Webinars and workshops available to aid growers in Farm Bill decisions

Fast Facts:

- Four webinars scheduled in January, with more to come in February and March
- Webinars will last about 30 minutes, plus Q&A sessions for specific concerns
- Participants must register online, in advance or during the program
- Half a dozen in-person workshops across the state are also scheduled for January and February, more will be scheduled in the near future

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LITTLE ROCK -- The Cooperative Extension Service and Farm Service Agency is offering expert assistance to Arkansas growers preparing to make major Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage decisions related to the 2014 Farm Bill.

A series of interactive online seminars, or “webinars,” will continue on Jan. 20, with more to follow in February and March. Each webinar will cover a different facet of the farm program and its effects on farming in Arkansas.

The webinars will be hosted by experts from the University of Arkansas System’s Division of Agriculture Bobby Coats and the Farm Service Agency’s Tony Franco and Anita Wilson. Each webinar is expected to last 20-30 minutes, and will be followed by a question and answer session to deal with the specific concerns of participants.

The webinars will help participants learn about Farm Service Agency Farm Bill programs and decisions specific to row crop production in Arkansas, including:

- Base Acre Reallocation
- Yield updates
- Agricultural Risk Coverage
- Price Loss Coverage
- Supplemental Coverage Option

- Web-Based decision aids
- Other related programs

“Learning about agricultural risk coverage, price loss coverage and other Farm Bill features is extremely important for row crop producers,” said Bobby Coats, Professor of Economics at the Division of Agriculture in Little Rock, “who must make a one-time decision about base and yield updates toward the end of February.”

The deadline for updates to base acreage and yield is Feb. 27. The deadline for decisions about agricultural risk coverage and price loss coverage is March 31.

Individuals wishing to participate in the webinars must register for each session separately. The webinars are conducted through a software program called Zoom. Upon registration, users will receive an email confirmation with the link to join the webinar and the system requirements for Zoom.

The webinar schedule:

Jan. 20, 9 a.m.: ARC/PLC Base Reallocations and web-based Farm Bill Decision Aid.

Registration link: https://uaex.zoom.us/webinar/register/2afe8cffe92080e134538d7d4481ef37

Jan. 22, 9 a.m.: Price Loss Coverage.

Registration link: https://uaex.zoom.us/webinar/register/bc20d3d579d0a2968c34be5db4a05ad8

Jan. 27, 9 a.m.: ARC - County Level.

Registration link: https://uaex.zoom.us/webinar/register/2fef879916bbcea97510d14dfea9e911

Jan. 29, 9 a.m.: ARC - Individual Level.

Registration link: https://uaex.zoom.us/webinar/register/6d02aed30be7c550cde7dc3c8da9331e

Schedules for February and March webinars are yet to be announced.

Additionally, a series of workshops designed to aid growers in using the university web-based process for making Farm Bill-related decisions has been scheduled for several locations around the state and more will be added in the near future. The workshops are being offered jointly by the Farm Service Agency and the University Of Arkansas System Division Of Agriculture. There is no cost to attend.

The Farm Bill web-based decision aid workshop:

- Jan. 23, 10:00 a.m. – Wynne, EACC-Wynne 1790 N. Falls Blvd. Wynne, AR. Pre-registration required due to limited computer space. Call Cross County Extension Office 870-238-5745 to register, Scott Stiles at (870) 972-2481

- Jan. 23, 1:00 p.m. – Wynne, EACC-Wynne 1790 N. Falls Blvd. Wynne, AR. Pre-registration required due to limited computer space. Call Cross County Extension Office 870-238-5745 to register, Scott Stiles at (870) 972-2481

- Jan. 26, 9 a.m., Rice Research and Extension Center – Stuttgart, Arkansas. Contact Brad Watkins (870) 673-2661, Danny Hoots (870) 946-3331 ext 2, or Bobby Coats (502) 671-2195.

- Jan. 27, 6 p.m. – Jonesboro, Arkansas State University College of Agriculture, Ag 242. This session is limited to 25 participants and pre-event registration is required.

Contact Scott Stiles at (870) 972-2481.

- Feb. 2, 8:30 a.m. – Lonoke, Lonoke Extension Office. Jeff Welch, jwelch@uada.edu, (501) 676-3124; Sherry.West@ar.usda.gov; Brad Watkins and Bobby Coats

- Feb. 9, 8:30 a.m. – Lonoke, Lonoke Extension Office. Jeff Welch, jwelch@uada.edu, (501) 676-3124; Sherry.West@ar.usda.gov; Brad Watkins and Bobby Coats

Finally, an additional area meeting, similar to a series held in November and December, will be held in Piggott in late January. The purpose of the area meeting is to cover Farm Bill policy issues in greater detail:

- Jan. 30, 1 p.m.-noon – Piggott, Piggott Community Center 161 E. Pfeiffer Street. Contact: Andy Vangilder, avangilder@uada.edu, (870) 598-2246

For more information about the Farm Bill series contact your county extension office or visit www.uaex.uada.edu/farmbill.

The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact your County Extension office (or other appropriate office) as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.

The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

By Ryan McGeeney
The Cooperative Extension Service
U of A System Division of Agriculture

Media Contact: Ryan McGeeney
Content specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2120
rmcgeeney@uada.edu

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