Browsing by Author "Johnson, James B."

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The 2007 Farm Bill: Montana Producer Preferences for Agricultural, Food, and Public Policy
(2007-02) Johnson, James B.; Haynes, George W.; Brester, Gary W.
The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 provides the direction for federal agricultural, food, and public policy through September of 2007. The 2002 Act is the most recent in a series of comprehensive farm bills that have authorized federal farm programs. When the 2002 Act expires, new legislation will guide future programs. In the absence of new legislation, federal farm programs could revert to permanent legislation dating from 1949. The presence of permanent legislation helps provide the impetus needed to insure that agriculture, food, and rural policy issues will be addressed by Congress and by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs.
Adjusted Gross Revenue-Lite: A Whole Farm Revenue Insurance Available in Wyoming
(2008-02) Johnson, James B.; Hewlett, John P.; Griffith, Duane
Adjusted Gross Revenue-Lite (AGR-Lite) is a federally-subsidized whole-farm revenue protection insurance plan. The plan is a whole farm (ranch) revenue insurance that covers revenue losses from most farm-raised crop commodities, animal commodities and unprocessed (unaltered) animal products such as milk and wool. The plan protects against low revenue due to losses in production and declines in product quality and market price. Specifically, the plan provides protection against low revenue due to production losses attributable to unavoidable natural disasters and market fluctuations that impact farm revenue in the insurance year.
Agricultural Chemical Prices in Canada and the United States: A Case Study of Alberta and Montana
(MSU Extension, 2004-12) Smith, Vincent H.; Johnson, James B.
Differences in retail prices for similar or identical agricultural chemicals have been a source of controversy in the Prairie Provinces of Canada and the Northern Great Plains States of the United States since the mid-1990s. Such differences may exist because of differing pesticide regulations between the United States and Canada. Different regulations may inhibit trade between the two regions and isolate markets from one another. If this is the case, then regulatory harmonization that allows Canadian and U.S. agricultural producers to purchase agricultural chemicals in Canada or the United States would generally lead to harmonization of agricultural chemical prices.
The Common Crop (COMBO) Policy
(2012-08) Johnson, James B.; Smith, Vincent H.; Hewlett, John P.
Beginning with the 2011 crop year, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) introduced an initiative to combine and simplify crop insurance. RMA released the Common Crop Insurance Policy Basic Provisions and related Crop Provisions as the insurance policy basis for crop insurance coverage. The new policy is widely described as the COMBO Policy because it explicitly combines APH revenue and APH yield insurance in one general policy and creates a single APH revenue program for each of the commodities that are eligible for APH-based revenue coverage.
Crop Insurance for Alfalfa Seed Production: A Pilot Program Available in Select Wyoming Counties
(MSU Extension, 2006-07) Johnson, James B.; Hewlett, John P.
In several western states including Wyoming a federally-subsidized multiple peril crop insurance product approved by the Risk Management Agency is offered on a pilot basis for forage seed production. In Big Horn and Park counties (Figure1) irrigated alfalfa seed production grown under certification standards or grown under an alfalfa seed contract is insurable.
Group Risk Income Protection
(MSU Extension, 2006-07) Johnson, James B.; Hewlett, John P.
Group Risk Income Protection (GRIP) is a federally-subsidized risk management tool to insure against widespread loss of revenue from an insured crop in a county. Crop producers whose yields are highly correlated with county yield are most likely to use this product to insure that the combination of yield and price results in a particular level of revenue. Unlike the related Risk Management Agency-approved Group Risk Plan insurance, either a price or yield decline may result in a producer being indemnified. If total revenue (price times yield) in county is less than a producer’s trigger revenue, the producer will be indemnified for revenue losses due to insurable causes. But producers need to recognize that they could incur reduced revenue from the insured acres of a crop and not be indemnified if there is not a commensurate decline in county per acre revenues for the crop.
GRP Rangeland Insurance for Montana
(MSU Extension, 2006-09) Schumacher, Joel Brent; Johnson, James B.; Brester, Gary W.
A new Group Risk Plan (GRP) Rangeland Insurance product is being offered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) in 39 Montana counties. For counties in which this insurance product is not offered, USDA’s Farm Service Agency continues to offer the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (See Briefing No. 14). The new GRP Rangeland Insurance product is intended to increase ranch managers’ options for managing risk related to the loss of grazing from any of several causes.
GRP Rangeland Insurance for Wyoming
(MSU Extension, 2006-10) Hewlett, John P.; Schumacher, Joel B.; Johnson, James B.
A new Group Risk Plan (GRP) Rangeland Insurance product is being offered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) in 10 Wyoming counties. For counties in which this insurance product is not offered, USDA’s Farm Service Agency continues to offer the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (See Briefing No. 14). The new GRP Rangeland Insurance product is intended to increase ranch managers’ options for managing risk related to the loss of grazing from any of several causes.
An Introduction to Federal Crop Insurance Products for New and Beginning Wyoming Farmers and Ranchers
(2019-02) Johnson, James B.; Smith, Vincent H.; Hewlett, John P.
Federal crop insurance products have been available to farmers in the United States for 80 years. Beginning in the early 1990s, the range of products offered by the USDA Risk Management Agency expanded, and today farmers have access to federal crop insurance for most of the crops they grow. Currently, nationally farmers can obtain insurance for over 140 crops and forages. Over the past several years, coverage has become widely available for crops produced under organic practices at price elections based on prices that reflect organic premiums.
