RISK management strategies are generally designed to do one of four things: 1. avoid the risk; 2. transfer the risk outside the business; 3. control the risk within the business or 4. accept the risk as a part of doing business.

One of the main benefits of a strategy is that it forces you to identify what you are trying to accomplish, to think about how you will measure progress, and how you will evaluate how well the strategy is working overall.

Results are important, but even good risk management strategies don’t come with guarantees. Strategies can fail for a number of reasons. Sadly, one of the most common reasons strategies fail is the lack of commitment to the strategy across time.

The Evaluating Risk Strategies course is available free of charge at: RightRisk > Courses.

 
A CITIZEN of a foreign country who seeks to enter the United States generally must first obtain a U.S. visa, unless a visa is not required for individuals from that country of nationality. The visa is placed in the traveler’s passport, a travel document issued by the traveler’s country of citizen­ship. Certain international travelers may be eligible to travel to the United States without a visa, if they meet the requirements for visa-free travel. The type of visa a person must obtain is defined by U.S. immigration law and relates to the purpose of travel.

Learn more via the recently completed 4-page, 4-color Ag Help Wanted UPDATE: What is the Fair Labor Standards Act in Agriculture and How Does it Apply to Me?

Several Ag Help Wanted updates were recently posted to the website companion for Ag Help Wanted: Guidelines for Managing Agricultural Labor and are available for download at: AgHelpWanted.org/updates.

 
RISK is uncertainty that matters. Future events are unknown to us due to two, separate and distinct factors: variability and uncertainty.

Variability means alternatives or different outcomes in the future purely due to the effects of chance. Uncertainty refers to our lack of knowledge about the future. One of the biggest hurdles to good decision making is the separation of variability and uncertainty.

Risk management can be generally defined as taking deliberate action to shape the variability of the outcomes, the consequences, or both for any management decision that might be made. This is accomplished by applying one or more risk controls.

A list of common risk controls is available at
RightRisk.org, see: RightRisk.org\controls.

 
EMPLOYERS must complete a Form I-9 for each person they hire to perform labor or services in the United States in return for wages or other remuneration. Employers use “Form I-9”, officially the Employment Eligibility Verification form, to verify the identity and legal authorization to work of all paid employees in the United States. The Form I-9 is not required for unpaid volunteers or for contractors.

Learn more via the recently completed 4-page, 4-color Ag Help Wanted UPDATE: What is a Form I-9 and Who Needs One?

Several Ag Help Wanted updates were recently posted to the website companion for Ag Help Wanted: Guidelines for Managing Agricultural Labor and are available for download at: AgHelpWanted.org/updates.

 
PROBLEM WORK SITUATIONS: WORKING WITH EMPLOYEES offers nine sets of brief vignettes that illustrate approaches to one-on-one communication in problem work situations. Each includes one scene showing an apparent personnel problem and three scenes showing possible supervisory responses to it, including: Tardiness, Slow Work, Inebriation, Poor Quality Work, Theft, Conflict Between Workers, Insubordination, Sleeping on the Job, and Careless Work. A 3-part guide offers further insights via Rules and Reason for Managing Farm Personnel.

Learn more via Video Links at Ag Help Wanted.org.

 
AG in Uncertain Times uses current technologies to assemble panels of speakers addressing major risk topic areas. The team utilizes evolving and recently available technologies to optimize the impact and reach of AIUT programming efforts. Starting in 2009, 30 English and 5 Spanish webinars featuring 133 individual presentations have been offered by a roster of nationally-recognized speakers. Recordings, podcasts (MP3), handouts, links and much more for every program offered are available on the site at no charge.

LEARN MORE or view materials at the Ag in Uncertain Times website: AgInUncertainTimes.FarmManagement.org.

 
RightRisk Analytics is a series of risk analytics tools available for download free of charge. Applications include: the Risk Scenario Planner, Machine Risk Calculator, Forage Risk Analyzer, Enterprise Risk Analyzer, RDFinancial, Multi-Temporal Risk Analysis, and Risk Navigator toolbox. The site also includes online guides, example applications, and more.

RightRisk Analytics include over 30 individual risk analysis tools developed by RightRisk and available free of charge at: RightRisk.org\analytics.

 
The Western Risk Management Library offers over 790 articles across 42 individual categories, covering general, production, market, financial, legal, and human resource risks. The library was developed by members of the 13-state, Western Extension Committee, with partial support provided by Farm Foundation.

Access the Western Risk Management Library and at: FarmManagement.org/library.

 
RightRisk is an innovative risk research and education effort to help farmers and ranchers understand and explore risk management decisions and evaluate the effects of those decisions. RightRisk.org hosts the risk management education products developed by the RightRisk Education Team. Information on the site includes: 14 free, online self-study courses, monthly newsletters, risk simulations, risk analytics tools, recorded presentations/webinars, publications, links to other online resources, and much, much more . . .

Access the free online risk management materials from RightRisk at: RightRisk.org.

 
Tax issues are important for agricultural operations because income and self-employment taxes are a major cost and also because more and more USDA programs are linked to a producer’s federal income tax return.

Learn more about taxes and implications for agricultural businesses at: RuralTax.org/library.