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Outreach and Education

Eleven people standing in a field

What is Risk Management Education?

RMA is making Federal crop insurance available and accessible to as many producers as possible by engaging with communities that have historically lacked access to risk management resources.

To make this connection, every year RMA funds partnership projects, through cooperative agreements, with nonprofits, universities, industry groups, and others to deliver risk management education and training across the country.

In addition, RMA funds pilot projects, through direct awards, to deliver outreach and education under special initiatives that address areas of high need.

RMA’s pilot and partnership projects primarily serve:

  • Historically underserved and limited-resource producers
  • Beginning farmers and ranchers
  • Climate-smart agriculture
  • Urban agriculture
  • Livestock, dairy, and aquaculture producers
  • Specialty crop and organic operations
  • Regions with historically low participation rates in crop insurance

RMA Celebration of Emancipation: A Look at Juneteenth

In honor of Juneteenth, RMA is hosting a MS Teams Live Event on Thursday, June 13 at 1:00pm CDT. Join us for this enlightening discussion as our panelist highlight post emancipation through the lens of homesteading, farming, and land grant institutes during the Reconstruction era.

Poster announcing the RMA Celebration of Emancipation Juneteenth event

Partnership Projects

Learn more about current/past projects and how to apply for funding.

Partnership projects are funded as part of the Risk Management Education Program.

Pilot Projects

Learn more about current pilots and how to participate.

The current pilot programs include Planting Confidence, Building Resiliency, Crop Insurance Navigators, and the Southeast Ambassador.

Success Stories and Program Impact

Learn more about how risk management outreach and education is helping producers across the nation.

Looking to send RMA feedback or host RMA at a local event?

RMA engages with producers and grower groups at national conferences, local town halls, meetings, and listening sessions. This dialogue helps address barriers that may hinder some producers from participating in Federal crop insurance. RMA analyzes data and feedback from these interactions to improve services and insurance products.

Groups requesting to meet with RMA should contact their local RMA Regional Office, or email rma.risk-ed@usda.gov.

Agricultural Management Assistance Program

In states where participation in Federal crop insurance has been historically low, RMA provides funding to help growers manage financial risk through diversification, marketing, or natural resource conservation practices. The Agricultural Management Assistance program, or AMA, is available in 16 states, including Hawaii, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Producers in these states can enroll in AMA through their local USDA Service Center. For more information email rma.risk-ed@usda.gov.