CAS' Casey Crosby and Ryan Mangus presented risk management and crop insurance information to dozens of beginning Utah agricultural producers in five locations during the weeks of November 17 and 24, 2008.  The presentations were coordinated with local vocational agriculture classes and FFA Program advisors affiliated with the Utah FFA Association.

The presentations were conducted in partnership with the Utah State University Extension using funding provided under the USDA/RMA Utah Targeted States Partnership.  Events were held in the following Utah locations: Coalville, Fillmore, Heber City, Morgan, and Panquitch.

Crosby and Mangus presented “Crop Insurance Education for Utah'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 Utah, 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 Utah 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.

Attendees agricultural experiences and interests were broad and included a strong interest 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.