Few beginning, socially disadvantaged, and specialty crop producers in the mid-Atlantic region are served by crop insurance. By expanding the highly reviewed Pick-Your-Own Consultant Program with new categories of producers and consultants, and by fine-tuning program implementation, Future Harvest helped producers in our network understand if they qualified for insurance programs and mitigate all five areas of risk. Over thirty producers participated in 30+ hours of one-on-one consulting. Future Harvest members also received a one-pager on crop insurance, which we will continue to circulate after the program's end.
Participating producers - with a focus on socially disadvantaged, beginning, and specialty crop producers - worked with agricultural business experts, marketing professionals, lawyers, insurance agents, and other experts of their choosing for one-on-one consulting sessions. Participating producers received coaching on at least one of their business’s main vulnerabilities and gain an improved analysis of and plan to address said risks.
The new program iteration allowed us to expand our list of consultants, increase farmer awareness of this resource, and improve and streamline program implementation. Meanwhile farmers who have less access to / knowledge of / ability to afford and obtain crop insurance received tailored risk mitigation advice.