Both programs examine the insurance options available—both public and private—and show how these options compare and how they complement each other. Federal Crop Insurance is currently available on about 30 major crops nationwide.
These programs are designed to run on most microcomputer models. Your State Extension Service, State Vocational Education Office, or your local crop insurance agent may already have the programs.
For further information, including how to obtain a copy of the program, write to:
The ARCIE Project
Department of Agricultural Economics
107 Agricultural Building
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77840
The Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) is planning to put small computers into all its county offices starting in 1985. They will keep lists of farmers and their acreage allotments and bases, record set-aside histories, and record and maintain the other myriad facts necessary to make the USDA farm programs work. The system will keep farm records, addresses for mailings, election registers, and records of payments. Even checks to pay farmers will be produced by the decentralized county computer systems.
The computers will also be tied into State systems and a central computer for some recordkeeping functions, and can be used for electronic mail and other communications.
One function of the new system will be to mesh FAS trade opportunity leads into the ASCS data base. This will permit a farmer or local agribusiness person to go into the ASCS office and immediately learn about trade leads reported by agricultural attaches. This program will go into operation during the mid-1980's.
The Economic Research Service (ERS) releases its Outlook and Situation reports through AGNET. Summaries of these are available through USDA Online.