PRINCESS ANNE, MD- (November 20, 2020)- Local farmers can take advantage of University of Maryland Eastern Shore Extension’s MyFaRM initiative, a free program consisting of a series of classes covering the aspects of farm risk management. The first series focusing on financial risk begins December 8 with an in-person socially distanced class from 2-5 p.m. in the Richard A. Henson Center on the main campus.
“The MyFaRM program presents an incredible opportunity for Lower Eastern Shore farmers to get comprehensive information and assistance in developing risk management plans that cover the unique needs of their individual farms,” said Nicole Cook, UMES Extension’s environmental and agricultural faculty legal specialist. “The goal is to help them better manage the risks that come with farming in today’s world.”
The financial risk series continues on December 15, from 3-6 p.m. and December 22, from 3-6 p.m. Registration for it and other classes, including legal, human, production and marketing risks is available by visiting https://myfarmfinancialrisk1.eventbrite.com . All classes will follow COVID-19 public health requirements for the safety of participants.
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.
“Farmers can attend any of the series of risk classes most pertinent to their operations, however a core group of participants who commit to attending at least eight out of the 10 classes will qualify for other free opportunities through fall 2021, namely, the UMES Small Farm Marketing Bus Tour, the 2021 Small Farm Conference and other tours, field demonstrations and workshops,” Cook said.
For more information about the MyFaRM program, assistance in registering for classes, or to get an application to be in the core group of farmers, contact Nicole Cook at nlcook@umes.edu or by calling 410-651-6182.
The MyFaRM (Mastering Farm Risk Management) project is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture under award number 2018-70027-28588.
Gail Stephens, agricultural communications and media associate, School of Agricultural & Natural Sciences, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, 410-621-3850, gcstephens@umes.edu.
Photo by Todd Dudeck, agricultural communications, UMES Extension, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, tdudek@umes.edu.
