The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and the Farm Service Agency are offering expert assistance to Arkansas growers preparing to make major Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage decisions related to the 2014 farm bill through a series of webinars and on-site workshops.

A series of interactive online seminars webinars continued on Jan. 20, with more to follow in February and March. Each webinar will cover a different facet of the farm program and its effects on farming in Arkansas.

The webinars will be hosted by experts from the University of Arkansas System’s Division of Agriculture Bobby Coats and the Farm Service Agency’s Tony Franco and Anita Wilson. Each webinar is expected to last 20 to 30 minutes, and will be followed by a question and answer session to deal with the specific concerns of participants.

The webinars will help participants learn about Farm Service Agency Farm Bill programs and decisions specific to row crop production in Arkansas, including:

• Base Acre Reallocation

• Yield updates

• Agricultural Risk Coverage

• Price Loss Coverage

• Supplemental Coverage Option

• Web-Based decision aids

• Other related programs

“Learning about agricultural risk coverage, price loss coverage and other farm bill features is extremely important for row crop producers who must make a one-time decision about base and yield updates toward the end of February,” said Bobby Coats, professor of economics at the Division of Agriculture in Little Rock.

The deadline for updates to base acreage and yield is Feb. 27. The deadline for decisions about agricultural risk coverage and price loss coverage is March 31.

Individuals wishing to participate in the webinars must register for each session separately. The webinars are conducted through a software program called Zoom. Upon registration, users will receive an email confirmation with the link to join the webinar and the system requirements for Zoom.

The webinar schedule:

Jan. 20, 9 a.m.: ARC/PLC Base Reallocations and web-based Farm Bill Decision Aid. Registration link: https://uaex.zoom.us/webinar/register/2afe8cffe92080e134538d7d4481ef37.

Jan. 22, 9 a.m.: Price Loss Coverage. Registration link: https://uaex.zoom.us/webinar/register/bc20d3d579d0a2968c34be5db4a05ad8.

Jan. 27, 9 a.m.: ARC - County Level. Registration link: https://uaex.zoom.us/webinar/register/2fef879916bbcea97510d14dfea9e911.

Jan. 29, 9 a.m.: ARC - Individual Level. Registration link: https://uaex.zoom.us/webinar/register/6d02aed30be7c550cde7dc3c8da9331e.

Schedules for February and March webinars are yet to be announced.

Additionally, a series of workshops designed to aid growers in using the university web-based process for making Farm Bill-related decisions has been scheduled for several locations around the state and more will be added in the near future. The workshops are being offered jointly by the Farm Service Agency and the University Of Arkansas System Division Of Agriculture. There is no cost to attend.

The Farm Bill web-based decision aid workshop:

• January 23, 10 a.m. – Wynne, EACC-Wynne 1790 N. Falls Blvd. Wynne, Ark. Pre-registration required due to limited computer space. Call Cross County Extension Office (870) 238-5745 to register, Scott Stiles at (870) 972-2481.

• January 23, 1 p.m. – Wynne, EACC-Wynne 1790 N. Falls Blvd. Wynne, Ark. Pre-registration required due to limited computer space. Call Cross County Extension Office (870) 238-5745 to register, Scott Stiles at (870) 972-2481.

• January 26, 9 a.m., Rice Research and Extension Center – Stuttgart, Ark. Contact Brad Watkins (870) 673-2661, Danny Hoots (870) 946-3331 ext 2, or Bobby Coats (502) 671-2195.

• January 27, 6 p.m. – Jonesboro, Arkansas State University College of Agriculture, Ag 242. This session is limited to 25 participants and pre-event registration is required. Contact Scott Stiles at (870) 972-2481.