10-24-2006 |
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STATE CONTINUING FARM INSURANCE EDUCATION THANKS TO GRANT West Virginia has again received a $209,000 grant for a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to promote federal insurance programs that help farmers manage the financial risk they face from weather-related disasters. “ West Virginia has not received much benefit from Farm Bill dollars in the past, but that is changing,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass. “USDA is now offering a variety of new risk management products that are geared toward the needs of West Virginia farmers.” This is the fourth year the state has received such a grant. Last year’s grant funded approximately 40 workshops, according to program coordinator Billy Burke, and he expects to conduct about the same number of workshops this year. The WVU Extension Service will assist in administering the program, Burke added. The cooperative agreements provide funds for projects to develop new risk management tools for farmers and ranchers, as well as outreach and education opportunities to limited-resource and other traditionally underserved farmers and ranchers. Funding for these agreements is available under the Federal Crop Insurance Act provisions for risk management and implementation of research and development, community outreach and assistance and agricultural risk management education in targeted states. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) administers these projects. More information is available at http://www.rma.usda.gov.
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org.
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