Release No. 0236.98 Risk Management Education Grants Integrated Risk Management Education $248,461 This project will develop an integrated risk management education curriculum and deliver it via educational programs for agricultural producers in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. It will develop local educational teams of agricultural professionals. Educational Partners: South Central Technical College, North Mankato, MN, grantee; North Dakota State Board for Vocational and Technical Education; Cooperative Extension Systems in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota; Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Farm Business Management Education Program; South Dakota Farm Business Management Education Program; Harvest States Cooperative and Country Hedging, Inc.; USDA Risk Management Agency; National Association of Crop Insurance Agents; Minnesota Bankers Association; North Dakota Bankers Association; South Dakota Bankers Association; Minneapolis Grain Exchange; InterTribal Bison Cooperative, South Dakota. Contact: Dennis Lloyd Jackson (507) 389-7264 Understanding Farmer Risk Management Decision Making and Educational Needs $243,388 The objective of this project is to develop the knowledge base to guide the design and implementation of effective risk management programs for agricultural producers. The project will identify the risk management objectives of diverse agricultural producers, investigate perceptions and understanding of risk management tools and strategies, examine how factors influence choices of strategy, and study how information and analysis influence producers perceptions and risk management choices. Educational Partners: Mississippi State University, grantee; Purdue University; University of Nebraska at Lincoln; Texas Agriculture Experiment Station, an advisory committee of public and private-sector professionals. Contact: Keith H. Coble (601) 325-6670 Risk Management Education with Focus on Producers and Lender Stakeholders $250,000 This project will help farmers and lenders manage risks, and will expand the understanding of risk management with focus on farmer liquidity constraints. The project will develop and distribute a risk-management curriculum to farmers, provide training and workshops, improve risk-management financial expertise with workshop applications tailored to lenders, and use computers and telecommunications in risk management education. Educational Partners: Pennsylvania State University, grantee; Cooperative Education Systems in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia; Pennsylvania Agricultural Bankers Association; Pennsylvania Farm Credit System; USDA Farm Service Agency; Smith Barney, Inc.; First Pioneer Farm Credit. Contact: Gregory D. Hanson (814) 865-6362 Managing Risks and Profits for the National Grain Industry: A Whole-Farm Approach $72,180 The goal of this project is to create and deliver information and analytical tools to help grain farmers and agribusinesses manage their risks and profits for entire farms. The project will create and revise risk management programs for whole-farm assessment, analyze profit levels and cash-flow risks, create a risk management center at Iowa State University, deliver subject matter at a distance, measure the risk tolerance of farm operators, and analyze the effectiveness of innovative information-delivery systems. Educational Partners: The Ohio State University Extension Service, grantee; University of Wisconsin; University of Illinois; Iowa State University; Texas A&M University; American Agrisurance Co.; Rain and Hail Insurance Co.; IGF Insurance Co.; American Farm Bureau; Iowa Farm Bureau; National Corn Growers Association; Chicago Board of Trade; Miller & Associate; H+H Marketing Skills; Data Transmission Network; Farm Progress Publications. Contact: E. Dean Baldwin (614) 292-0491 National Program for Integrated Dairy Risk Management Education and Research $129,600 This project will focus public and private expertise on generating understandable, useful, and results-oriented knowledge and tools for the dairy industry. The project will develop a risk management educational curriculum for dairy producers, conduct symposia and regional training workshops, develop relevant computer software, and distribute information electronically. Educational Partners: The Ohio State University, grantee; University of Wisconsin; University of California-Davis; Cornell University; University of Minnesota; University of Missouri; Pennsylvania State University; North Carolina State University; Iowa State University; Coffee, Sugar, and Cocoa Exchange, Inc.; Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.; Alto Dairy Cooperative; Land O'Lakes Cooperative, Inc.; Foremost Farms, USA; Dairylea Cooperative, Inc.; The Alliance of Western Milk Producers; Farm Credit Systems; Roger Bliming & Associates; Wisconsin Agribusiness Council; Community Bankers of Wisconsin; Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association; First National Bank of Platteville, Wisconsin; Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association. Contact: Cameron S. Thraen and Normand St.-Pierre (614) 292-2702 Optimal Grain Marketing: Integrated Approach to Balance Risks and Revenues $232,800 The goal of this project is to develop information on commonly available risk-management tools coupled with assessment of how such tools can be expected to perform. The project will reach 500 elevator operators and 20,000 farmer customers with a standardized methodology for evaluating new products, with emphasis on the use of cash contracts.. Educational Partners: National Grain and Feed Foundation, grantee; country elevator organizations. Contact: Kendell W. Keith (202) 289-0873 Agricultural Risk Management Education for Small and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers $229,808 This project will create risk management educational materials and help socially disadvantaged and limited-resource farmers in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and North Carolina understand how to manage risk. This will nurture a partnership between the private crop insurance industry and the 1890s Land-Grant institutions in the four states, providing a model for similar efforts elsewhere. The project will also integrate risk management education into outreach, training, and technical assistance programs for small-scale farmers. Educational Partners: Virginia State University Cooperative Extension Service, grantee; Delaware State University, North Carolina A&T State University, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore; private crop insurance industry. Contact: Albert E. Essel (804) 524-5491 Delivery of Agricultural Risk Management Education to Extension Officers and Small-Scale Farmers $150,000 This project will develop and implement risk management education for students, extension agents, small-scale farmers, limited-resource cooperatives, industry groups, and community based organizations within 28 Mississippi