USDA/FHI TOOLKIT
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Women in Ranching is thrilled to announce our collaborative partnership with the Flower Hill Institute (FHI) as a subgrant partner on the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) - Outreach, Education, and Technical Assistance service program.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU
The FSA - Outreach, Education, and Technical Assistance service is designed to help provide technical assistance and educational services to historically underserved farmers and ranchers interested in FSA relief programs and farm funding.
For more information about the FSA - Outreach, Education, and Technical Assistance service, please submit a technical assistance request using the button below.
Women in Ranching is thrilled with this partnership, allowing us to build more equitable access to critical funding through the Farm Service Agency. We look forward to continuing to support your work caring for land, family and your rural community.
RESOURCES
A collection of Farm Service Agency resources from FHI
National Young Farmers Coalition Guidebook
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A guidebook for understanding the Farm Service Agency’s loan program.
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Businesses and individuals interested in applying for a grant under USDA Rural Development’s new Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program Phase II (MPPEP II) grant program can access no-cost technical assistance to navigate the grant preparation process through the Meat and Poultry Processing Technical Assistance (MPPTA) network established by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) last year.
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This variety of programs and services can help you start or grow your farming operation if you are new to the industry.
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The USDA offers a variety of programs to help farmers and ranchers who’ve been impacted by natural disasters including:
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ECP helps farmers and ranchers repair damage to farmlands caused by natural disasters and put in place methods for water conservation during severe drought.
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Livestock farmers and ranchers who have experienced drought or excessive moisture may qualify. Program specifics vary by county.
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Livestock farmers and ranchers who have experienced drought or excessive moisture may qualify. Program specifics vary by county.
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ELAP provides emergency assistance to eligible producers of honeybees, livestock, and farm-raised fish. It covers losses due to adverse weather or other loss conditions including blizzards, disease, flood, water transport, and wildfires.
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A collection of funding information and resources for historically underserved farmers and ranchers including loans and land access.
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Program are available to help with land access and funding.
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A program for farmers and ranchers who experience an excess livestock loss due to adverse weather, or by attacks from animals reintroduced by the federal government.
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Leadership opportunities and connection through the USDA Women in Agricultural Mentoring Network.
FSA Technical Support Team
Erin Thomas
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Erin Thomas is from White Cone, Navajo Nation (Arizona), and is the daughter of countless generations of conservationists and ranchers. Erin owns White Shell Resource Consultants, a natural resources consulting firm based on the Navajo Nation, and is a managing member of 4 Canyons Land & Cattle Co, a ranching operation also based on the Navajo Nation. Erin has a Bachelor’s degree in Rangeland Ecology and Management from the University of Arizona, worked for over a decade for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service as a Rangeland Management Specialist, and is experienced in nonprofit management.
Erin’s most significant accomplishment to date was deciding to build a business at home on the Navajo Nation after years of working off the reservation. She focuses on the continued development of a culturally relevant conservation consulting business, building a profitable ranching business with her family, and empowering land users through knowledge and awareness of conservation issues.
Caroline Wild
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Caroline is a Brunswick, Maine, native who came to Montana in 2014 to pursue a degree in cows. She graduated from Montana State University with a degree in Livestock Management and Industry before spending the next five years working in and around the ranching community of Montana. From running the DNA department at the American Simmental Association to organizing pens of cattle at Headwaters Livestock Auction, she learned early on to love problem-solving on the go. She has baled hay and fixed fences from north of Yellowstone up to the plains and breaks of Central Montana. Most recently, she earned her Master's in Ranch Management from the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management.
She is currently using that education to inform her work as the Ranch Systems Analyst for Sunlight Ranches in northern Wyoming and southern Montana. Her passion lies in helping rural producers, especially women, understand enterprise analysis to help them identify economically sustainable actions and practices in order to keep farming and ranching a vital part of the rural landscape. She takes on the world with her dog, Moxie, a frequent participant in her adventures, whether road-tripping obscene distances, hiking to alpine lakes, or devouring a book on the front porch.
Other Collaborators
