The Farm Pulse - Risk Management, Grain Marketing, and Crop
Insurance Education for In-Person and Online Delivery leveraged existing relationships
and focus group results with underserved audiences to support grain marketing
and crop insurance curriculum development. The Farm Pulse Continuum updated and
adapted the AgVentures Grain Marketing curriculum into a more relevant format
for use in-person, as stand-alone videos, and an online course. In addition, new
materials were developed to assist farmers with estimating their cost of
production and evaluating crop insurance products.
Target audiences consisted of beginning crop farmers,
organic farmers, and farmers who are retiring or transitioning to new
enterprises, particularly Wisconsin dairy farmers. Farmers reflected on their
farm business and considered risk management, grain marketing management, and
crop insurance products to evaluate and improve their farm’s financial health. Audiences
were reached statewide through in-person “Kick-off” meetings and regional workshops.
Field days were held to provide fundamental grain supply and demand trends. Most
attendees were either recently retiring dairy farmers or who recently
transitioned from dairy production to a corn and soybean cash grain operation.
The project reached audiences through webinars, in-person,
and virtual avenues. Famers attended “Kick-off” meetings to receive a reduced
cost to enroll in the on-line course. Initial meetings resulted in 58 farmers
attending in-person and 35 enrolling in on-line courses or regional meetings. The
project reached a total of 128 unique individuals through in-person workshops
and marketing meetings. Course videos and
modules were viewed 450 times via the course You Tube Channel https://go.wisc.edu/35f23y.
Project outcomes were met through numerous deliverable
methods. Farmers increased understanding of crop insurance and grain marketing
strategies with in-person workshops and field events. Concepts were reinforced
with the corresponding on-line course and videos. Marketing plans were developed
by 12 of the 35 farmers attending regional meetings and on-line courses.