Agriculture Risk Management Education Partnerships Competitive Grants Program (United States)

Deadline: 15-Jan-24

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture is currently accepting applications for the Agriculture Risk Management Education Partnerships Competitive Grants Program to provide resources for four regional risk management education centers for the purpose of developing and delivering agricultural risk management education materials.

The ARME Program is aligned with the following USDA Strategic Goals FY 2022-2026 goal:

• Goal 2: Ensure America’s Agricultural System is Equitable, Resilient, and Prosperous

The ARME program is aligned with the following USDA Science and Research Strategy, 2023–2026 priorities:

• Priority 2 – Driving Climate-Smart Solutions
• Priority 5 – Translating Research into Action

Global Engagement: NIFA supports global engagement that advances U.S. agricultural goals. NIFA recognizes that collaboration with international partners may be necessary to attain the agency’s goals for U.S. agriculture, promote global competence of their nation’s future agricultural workforce, and promote safe and nutritious food security in a growing world.

Leadership Skills Development: The development of leadership skills, knowledge, and qualities are necessary to prepare students for agricultural and related careers in the private sector, government, and academia. ARME teaching applications must demonstrably incorporate a leadership development component to equip students with technical and leadership abilities upon graduation.

Purpose and Priorities

• The purpose of ARME is to educate agricultural producers about the full range of risk management activities. 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. The program places special emphasis on risk management strategies, education, and outreach specifically targeted at:
  • beginning farmers or ranchers;
  • legal immigrant farmers or ranchers that are attempting to become established producers in the United States;
  • socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers;
  • farmers or ranchers that:
    • are preparing to retire; and
    • are using transition strategies to help new farmers or ranchers get started; and
  • new or established farmers or ranchers that are converting production and marketing systems to pursue new markets.
• The Agriculture Risk Management Education (ARME) program brings the existing knowledge base to bear on risk management issues faced by agricultural producers and expands the program throughout the Nation on a regional and multi-regional basis.
• 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, and
  • deliver risk management education to agricultural producers underserved by the Federal crop insurance program.
• The ARME Program will fund four (4) regional centers nationwide and one (1) Risk Management Education Electronic Support Center:
  • Northeast Region ARME Center
  • North Central Region ARME Center
  • Southern Region ARME Center
  • Western Region ARME Center
  • Risk Management Education Electronic Support Center
• The purpose of the four (4) Regional ARME Centers is to conduct regional and multi-regional based competitive grants programs for the purpose of funding agricultural risk management organizations and individuals who are risk management experts. These organizations and individuals must also have the knowledge and experience in developing various risk management curricula and delivering to agencies, institutions and professionals involved in risk management serving producers and their families.
• The purpose of the Risk Management Education Electronic Support Center is to provide supporting services to the four regional centers. Support to the four regional ARME centers will include electronic, on-line submission of proposals to the four regional centers sub-awards competitive grants programs, provision of a results verification system that includes both progress report and final report templates for the sub-awards process, national communications planning and execution for the program, coordination of events and conferences, and archival support for all materials and curriculum developed through the regional center sub-awards competitive grants programs.

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, heirs’ property, and human health and relationship issues including accidents, illness, disability, death, and divorce.

Program Areas

• NIFA is soliciting applications under the following program areas:
  • Regional Risk Management Education Center
    • Quality proposals for a Regional Risk Management Education Center will demonstrate the ability to provide the following:
      • focused development and implementation of relevant Risk Management Education programs to agricultural producers, including those underserved by crop insurance;
      • management capacity to develop and maintain a Regional Risk Management Education Center with networks to deliver programs;
      • verification of program outcomes and impacts; and 4) effective regional communication networks and linkage to a national network.
    • Maximum Award Amount: $2,150,040
    • Anticipated of Awards: 4
    • Grant Duration: 36-48 Months
  • Risk Management Education Electronic Support Center
    • USDA/NIFA places a high priority on a Risk Management Education Electronic Support Center. This Center electronically stores program materials for risk management educators and professionals and other interested parties. The Center should be a source of addressing risk management education technologies, both in development and delivery.
    • Risk Management Education Electronic Support Center proposals will be expected to demonstrate the ability to provide, facilitate, and/or demonstrate:
      • management capacity to develop and maintain a Risk Management Electronic Support Center;
      • national source for access to Risk Management Education materials, and promoting and coordinating risk management education to include an annual conference;
      • electronic support to the Regional Risk Management Education Centers; and,
      • collaboration with the four Regional Centers to identify and address regional risk management education priorities, including a lead role in organizing annual ARME conferences in 2024, 2025, and 2026.
    • Maximum Award Amount: $452,640
    • Anticipated of Awards: 1
    • Grant Duration: 36-48 Months

Funding Information

• This RFA is being released prior to the passage of a full appropriations act for FY 2024. Enactment of a continuing resolution, appropriations act, or other authorizing legislation may affect the availability or level of funding for this program. The total amount of funds available for five awards under this ARME request for applications is $9,052,800 for FY 2024 and each year thereafter through FY 2026 for support of five grant awards under this program.
• Funding Breakdown:
  • North Central ARME Center: $2,150,040
  • Western ARME Center: $2,150,040
  • Southern ARME Center: $2,150,040
  • Northeastern Center for ARME: $2,150,040
  • Risk Management Education Electronic Support Center for ARME: $452,640

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.
• Duplicate or Multiple Submissions – duplicate or multiple submissions are not allowed. NIFA will disqualify both applications if an applicant submits duplicate or multiple submissions.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.