Overcoming Resource Constraints: Developing Regional Risk Management Program Teams

1. Overcoming Resource Constraints: Developing Regional Risk Management Program Teams Kynda Curtis, Utah State University Staci Emm, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension

2. Today’s Presentation • Economic environment • Creating collaborations & programmatic teams • Identified program needs • Native Americans • Women • Beginning Farmers & Ranchers • Amplifying impact

3. Economic Environment • University of Nevada, Reno • Budget cuts at 20.7% in 2009, 6.9% in 2010 • Loss of ag econ & animal science depts (& associated specialists) • Nevada Cooperative Extension proposed cut of 72%, 2011-2012 • Utah State University • Budget cuts at 17% for 2009-2010, 2% for 2011 • Combining resources to better serve farmers & ranchers in Nevada & Utah

4. Creating Collaborations/Teams • Identify people that like working together & share similar goals • Identify geographic location to be served • Identify strengths/weaknesses in team expertise • Supplement team through hires if needed • Identify target audience • Target Native American, women, & beginning farmers/ranchers

5. Team Expertise • Kynda Curtis, Niche marketing/business planning & program evaluation • Staci Emm, Beef production/marketing, business entrepreneurship & youth programs • Ruby Ward, Taxes & financial management • Loretta Singletary, Conflict resolution and program evaluation • Dillon Feuz, Livestock marketing • Randy Emm, Indian programs & crop/livestock insurance • Kathy Frasier, Indian programs & record-keeping/Quickbooks • Carol Bishop, Enterprise budgets & feasibility analysis • Additional expertise in livestock production, vegetable/fruit production, & food safety/labeling • Ron Torell, Dan Drost, Steve Foster, Jay Davison, Karin Allen, & Brent Black

6. Curriculum • Business planning • Entrepreneurship • Business/marketing plans • Niche/direct marketing • Crop/livestock insurance • Record-keeping/budgeting • Tax structure/preparing for taxes • Profitability/feasibility assessment • Production • Niche beef production • Small-scale fruit/vegetable production • Food safety

7. Funding • Funding sources • Utah State University & University of Nevada Cooperative Extension • USDA-Risk Management Agency • Targeted states program • Outreach program • NIFA-BFRDP • Beginning farmer/rancher program • NIFA-FRTEP • Federal recognized tribes extension program • Western SARE • Funding applied for & managed by team PIs

8. Program Needs Agricultural Product Receipts and Farm Demographics Source: USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service, 2007

9. Program Needs Number of Socially Disadvantaged/Limited Resource Farm Operators Source: USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service, 2007

10. Native Americans • Provide on-reservation training in Nevada • Record-keeping • Crop/livestock Insurance • Agricultural taxes • Small-scale vegetable production • Hold the only statewide American Indian Summit for tribal producers, Nevada • Plan to expand programming to Utah Fall 2011 • Conduct regional tribal programming needs assessment summer 2011

11. Women • Fastest growing producer population • Small-scale fruit/vegetable production on the rise • Demand for local foods/direct markets increasing • Require knowledge to increase their profits & meet their family needs • Require skills to reduce family stress & conflict, including time management and dispute resolution

12. Women • Nevada Small Farms Conference • March Fallon, NV • Great Basin Women & Youth in Ag Conference • June Las Vegas, NV – For Utah, Nevada, & Idaho • General Topics • Record-keeping/business planning/taxes • Crop/livestock insurance • Vegetable/fruit production/marketing • Food safety in value-added production • Niche livestock production/marketing • Family business management/conflict resolution • Direct marketing-farmers markets, farm-to-school

13. Beginning Farmers/Ranchers • FFA program – MARSS (managing agriculture risk seminar series), Nevada • 30 classes held in pilot 2009 • 12 classes with new curriculum 2011 • Utah Building Farmers Program • Fall 8 week session, Utah • Fall 3 day conference, tribal members in Nevada • Diversified Agriculture Conference • February, Utah • Nevada Small Farms Conference • March, Fallon, NV • Economic Assessment of Low Water-Use Crops • One-day course held year-round in Utah, Idaho, & Nevada

14. Evaluation Program • Pre/post-testing • Post-workshop evaluation • 6 month and/or 1 year follow-up evaluation • Standard KASA, practices, SEEC model • Change in knowledge/attitude • Use of new knowledge/change in practice • Economic/social impacts

15. Program Impacts – Conf/Summit

16. Program Impacts - Reservation Workshops 2009 2010

17. Program Impacts • Results of Nevada Crop/Livestock Insurance Handbook Evaluations and Programming Participant Survey Regarding Crop/Livestock Insurance Understanding and Use • Understanding of crop insurance features, tools, use in risk management and awareness of agents increased by 6-15% from 2009-2010 • Use of crop insurance increased by 6% from 2009-2010 • Results from the 2010 handbook evaluations and 2010 survey are similar • The cost of crop insurance and inappropriate for farm/ranch were the primary reasons respondents didn’t purchase crop insurance in both the 2010 handbook evaluations and 2010 survey • Crop insurance policies earning premium increased by 32.22% from 2008-2009, and by 5.88% from 2009-2010

18. Program Impacts

19. Questions? Thank you!