CAS' Shylea Wingard presented risk management and crop insurance information to beginning Nevada producers in four locations during the week of September 22, 2008.  The presentations were coordinated with local vocational agriculture classes and FFA Program advisors affiliated with the Nevada Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association (NVATA). 

The presentations were coordinated with assistance from the NVATA and Great Basin College.  Events were held in the following Nevada locations: Ely, Eureka, Wells, and Elko.  The events were conducted as part of the USDA/RMA/CAS Nevada Targeted States Partnership, which exists to improve Nevada producers' awareness of the availability, benefits, and limitations of Federal Crop Insurance Programs.

Wingard presented “Crop Insurance Education for Nevada's Beginning Producers” using a PowerPoint presentation and an Excel-based risk management/crop insurance simulation tool.  The content focused on basic risk management and crop insurance principles, with all attendees learning how crop insurance can be an important tool for managing agricultural risk.  Attendees were first taught general principles of risk and risk management.  The presenters then explained how crop insurance can be an effective mechanism for transferring away some agricultural production and pricing risks.  Attendees next learned about Federal Crop Insurance Programs available in Nevada, including RMA’s Forage and Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) Programs. 

To illustrate the challenges of managing risk and the role of Federal Crop Insurance Programs in agricultural risk management, attendees participated in an interactive learning simulation that illustrated uncertainty and risk in a simulated Nevada ranching operation.  The outcomes of the game varied by student depending on uncontrollable chance and the risks chosen by a given student over a simulated six-year period.

Attending producers’ agricultural experience and interests centered on ranching and forage crops.  Attendees were generally engaged in the presentation and actively participated in discussions and the simulation.  CAS received positive feedback about the presentation from both the students and from participating student advisors.  Hard-copy crop insurance handouts were made available to all attendees, and CAS also promoted the RMA / FFA Risk Management Essay Contest to the attendees and to the advisors.