The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency announced the availability of grant funds through its four regional Risk Management Education Centers (Northeast, North Central, Southern and Western). This is a funding opportunity for projects that help farm and ranch families succeed through targeted risk management strategies. Risk management education provides training that improves the ability of agricultural producers and their families to effectively manage the risks associated with farming and ranching businesses.

With the addition of several new risk-management products, including the Livestock Risk Protection-Lamb (LRP-Lamb) pilot program in 27 states, the 2007 Extension Risk Management Education Grants Program offers an opportunity for the development of state and regional projects to help sheep producers understand how the various options can be used in their operation to help manage risk in their sheep enterprises.

"We encourage sheep producer leaders and state affiliates to work with education professionals in their states to develop proposals to help educate producers in how to manage risk," stated Burdell Johnson, president of the American Sheep Industry Association.

The first step, the pre-proposal, is an online application that must be submitted by Dec. 13, 2007. Qualified applicants include private and public groups, organizations and institutions with a demonstrated capacity to develop, carry out and manage education projects that create targeted results for agricultural producers and their families.

Detailed information about the grant program is located on each of the regional Risk Management Education Center Web sites. They can be found online at the following sites: Northeast Region, www.necrme.org; North Central Region, www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/ncrisk; Southern Region, http://srrme.tamu.edu/; and Western Region, www.westrme.wsu.edu.
Staff contact: Paul Rodgers, 303-771-3500

<< Back