Dear Colleagues,

The Western Extension Risk Management Education Center (Western Center), in conjunction with the Northeast, North Central and Southern Center has announced a funding opportunity for projects that help farm and ranch families succeed through targeted risk management strategies. This announcement seeks applications from eligible organizations with a demonstrated capacity to develop and deliver results/outcome-based risk management education and training programs to agricultural producers and their families underserved by the Federal crop insurance program. The maximum amount of requested funding shall not exceed $100,000. Each regional ERME Center anticipates awarding approximately 7-8 new grants from this announcement, subject to the availability of funds and the quality of applications received.

The ERME program intends to carry out this funding opportunity to deliver risk management strategies, education, and outreach specifically directed to producers (including a member of an Indian Tribe) that are underserved by the Federal crop insurance program, including but not limited to:

1. beginning farmers or ranchers;

2. veteran farmers or ranchers;

3. socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers; and

4. farmers and ranchers using dairy risk management policies or plans for coverage

Risk management involves taking a deliberate and knowledgeable approach to dealing with one or more of the five primary sources of agricultural risk. The ERME program aspires to enhance farm and ranch profitability and economic viability by enabling producers to successfully manage these risks. Proposed educational programming should align with one or more of the five areas of risk: production risk; marketing risk; financial risk; legal risk; human risk. Key program objectives are 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.

Crop insurance education is a broad topic and as such is associated with each of ERME's five risk areas as noted above. Examples of crop insurance educational topics include but are not limited to:

• Covered and non-covered crops;
• Cover crops;
• Importance of risk management strategies for perennial/specialty/organic crops;
• Prevented planting provisions;
• Understanding policy selections;
• Understanding price and coverage levels;
• Importance of unit selection;
• Whole Farm Revenue Protection;
• Livestock policies;
• Online crop insurance resources and tools;
• Grain/crop marketing;
• Financial recordkeeping;
• Production recordkeeping
• Benchmarking and crop planning;
• Sales closing and acreage reporting deadlines;
• Written agreements where crop insurance is not available;
• Production history and its relevance to crop insurance;
• Types of insurance policies and options within each type;
• Filing a claim;
• Relationship building with insurance agents and other ag influencers;
• Dairy risk management policies.

The estimated project period for awards will be 18 months beginning on June 1, 2020 and completed no later than November 30, 2021.

For additional information, please review the full solicitation available on the program's website: https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2162/2020/01/2020-Underserved-WC-RFA.pdf

Please consider referencing the resources available in the online application system (RVS) to assist with proposal development.  Additionally, the Western Center delivered a webinar for potential applicants on March 6th; a recording of the webinar and a copy of the presentation slides are available for you review. 

Questions or comments regarding the RFA may be directed to Jo Ann Warner, 509-477-2168, warnerj@wsu.edu  or Shannon Neibergs, 509-335-6360, sneibergs@wsu.edu.

Applications are due on March 26, 2020.

Thank you,

Kathleen Nolan, Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)