counties. It will help small-scale farmers limit their exposure to marketing, financial, and legal risks. Educational Partners: Alcorn State University, grantee; Mississippi Small Farm Development Center; Mississippi Association of Cooperatives; Mississippi Agribusiness Council; Farm Service Agency/Crop Insurance. Contact: Samuel W. Scott (601) 877-6449 Georgia Agricultural Risk Management Education Program $250,000 The objective of this project is to train producers and agribusinesses in risk management. The project will train young farmers to provide risk management assistance and provide instructional material and technology to increase managerial skills in agricultural operations. It will provide risk management training for minority, limited-resource farmers and migrant workers in 134 Georgia counties; and establish a certified risk management program for farm workers. Educational Partners: Georgia Department of Education, grantee; Fort Valley State University; Georgia Young Farmer Association; Farm Credit Agency; Georgia Banking Association; Georgia Department of Labor. Contact: Don Register (912) 386-3429 Pacific NorthWest Risk Management Education Project $236,339 The objective of this project is to help Pacific Northwest cereal grain producers improve and apply risk management skills. The project will develop a research-based educational curriculum to increase understanding of risk management tools and integrate areas of risk management in a decision-making process for small grain producers. The project will deliver a producer-oriented risk management program to more than one thousand grain producers. Educational Partners: Washington State University, grantee; Washington Association of Wheat Growers; Oregon State University; Oregon Wheat Producers League; Intertribal Agriculture Council; University of Idaho; Country Hedging, Inc.; Idaho Grain Producers Association; USDA Risk Management Agency. Contact: Jonathan R. Newkirk (509) 659-3211 Risk Management Research and Education for the Florida Citrus Industry $19,172 This project will develop appropriate risk management tools and strategies for citrus growers in 32 southern Florida counties. This will help growers understand their increased exposure to risk and use risk management tools and strategies. Educational Partners: University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, grantee; Central Florida Farm Credit Service; Florida Farm Bureau; SunTrust Bank; Florida citrus grower associations. Contact: James A. Stricker (941) 533-0765 Risk Management Education: A Risk-Management Club Approach $150,000 This project will extend applied risk management information to agricultural producers and agricultural businesses in Kansas. The project will establish local risk-management clubs and survey club members to determine risk perceptions, risk-management skill levels, and educational needs. It will plan and conduct educational meetings, and carry out follow-up evaluations to measure the effectiveness of the risk-management club approach. Educational Partners: Kansas State University, grantee; Kansas City Board of Trade; Kansas Farm Bureau; Kansas Risk Management Agency. Contact: Barry L. Flinchbaugh (785) 532-1505 Leveraging Risk Management Education Using Crop Insurance Agents $166,500 The goal of this project is to broaden the understanding of risk management principles among more than 15,000 crop insurance agents nationwide. The project will train crop insurance agents in risk management and foster a partnership involving extension specialists, crop insurance agents, and socially disadvantaged and limited-resource farmers. The project will begin a conference series on risk management modeled after one in North Dakota. Educational Partners: National Crop Insurance Services, Inc., grantee; North Dakota State University; The Rural Coalition. Contact: Laurence M. Crane (913) 685-2767 Economic Performance and Producer Use of Market Advisory Service Products $250,000 This project will provide producers of corn, soybeans, and wheat with an objective, comprehensive evaluation of the economic performance of crop market advisory services. It will describe how subscribers use market advisory services, as well as current risk management practices, and educational needs of crop producers. Educational Partners: University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service, grantee; Data Transmission Network. Contact: Scott H. Irwin and Darrel L. Good (217) 333-6087 Comprehensive Risk and Business Planning: A Case Plan Approach $106,841 This project will help producers and others in risk management consulting and educational efforts understand comprehensive business planning. Participants will learn to prepare business plans by commodity to address various situations. The project will encourage producer groups to develop comprehensive risk management and business plans, and will create and maintain an online forum on risk and financial management. Educational Partners: University of Nebraska--Lincoln, grantee; Nebraska Pork Producers Association; Farm Progress Publications; Kearney Area Agricultural Producers Alliance; Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation, Nebraska growers associations. Contact: H. Douglas Jose (402) 472-1749 Develop AgRisk 2000 $206,150 This project will develop and provide a comprehensive risk management tool which can be used by farmers, lenders, and service providers to evaluate pre-harvest risk-management strategies. The project is targeted at producers located in the Corn Belt, Wheat Belt, Delta Region, and Southern States. Educational Partners: University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service, grantee; Ohio State University; American Farm Bureau state offices; crop insurers; grain merchandisers; lenders. Contact: Scott H. Irwin (217) 333-6087 Risk Management Education for Limited-Resource Latino Family Farmers in California's Central Coast $85,000 The goal of this project is to improve the risk management skills of limited-resource Latino family farmers in California's central coast. The project will improve the farmers' capacity to understand the risk associated with their business, analyze risks and use information in problem-solving and decision-making, and incorporate risk management education into a small-farm production and management curriculum. Educational Partners: Association for Community Based Education, grantee; Rural Development Center, Salinas, CA; Small Farm Center of the University of California-Davis; California Occupational Safety and Health Association; California Cooperative Extension Service; USDA Natural Resourc es Conservation Service; USDA Farm Service Agency; California Coastal Development Corporation; Community Alliance with Family Farmers; Office of the California Agricultural Commissioner. Contact: Jose H. Montenegro (408) 758-1469 # NOTE: USDA news releases and media advisories are available on the Internet. Access the USDA Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://www.usda.gov