Introduction to Managing Risk and Specialty and Organic Crop and Livestock Operations
(2016-08) Smith, Vincent H.; Johnson, James B.; Hewlett, John P.
Producers include specialty and organic crops and specialty livestock in their farm’s enterprises for many reasons. Nevertheless, over the longer term, specialty and organic crop and livestock enterprises have to be managed in ways that ensure the farm remains profitable. On many farms specialty and organic enterprises are included because they allow the farm’s human resources to be used more effectively. A specialty livestock operation (for example, producing cheese from goat’s milk) may be introduced because a family member (child, spouse) has particular skills and interests in the enterprise and the time to manage the operation. The enterprise itself may have the added benefit of serving as a financial risk management tool because revenues from the operation are relatively stable. Increasingly, many farms are choosing to focus substantial amounts of their available resources, or even the whole farm or ranch, to specialty and organic crop and livestock enterprises.
Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP): Montana
(2010-01) Johnson, James B.; Smith, Vincent H.
Congress provided both ongoing and ad hoc disaster programs over the period 1980 to 2008.
Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP): Wyoming
(2010-02) Johnson, James B.; Smith, Vincent H.; Hewlett, John P.
Congress provided both ongoing and ad hoc disaster programs over the period 1980 to 2008.
Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP): Montana
(2010-01) Johnson, James B.; Smith, Vincent H.
Disaster assistance programs were common in the 1980s, 1990s, and during several years earlier in this decade. Some were ongoing or “standing” disaster programs and others were ad hoc disaster programs.
Managing Forage and Rangeland Production Risks on Wyoming Ranches: NAP, LFP, and PRF-VI
(2015-07) Johnson, James B.; Smith, Vincent H.; Hewlett, John P.
Wyoming ranch managers are increasingly seeking production risk management tools for harvested forage production and grass production on rangeland. Forage production and rangeland production risks can be addressed to some degree by using the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) provided by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Under certain drought conditions rangeland forage losses are also covered by the FSA-administered Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP). Also certain crop insurance products subsidized by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), with oversight provided by the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), can be used to address forage losses on hayland and grazing land.
Marketing Assistance Loans, Loan Deficiency Payments and Marketing Loan Gains for Minor Oilseed and Pulse Crops
(MSU Extension, 2003-11) Johnson, James B.
Marketing assistance loans are available to Montana producers of minor oilseed and pulse crops. The USDA differentiates county-level loan rates from national rates for minor oilseeds and dry peas. County-level lentil and small chickpea loan rates for all pertinent counties throughout the United States are differentiated at the multi-state, regional level from the national loan rates. For each of the pulse crops-- dry peas, lentils, and small chickpeas the county-level loan rates are the same in all Montana counties. Loan deficiency payments are available on all or a portion of harvested production when posted-county prices for a loan commodity are below county-level loan rates. Similarly, marketing loan gains are available when posted-county prices are less than county loan rates at the time marketing assistance loans are settled.
New Farm Programs in the 2014 Farm Bill: Price Loss Coverage, Agricultural Risk Coverage and the Supplemental Coverage Agricultural Insurance Option for Wyoming Farms and Ranches
(2014-07) Smith, Vincent H.; Johnson, James B.; Hewlett, John P.
The Agricultural Act of 2014 was signed into law on February 17, 2014 by President Obama. The Act, widely referred to as the 2014 Farm Bill, introduces major changes in many U.S. farm programs that are important for farm and ranch owners and managers in Wyoming. Under the provisions of the 2014 Farm Bill, several long standing programs related to farmers’ and ranchers’ risk management decisions that have been widely used by Wyoming agricultural producers were terminated or are being phased out while several new programs have been introduced.
Nursery Crop Insurance in Wyoming
(2006-09) Johnson, James B.; Hewlett, John P.
Multiple peril crop insurance for nursery production has been available since 1989 for nurseries that received at least 50 percent of their gross income from wholesale marketing of nursery plants. Multiple peril nursery crop insurance is available to wholesale nurseries in all Wyoming counties (Figure 1). In June 2005 a final rule was published in the Federal Register that made major policy and implementation changes to the nursery crop insurance policy.
Procedural Issues Related to Conservation Reserve Program Participation in Montana: Considerations Prior to Making an Offer, Offer Formulation, and Offer Acceptance
(2014-07) Johnson, James B.; Spokas, Leigh Ann; Schumacher, Joel B.; Bass, Thomas M.
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was established in the conservation title of the Food Security Act of 1985. It created a long term cropland acreage reserve for the United States. Initially the program, managed by the Farm Service Agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, was targeted towards reducing soil erosion from highly erodible cropland. Through subsequent legislation the environmental emphasis of the CRP has been expanded to also achieve improvements in water quality and more recently to achieve enhancements in wildlife habitat.
Production Risk Management for Montana Ranches: The Supplemental Federal Agricultural Disaster Programs
(2014-09) Belasco, Eric J.; Smith, Vincent H.; Haynes, George W.; Johnson, James B.
Montana ranchers are involved in risky enterprises and use a wide range of tools to manage risk and reduce the chances that they will suffer financial losses. They are experienced in formulating strategies for their operations and carefully develop and implement their production risk management strategies.
Production Risk Management for Wyoming Ranches: The Future for Federal Disaster Programs
(2013-07) Smith, Vincent H.; Johnson, James B.; Hewlett, John P.
Wyoming ranchers know they are involved in risky enterprises and use a wide range of tools to manage risk and reduce the chances that they will suffer financial losses. As a result, they are experienced in developing and implementing risk management strategies for their operations and carefully develop and implement their production risk management strategies.