PRINCESS
ANNE, MD- (October 5, 2020)-Registration is now open for MyFaRM, a new
University of Maryland Eastern Shore Extension initiative to deliver risk
management education free to area farmers.
Mastering Farm Risk Management, for which MyFaRM stands, also includes
incentives for a select group of participants to receive free admission to
future events hosted by UMES’ Small Farm Program.
“MyFaRM is a series of classes covering each
of five areas of risk for farms: production, marketing, finances, human
resources and legal risk,” said Nicole Cook, the environmental and agricultural
faculty legal specialist at UMES. “There
is an added emphasis in the MyFaRM program on how to use Federal Crop Insurance
and private insurance options to sustain and support the growth of small
farming operations, particularly those who grow, or plan to grow, specialty
crops.”
The
initiative kicks off at UMES Extension’s 2020 Small Farm Conference November 6 with
an introductory class, said Berran Rogers, the coordinator of UMES’ Small Farm
Program. A core group of farmers who
commit to attending at least eight out of 11 of the classes, including the
kickoff class and the financial risk series, will come away with a five-year
risk management plan for their farms. They will also qualify for free admission
to the 2020 and 2021 Small Farm conferences, the November 5 virtual UMES Hemp
Conference and the 2021 UMES Small Farm Marketing Bus Tour along with other
workshops, tours and field demonstrations throughout the 2021 summer and fall.
MyFaRM
instructors include experienced educators from the Agriculture Law Education
Initiative, UMES Extension, University of Maryland Extension, Virginia State
University, the Maryland Agricultural & Resource-Based Industry Corporation,
MidAtlantic Farm Credit and other industry experts, Cook said. Farmers
with experience in diversifying their farms and developing niche markets for
their products will also be presenters.
Educators
at UMES Extension secured a nearly $100,000 Northeast Extension Risk Management
Education Center grant (USDA, NIFA grant # 2018-70027-28588) for the 18-month
project.
To
register, visit https://myfarmkickoffclass.eventbrite.com. Contact Cook at nlcook@umes.edu
or by calling 410-651-6182 for more information.
Gail Stephens, agricultural
communications and media associate, School of Agricultural & Natural
Sciences, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, 410-621-3850, gcstephens@umes.edu.