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The following announcement was shared by the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA). Please share with farmers and ranchers who sell into local and regional markets.
Virtual Listening Sessions: Feasibility of Insuring Local Food Production
August 17 - September 19, 2020
You are invited to participate in a Virtual Listening Session with Agralytica, which is working under contract for USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA).
Why? As part of the 2018 Farm Bill, Congress required RMA to solicit feedback about improved crop insurance coverage options for farmers and ranchers selling to local food markets (including but not limited to farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), road-side stands, restaurants, retailers, schools, and institutions). This includes discussing how existing crop insurance programs can be improved, as well as exploring the possibility of a new crop insurance program.
The feedback we receive will help us identify potential changes and/or additions to insurance options for producers supplying local markets.
Who? The sessions are primarily for farmers and ranchers who sell to local food markets and their representatives in the federal crop insurance industry.
When? There are several sessions, which will be held from mid-August through early September. The complete list is available on the following page. The sessions for farmers and ranchers will be divided by region, commodity, and market channel. Additionally, there will be sessions specifically for approved insurance providers (AIPs).
We request that you attend the session for your appropriate group; however, if that does not work for your schedule, please feel free to join us whenever it is convenient. Our contact information is also provided at the end of this announcement in case you are unable to make the scheduled sessions but still want to provide feedback.
What is a virtual listening session? It is a method to connect and talk with you via phone and/or an internet connection. You can participate in one of two ways:
1) By calling into the number provided to listen or speak, OR
2) You may call in and participate online through video conference (using Zoom), which allows you to view the host and some of the participants, as well as any visual material shared digitally.
Any information/feedback provided will be made anonymous prior to inclusion in any report.
Schedule for Virtual Listening Sessions
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Region
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Group
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Date
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Pacific Time
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Mountain Time
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Central Time
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Eastern Time
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WEST and MOUNTAIN
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Region 1: AZ, CA, CO, HI, NV, NM, UT
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Producers
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Aug 17
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12 pm
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1 pm
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California
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Producers
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Aug 18
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12 pm
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Region 3, AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY
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Producers
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Aug 19
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10 am
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West Coast - Insurance
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AIPs / Adjusters / Agents
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Aug 19
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2 pm
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Direct: Farmers marketers / CSA operators / Road-side stands / others
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Producers / agents / others
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Aug 20
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9 am
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10 am
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11 am
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12 pm
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Other (intermediated) direct marketers: retailers, schools, institutions, others
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Producers / agents / others
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Aug 20
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1 pm
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2 pm
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3 pm
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4 pm
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Region
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Group
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Date
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Pacific Time
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Mountain Time
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Central Time
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Eastern Time
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MIDWEST / CENTRAL / SOUTH
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Region 4: IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD
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Producers
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Aug 24
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12 pm
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Region 7: IL, IN, MI, OH, WI
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Producers
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Aug 25
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12 pm
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Region 5: AR, LA, MS, OK, TX
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Producers
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Aug 26
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12 pm
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Livestock
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Producers / agents / others
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Aug 27
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10 am
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11 am
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12 pm
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1 pm
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Midwest / Central / South - Insurance
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AIPs / Adjusters / Agents
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Aug 27
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2 pm
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Urban farms
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Producers /agents others
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Aug 28
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10 am
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11 am
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12 pm
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1 pm
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Region
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Group
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Date
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Pacific Time
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Mountain Time
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Central Time
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Eastern Time
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EAST COAST and OTHERS
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Region 6: FL, GA, AL*, KY, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV
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Producers
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Aug 31
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12 pm
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Region 2: CT, DE, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT
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Producers
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Sep 1
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12 pm
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East Coast - Insurance
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AIPs / Adjusters / Agents
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Sep 2
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12 pm
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Floriculture
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Producers / agents / others
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Sep 3
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9 am
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10 am
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11 am
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12 pm
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* Moved from Region 5 to Region 6 by request.
Zoom information:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87372872344?pwd=ZEZza2RBS3M0Zm9VeloxSXZXUHczdz09
Passcode: local
Meeting ID: 873 7287 2344
Telephone participants: You can mute and unmute yourself by typing “*6”
(star, followed by the number 6).
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,87372872344#,,,,,,0#,,746512# US (New York)
+13017158592,,87372872344#,,,,,,0#,,746512# US (Germantown)
Dial by your location (if you have free long distance, any of these should work)
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
Meeting ID: 873 7287 2344
Passcode: 746512
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kclzmxreEX
Contact information
Please contact Andre Williamson, President of Agralytica, with any questions regarding the content of this invitation or to provide additional feedback regarding the feasibility of insurance coverage for local food producers. Mobile Number: 240-432-0308 OR email: awilliamson@agralytica.com. If you email, please include “Local foods insurance” as your subject line.
We will accept comments by phone or email until September 10. RMA will use the information collected by Agralytica to help determine ways to better insure growers supplying local markets. Please join one of these sessions so that your feedback can be heard.
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