USDA – Farm Service Agency University of Maryland’s Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC), University of Maryland Extension (UME), Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), and USDA – Risk Management Agency would like to announce a series of upcoming Farm Bill workshops across Maryland. These workshops will build upon the earlier ones held in August and familiarize participants with final rules, signup deadlines, and how to utilize decision tools to pick the program options that work best for a producer.
Workshops will be held on in:
November 25 – Chesapeake College, Wye Mills, MD (commodity emphasis);
Jan. 8 – St. Mary’s County Ag Center, Leonardtown MD (commodity emphasis).
Producers will hear from experts with FSA on the finalized program rules and signup deadlines for the new commodity programs Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) programs and the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program and the new Dairy Margin Protection Program (MPP). Decision tools developed in partnership with FSA will be highlighted by representatives from the Department of Ag and Resource Economics. The decision tools are designed to help producers gain an understanding of how these programs could potentially manage risks in their operations. USDA-RMA will cover new crop insurance options, such as Supplemental Coverage Option.
Finally, participants will be provided with an opportunity to utilize the web-based decision making tools and ask questions to the trainers. The decision making process in the 2014 Farm Bill is not an easy process, and understanding how the decision making tools can aid in this decision will allow the producer to make a better decision for their individual operation. Producers are highly encouraged to bring past yield histories, previous planting histories, and base acres for at least one farm to see how a program would impact your farm.
Each workshop will run from 9:30 to 3pm and lunch will be provided. Preregistration is required please contact your local UME office on specific details on how to register. The tentative agenda is as follows:Time Session 9:30 to 10:00 Registration10:00 to 11:00 Overview of Final Regulations and Deadlines for New Commodity and Dairy Programs, George Turner or Bob Wevodau, MD USDA-FSA11:00 to 12:00The Decision Tool: Walking Through An Example Howard Leathers or Paul Goeringer, AREC12:00 to 1:00Lunch1:00 to 1:30 Crop Insurance Update, Gene Gantz, USDA-RMA or Steve Connelly, MDA1:30 to 3:00 Evaluations and Producers Using Decision Tools – Trainers will help answer questions to better aid producers use tools on their own
Preregistration is required. To see details on how to register for each workshop, please click on the respective location to get details on how to register.
For more information on the 2014 Farm Bill, please see AREC’s 2014 Farm Bill page that includes helpful documents, links, and deadlines.