The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), invites applications for the Agriculture Risk Management Education Partnerships Competitive Grants Program (ARME) 2021 to provide resources for four regional risk management education centers for the purpose of developing and delivering agricultural risk management education materials.

These activities include futures, options, agricultural trade options, crop insurance, cash forward contracting, debt reduction, production diversification, marketing plans and tactics, farm resources risk reduction, and other appropriate risk management strategies.

Objectives

The primary goals and objectives of the ARME program are to:

• provide U.S. agricultural producers and their families, as appropriate, with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed risk management decisions that enhance profitability of their operations,
• deliver risk management education to agricultural producers underserved by the Federal crop insurance program.

Program Risk Categories

The Regional ARME Centers are expected to address the risk management needs of agricultural producers and their families in the following five (5) risk management categories:

• Production Risk: A production risk is any production related activity to achieve or event that has a range of possible outcomes, such as uncertain natural growth processes of crops and livestock.
• Marketing Risk: Marketing risk is any related activity or event that leads to the variability of prices farmers receive for their products or pay for production inputs.
• Financial Risk: Financial risk encompasses those risks that threaten the financial health or the business, such as the volatility of prices, yields and income as well as changing interest rates, credit rules, and the availability of credit.
• Legal Risk: Legal risk is generated by uncertainties surrounding and resulting from government policies and regulations related to tax laws, food safety, labeling and marketing, protected species, water use, animal health and welfare, chemical use, animal waste, other environmental issues such as clean air and water, government commodity and income support programs, and the legal liabilities of a variety of litigious issues faced by farms and ranches.
• Human Risk: Human Risk refers to human relationships that impact the viability of farm and ranch businesses including communication, labor management and supply, intergenerational transition, estate planning, heir’s property, and human health and relationship issues including accidents, illness, disability, death and divorce.

Funding Information

• The total amount of funds available for five awards under this ARME request for applications is $9,600,000 for FY 2021 and each year thereafter through FY 2023 for support of five grant awards under this program.
• Funding Breakdown:
  • North Central ARME Center: $2,250,000
  • Western ARME Center: $2,250,000
  • Southern ARME Center: $2,250,000
  • Northeastern Center for ARME: $2,250,000
  • Risk Management Education Electronic Support Center for ARME: $600,000

Eligibility Criteria

• Applications may only be submitted by qualified public and private entities (including land grant colleges, cooperative extension services, and colleges or universities).
• This includes all colleges and universities, Federal, State, and local agencies, nonprofit and for-profit private organization or corporations, and other entities.
• Award recipients may subcontract to organizations not eligible to apply provided such organizations are necessary for the conduct of the project.
• Failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the application deadline may result in the application being excluded from consideration or, even though an application may be reviewed, will preclude NIFA from making an award.

For more information, visit USDA-NIFA.