharing resources in farm operations can have implications for taxation, liability, and farm payment eligibility that are not fully understood.

The objectives of this project are to create awareness among producers in the Midwest about cooperative strategies for sharing resources and to provide tools for developing arrangements suited to their particular situations. We will conduct producer workshops, followed with one-on-one consultations with interested groups. We expect 100 producers to attend the workshops with five making substantive changes in their operations in the near term as a result.

Number of Participants: 165

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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