Episode #32
Crop Insurance, Risk Management & the Growers Who Need It Most
What does crop insurance look like for specialty crop growers, micro farms, and small-scale producers? In this episode of Hort Culture , the team welcomes Eston Williams, Navigator Project Specialist with the Southern Risk Management Education Center at the University of Arkansas, for a conversation about an often-overlooked side of horticulture: managing risk. Eston shares stories from his upbringing on a Tennessee farm, his decades of work with USDA and NRCS, and his current role helping growers navigate crop insurance and risk-management resources. The conversation explores why insurance isn't just for large corn and soybean operations, how whole-farm and micro-farm coverage can benefit specialty crop growers, and why good recordkeeping and understanding your operation are so important. The team also digs into some of the unique challenges facing horticulture producers, including cut-flower growers, value-added products, farmers-market operations, and even emerging agricultural enterprises like aquaculture. Along the way, Eston explains his role as a "navigator"—connecting growers with the right experts and resources when he doesn't have the answer himself. It's an episode about protecting the work that goes into growing food, flowers, and other agricultural products—and making sure smaller and specialty growers know that risk-management resources are available to them, too. USDA Risk Management Agency — Specialty Crops Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) Micro Farm Program Find a Crop Insurance Agent RMA WFRP & Micro Farm Roadshow Resources USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA)
