Educators, Navigators, Share Successes in Salt Lake City
April 18, 2024

The annual Extension Risk Management Education (ERME) National Conference took place in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 9-11, bringing educators and agribusiness professionals together to share successes in providing training and services to producers and their families.

The event is important because resources are limited and the need for risk management education is increasingly growing,” says Shannon Neibergs, Professor of Agriculture Economics and Director of the Western Risk Management Education Center at Washington State University. “Risks are growing through climate challenges, yield loss, and projected declines in farm income, which amplifies financial risk, so we want to help producers utilize programs and insurance tools.”

There are four Extension Risk Management Education councils in the United States for different regions of the country and RMA has a representative on each one. Our teammates advise the councils on risk management priorities and help determine funding for a variety of projects annually.

The three-day conference included workshop topics ranging from Feedstuff Sourcing to Building Ag Businesses in the Bahamas.

(L to R) Members of the University of Arkansas’ Navigators Program - Chimere Hampton,
Tiana Scurry, Project Manager SeRena Hill, David Stephens, and LaGrand Elliott,
presented at the 2024 ERME Annual Conference – Salt Lake City, Utah, April 10, 2024

One of our current education partners, the Southern Risk Management Education Center at the University of Arkansas, gave a presentation on the RMA funded Navigators Program. This project strengthens outreach and technical assistance to underserved farmers and ranchers through trained crop insurance specialists called Navigators.

Navigator LaGrand Elliott, who is also the co-owner of Footprint Farms - one of the largest urban farms in the United States, shared some of the successes his team has had over the past two years in the Southeast.

“I love this program, because I can speak from a farmer’s perspective,” he explains. “We have insurance for tractors, we have insurance for buildings, but in many cases the farmers we talk to do not have proper insurance if something catastrophic were to happen to the land.”

LaGrand and his fellow Navigators shared some of the inroads they have made to inform producers of available USDA and crop insurance programs and subsidies, along with benefits for new farmers. They also shared challenges they have seen with a lack of crop insurance materials and knowledge available at USDA Service Centers and steps they have taken to help fill gaps.

“Farming is rewarding work, but there are no guarantees,” LaGrand says. “You need to protect your livelihood and we find that the more producers understand the information we share, the more they experience those ‘Ah-ha!’ moments and take action.”

More than 200 education and outreach professionals attended the annual
Extension Risk Management Education (ERME) National Conference Salt Lake City, Utah, April 9-11

There are many risk management education grants and cooperative agreements offered by RMA and NIFA throughout the country, serving all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Several past and present RMA recipients were in attendance.

Farmer Campus, an organization that helps farmers reduce the risks of wildfire and climate change impacts in California, Washington, Oregon, and Colorado was honored with an Outstanding Project Award. Their RMA-funded project has reached more than 790 new producers since 2021.

“We had about 50 breakout sessions this year with roughly 220 participants,” Shannon told me. “We had a particularly good turnout of people from the western states since it was held in Utah this year.”

Congratulations to ERME for a successful conference this year! I am grateful for the dedication of our partners across the country and RMA’s education specialists who help ensure the resiliency and success of America’s producers. Our successes reaching farmers, ranchers, and rural communities, wouldn’t be possible without the partnerships we form with outside organizations, such as non-profits, grower groups, and university extensions.

We recently wrapped up deliberations on funding $3 million for 2024 Risk Management Education proposals, building on the more than $6 million invested in training over the past few years. I will be very excited to announce the new projects soon! 

– Marcia

Marcia Bunger is the Administrator of USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA). Prior to her appointment, she served as a County Executive Director for USDA’s Farm Service Agency. A native South Dakotan, Bunger is also the owner and operator of a 2000-acre farm, a cum laude graduate of Augustana College, and the first member of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and first woman to serve as RMA Administrator.