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UW-Extension workshops address ag financial stress

In 2009, the prospect for significantly lower input and higher milk prices is not good, at least for the next several months. As a result many farm managers are asking how to make the best of the situation until economies improve. University of Wisconsin-Extension is well positioned to help. Beginning on March 4, five “Deal or No Deal-Managing the Margin” workshops for producers will be presented by UW-Extension’s Farm and Risk Management (FARM) Team and the Center for Dairy Profitability.

Workshops will be held at the following locations from 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.:

  • March 4, 2009: Turtleback Golf and Conference Center, Rice Lake
  • March 9, 2009: Belvedere Supper Club, Marshfield
  • March 10, 2009: Shawano City Hall
  • March 11, 2009: Juneau at the Administration Building
  • March 12, 2009: Legion Hall, Melros

Registration cost is $15 per site ($25 at the door). Visit the FARM Team website http://www.uwex.edu/ces/farmteam to download a brochure or contact local extension offices. These workshops are sponsored by the UW-Extension’s Farm and Risk Management Team (http://www.uwex.edu/ces/farmteam) and the Center for Dairy Profitability (http://cdp.wisc.edu) whose missions are to help Wisconsin farmers improve business profitability and lifestyles through informed decision-making, and local UW-Extension offices.

But that is just the beginning. Also scheduled is an Agricultural Lender’s meeting on May 1 in Kimberly. UW-Extension Dairy and Farm Team members, along with specialists from the Center for Dairy Profitability (CDP), will address cost of production considerations and margin management options at the Liberty Hall. More details about this opportunity will follow in the next few weeks.

Team and CDP members have also completed an inventory of the many financial management decision-making tools available to farm managers facing decisions made more difficult by the present economic situation. These tools include Cost of Production aids, dairy and crop budgets, lease arrangement evaluators, share milking arrangements and feed cost and storage aids. The CDP website offers a full complement of software programs, video, papers and publications, financial analysis, bench marks and record keeping tools. If you don’t find what you need on the CDP pages, a full complement of University and industry internet links are available. Visit the CDP website at http://cdp.wisc.edu for access to tools, information and internet links for all your farm financial management needs. More aids are forthcoming so make the CDP webpage your first choice in Web-Farm Management (Web-FM) information.