UMass Extension works in partnership with the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Northeast Extension Risk Management Education (ERME) Center in the development and delivery of a risk management education program for Massachusetts agricultural & aquaculture producers. This is a multi-faceted program with the intent to provide the most comprehensive and up to date information to Massachusetts producers at meetings, seminars, community events, and other outreach programs, in conjunction with our primary partners and other commodity groups.

Developing an effective risk management program on your farming operation begins with assessing the various risks on your operation.  Two very helpful tools to assist you in identifying risks on your farming operations and how you can address those risks are the Strengths, Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis along with the Risk Management Checklist.  

Our program also works in cooperation with the USDA - Risk Management Agency (RMA), the USDA agency responsibile for Federal Crop Insurance.  Visit our specialized pages to get more information on which crops are covered by Federal Crop Insurance along with other options available through USDA to provide protection on your various crops.  Please visit the USDA RMA website here for useful information.   Federal Crop Insurance is sold only by licensed private crop insurance agents.  Click here to find a crop insurance agent in Massachusetts.  What should you expect from or look for in a crop insurance agent?

For further information, questions or to schedule a small group or individual information/training session, contact UMass Extension Risk Management Specialists, Paul Russell at pmrussell@umass.edu or Tom Smiarowski at tsmiarowski@umass.edu .

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