CROP PRODUCER RISK MANAGEMENT SURVEY: A PRELIMINARY SUMMARY OF SELECTED DATA; A REPORT FROM THE UNDERSTANDING FARMER RISK MANAGEMENT DECISION MAKING AND EDUCATIONAL NEEDS RESEARCH PROJECT

Changes in the risk environment and tools available to manage risk have resulted in an increased need for risk management skills among farmers and ranchers. In response the USDA initiated a risk management education competitive grants program in the spring of 1998. This is the first report from one of the grant-funded projects. The project's primary objective is to provide supporting research that will contribute to the design and implementation of effective risk management education programs, policies and tools. This report provides selected summary statistics, without analysis, from a survey of crop producers conducted as part of the first phase of the project. Over 1,800 usable producer responses from Mississippi, Texas, Indiana, and Nebraska are summarized. Major subject categories reported include: perceptions of various risks and the effectiveness of risk management tools; perceptions of farm policy alternatives; crop insurance participation; participation in and desire for risk management education; and use of pre- and post-harvest pricing techniques.