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Training in Risk Management Tools:. Providing Crop Insurance and Financial Education to Under-Served Producers Albert E. Essel Virginia State University. Collaborators. Laurence Crane Albert Essel Kevin Klair Dale Nordquist. Virginia State University
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Training in Risk Management Tools: Providing Crop Insurance and Financial Education to Under-Served Producers Albert E. Essel Virginia State University
Collaborators • Laurence Crane • Albert Essel • Kevin Klair • Dale Nordquist
Virginia State University Center for Farm Financial Services, University of Minnesota National Crop Insurance Services Collaborating Institutions
Goals of Training Program • To help limited resource farmers effectively manage their farm businesses by: • Providing farm business management tools to educators of limited resource farmers • Providing training to use tools effectively
Objectives: 1. To conduct Financial Management and Crop Insurance training for educators and agricultural professionals who serve underserved producers. 2. To organize a leadership team to support educators who serve underserved producers in risk management
Objectives: • To increase producer awareness and knowledge of risk management tools • To provide training and technical assistance for producers to improve their ability to use tools to manage risks.
Producers African Americans Hispanics Native Americans Women Limited Resource Other Underserved Educators 1890 Universities 1994 Colleges Hispanic Serving 1862 Universities Comm. Based Orgs. Agric. Professionals Target Audience
Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Florida Georgia Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Mississippi Montana Missouri North Carolina Oklahoma Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Tennessee Texas Virginia Virgin Islands West Virginia Wisconsin States & Territories with Participants Trained
Program Content • Financial Planning • Business Planning • Crop Insurance
Program Delivery • Nationwide Promotion of program to target populations (Educators) • Registration Fee • Travel Scholarships for Participants • Provide laptop computers to participants
Delivery Methods • Workshops • Computer-based Hands-on Training • Case Studies
Program Delivery - 2003 • Conducted a 2.5 day workshop in: • Petersburg, VA • Baton Rouge, LA • Albuquerque, NM
Program Delivery - 2004 • One 2.5 day workshop in Atlanta, GA • Two 2.5 day Advanced workshops in Petersburg, VA • Leadership Meeting in Petersburg, VA
Program Delivery – 2005 • Focus on Producers • Farm Management Association in VA • Producer Meeting in Pine Bluff, AR • Producer Meeting in Tuskegee, AL
The Tools • FINPACK • FINPACK Business Plan • Crop Insurance manual and training from industry representatives
FINPACK & Crop Insurance Training BASIC TRAINING – ATLANTA, GA APRIL 2004
FINPACK & Crop Insurance Training ADVANCED TRAINING – PETERSBURG, VA MARCH & MAY 2004
VSU Mobile Computer Lab:Business Planning & Recordkeeping 12 networked-computer stations plus an instructor’s station
Program Results • Outstanding evaluations • Lots of enthusiasm to use the tools and materials to help limited resource producers
Challenges • Despite the enthusiasm, follow up surveys indicate each participant used FINPACK with 1.85 farmers and crop insurance with 13.7 farmers in 2004
Questions • What are the obstacles to working with limited resource farmers on improved business management? • How can educators more effectively help limited resource farmers with business management? • How can we support educators better?