COMMUNITY BUILDING AND ENGAGEMENT
Comprehensive Rural Opportunities Program
C.R.O.P. helps educate, provide technical assistance and outreach to rural farmers and ranchers.
Benefits of C.R.O.P.
Personal Budgeting
Credit Counseling
Small Business Financing Opportunities
Technical Assistance
The Comprehensive Rural Opportunities Program (C.R.O.P.) enhances the coordination of outreach, technical assistance and education efforts to reach socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers in the rural areas of Florida, with a special emphasis in Central and Northeast Florida, as well as Southeast and Southwest Georgia. Wealth Watchers assists farmers and ranchers with successfully acquiring, owning, operating and retaining farms and ranches. It also increases participation in the full range of USDA programs.
Wealth Watchers Inc. through the C.R.O.P. Initiative
- Assist veterans with increasing their knowledge and participation in the agriculture business and creating opportunities to create and grow small businesses and family farms
- Work with farmers to increase their participation in USDA programs such as the Risk Management Agency, Farm Service Agency loan programs and Natural Resource Conservation Service Cost-Share Program
- Increase knowledge and youth participation in agricultural entrepreneurship through careers in agriculture and mentor families to get their children interested
- Create mentorship programs which will match experienced farmers with beginning farmers for the purpose of increasing their knowledge and increasing capacity to access capital and other USDA resources
- Form associations, organizations and cooperatives to gain profitability for small, minority and limited resource farmers
- Promote the use of alternative agricultural practices by increasing small farmers’ knowledge of sustainable agriculture and innovative new projects
- Conduct outreach to landowners and operators to identify their demographical information and address their needs
- Provide farmers with technical assistance on both conventional and alternative agriculture enterprises and practices for the purpose of increasing profits
- Identify opportunities to utilize the farm labor housing loan program
- Inform the collaborating families of value-added enterprises and specialty market opportunities as well as resources and credit opportunities
- Provide farmers with training, especially in financial management and bookkeeping
- Encourage and train farmers to use computers, identify risk management techniques and enterprise opportunities that enhance their income
