Skip to content Skip to navigation
UMass Collegiate M The University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • Visit
  • Apply
  • Give
  • Search UMass.edu
Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment

Integrating research and outreach education from UMass Amherst

  • About
    • Overview of CAFE
    • Be Ambitious!
    • History
    • Strategic Directions
    • Research & Outreach Interest Areas
    • UMass Extension Board of Public Overseers (BoPO)
    • Partners
    • Locations
    • Faculty & Staff Directory
    • Contact Information
    • Civil Rights Information
    • Employment Opportunities
  • Extension
    • Extension Outreach Overview
    • UMass Extension In Your Community
    • CAFE Extension Faculty
    • Extension Outreach Projects
    • Extension Initiative Reports
  • Programs
    • Extension Programs Overview
    • 4-H Youth Development
    • Clean Energy Extension
    • Climate Change
    • Cranberry Station
    • Crops, Dairy, Livestock and Equine
    • Food Science Extension
    • Fruit
    • Greenhouse Crops and Floriculture
    • Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry
    • Nutrition Education
    • Turf
    • Value-Added Food
    • Vegetable
  • Research
    • Mass Agricultural Experiment Station
    • Information About Accessing Research Funds
    • Research Projects
    • NIFA Integrated Research and Outreach Initiatives
    • Civil Rights Information & Resources
    • Summer Scholars Program
    • REEU Internship Program
  • Resources
    • Resources Overview
    • Interest Areas
    • Extension Sales Portal
    • Agriculture & Commercial Horticulture
    • Community & Economic Vitality
    • Disaster Preparedness
    • Food Safety
    • Home Lawn & Garden
    • Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
    • Land Conservation Tools
    • Pollinators
    • Tick Testing Resources
    • Urban Agriculture
  • Services
    • Services Overview
    • Pesticide Education
    • Plant Diagnostics Laboratory
    • Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing Laboratory
    • Hot Water Seed Treatment
    • Environmental Analysis Laboratory
  • Farms
    • Farms and Facilities Overview
    • Cold Spring Orchard Research and Education Center
    • Cranberry Station
    • Crop and Animal Research and Education Farm
    • Equine and Livestock Research and Education Farm in Hadley
    • Joseph Troll Turf Research Center
  • News & Events
    • Center News
    • Upcoming Events
    • News from the Media
    • Faculty/Staff Brief Bios
    • Spotlight Stories
    • Video Gallery

Program Overview

Image
Deerfield

Risk Management/Crop Insurance Education Program

UMass Extension works in partnership with the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Northeast Extension Risk Management Education (ERME) Center in the development and delivery of a risk management education program for Massachusetts agricultural & aquaculture producers. This is a multi-faceted program with the intent to provide the most comprehensive and up to date information to Massachusetts producers at meetings, seminars, community events, and other outreach programs, in conjunction with our primary partners and other commodity groups.

Developing an effective risk management program on your farming operation begins with assessing the various risks on your operation.  Two very helpful tools to assist you in identifying risks on your farming operations and how you can address those risks are the Strengths, Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis along with the Risk Management Checklist.  

Our program also works in cooperation with the USDA - Risk Management Agency (RMA), the USDA agency responsibile for Federal Crop Insurance.  Visit our specialized pages to get more information on which crops are covered by Federal Crop Insurance along with other options available through USDA to provide protection on your various crops.  Please visit the USDA RMA website here for useful information.   Federal Crop Insurance is sold only by licensed private crop insurance agents.  Click here to find a crop insurance agent in Massachusetts.  What should you expect from or look for in a crop insurance agent?

For further information, questions or to schedule a small group or individual information/training session, contact UMass Extension Risk Management Specialists, Paul Russell at pmrussell[at]umext[dot]umass[dot]edu (pmrussell[at]umass[dot]edu) or Tom Smiarowski at tsmiarowski[at]umext[dot]umass[dot]edu (tsmiarowski[at]umass[dot]edu) .

 

"In accordance with Federal law and U.S.. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.  To file a complaint of discrimination, contact USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Civil Rights, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, D.C., 02050-9410 or call 1-866-632-9992 Toll Free; or call 1-800-877-8339 Federal Relay Service; or 1-800-845-6136 (In Spanish); or 1-800-795-3272 between the hours of 8:30 am and 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time; or (TDD) 720-2600.  USDA is an equal opportunity employer."

 

Image
Paul Russell
Image
MFBF

Risk Management

  • Program Overview
  • Aquaculture
  • Beginning Farmers
  • Cranberries
  • Dairy/Forage/Grain/Silage
  • Fruits/Vegetables
  • Immigrant Farmers
  • Nursery
  • Organic Farmers
  • Tobacco
  • Whole Farm Revenue Protection

Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment

 

Stockbridge Hall,
80 Campus Center Way
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA 01003-9246
Phone: (413) 545-4800
Fax: (413) 545-6555
ag [at] cns [dot] umass [dot] edu (ag[at]cns[dot]umass[dot]edu)

 

Civil Rights and Non-Discrimination Information

College of Natural Sciences

Login for faculty and staff

CAFE Units

Mass. Agricultural Experiment Station

UMass Extension

UMass Research and Education Center Farms

UMass Cranberry Station

Water Resources Research Center

Interest Areas

Agriculture

Commercial Horticulture

Energy

Environmental Conservation

Food Science

Nutrition

Water

Youth Development & 4-H

Services

Pesticide Education

Plant Diagnostics Laboratory

Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing Laboratory

Hot Water Seed Treatment

Water Testing / Environmental Analysis Laboratory

Projects

Conservation Assessment Prioritization System (CAPS)

Extension Risk Management/Crop Insurance Education

Mass. Envirothon

Mass. Herp Atlas

Mass. Keystone

MassWoods

North American Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative

RiverSmart

UMass Design Center in Springfield

Resources

Extension Sales Portal

Agriculture & Commercial Horticulture Resources

Community & Economic Vitality

Disaster Preparedness

Food Safety

Home Lawn & Garden

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Land Conservation Tools

Pollinators

Tick testing

Resources for Faculty and Staff

Extension Programs

4-H Youth Development

Agriculture

Crops, Dairy, Livestock and Equine

Fruit

Greenhouse Crops and Floriculture

Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry

Pesticide Education

Turf

Vegetable

Clean Energy

Climate Change

Food Science

Nutrition Education

Value-Added Food

Seal of The University of Massachusetts Amherst - 1863
©2025 University of Massachusetts Amherst · Site Policies · Accessibility