2007 National Extension Risk Management Education Conference

Phoenix, AZ: April 17-18, 2007


30 Minute Breakouts
Addressing marketing, human resource and financial risk: decision making in the retail farm market context
30 Minute Breakouts
John Berry, johnberry@psu.edu
Penn State Cooperative Extension
http://agmarketing.extension.psu.edu

Direct-to-consumer farm marketing

On method used by local farmers to increase the likelihood of economic success is diversifying into the realm of direct-to-consumer marketing of their farm products. Developing the retail skills associated with this form of marketing is an important piece of what Cooperative Extension does in our region. A NERME grant provided significant support for the Mid Atlantic Direct Marketing Conference (MADMC) seeking to address the educational needs of the target audience. This conference consisted of four days of intensive training, socializing and planning. During February 2006, 643 participants from 13 states took part in the excellent educational programs available through workshops, concurrent sessions, bus tours and an industry specific tradeshow.

The conference started off with a day devoted to interactive, intensive workshops. We had 2 full-day workshops and 3 half-day workshops. The topics covered were "Creating a buzz in your bakery", Communication and motivation skills","Pricing strategies", "Wreaths, Swags and bouquets", "How to utilize your farm for education". Day two was the highly anticipated retail farm market bus tours. Using 4 tour buses, participants visited premiere farm markets in Berks and Lehigh County. The final piece of this conference consisted of 44 concurrent educational sessions over two days and a trade show with 47 retail farm marketing vendors.

Comments received from participants include "Many profitable ideas and information.", "Excellent presentations.", "Very informative and useful. We got several ideas we can use at our home market.", "This is an avenue we are investigating to further expand our product line.", "This is a great resource. I am glad you here. These people were great and very helpful."


Materials
Addressing marketing, human resource, and financial risk: decision making in the reatil farm market context
Andy´s Project--Computer Education for Farm Men
30 Minute Breakouts
Ruth Hambleton, rhamblet@uiuc.edu
University of Illinois Extension

Andy´s Project—Computer Education for Farm Men was piloted with 14 farmers in 2006 in Monroe and Franklin Counties. Illinois Farm Bureau and Illinois Risk Management Agency are partners in program delivery. Andy’s Project teaches mid-life farmers how to use computers. Farmers in this age group have limited time to enroll in traditional computer education classes and they lack confidence to participate in traditional classes. Farmers have specific needs to learn how to use computers, particularly spreadsheets and internet, and they have specific conditions like arthritic hands and “big fingers” that require experimenting to find the best combinations of hardware for them. The two pilot groups highly rated this program in terms of what they learned about computers and improving their ability to use spreadsheets and the internet. Andy’s Project is named after a typical farmer left behind by the technology generation.
Materials
Andys Project Curriculum 2007
Andy`s Project--Computer Education for Farm Men
BEEHIVE MASTER BEEF MANAGER PROGRAM – MEETING THE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IN RISK MANAGEMENT OF UTAH BEEF PRODUCERS
30 Minute Breakouts
C. Kim Chapman, kimc@ext.usu.edu
Utah State University Extension

Sustainable cattle production is vital to the economy of rural Utah and the Intermountain West. Cattle producers face many different types of risk, though they often accept risk as part of production agriculture. Production risk, however, often carries with it impacts which affect other types of risk exposure. The Beehive Master Beef Manager Program (BMBM) was devised as one way to educate cattle producers about risk by helping them identify perceived risks within their operation, and teach them principles to aid them as they develop strategies to manage these risks. The BMBM program originally began as a Beef Check-off funded Pilot Project and is now offered in five geographical areas of Utah. Cattle producers have been taught about the various types of risk using the Right Risk computer simulation software. Producers have then been asked to determine which aspects of risk have the highest priority. The results have been compiled for each teaching location and priorities for future educational programming have been established to meet the producer-identified needs. Some of these needs are similar across locations, but differences also exist. One of the strengths of this program is that the producers establish the educational priorities to meet their needs. The Cow-Calf Management Guide & Cattle Producer’s Library has served as the primary resource for the sessions held to date, coupled with supplemental materials for topics not covered adequately in the Guide.

Materials
BEEHIVE MASTER BEEF MANAGER PROGRAM MEETING THE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IN RISK MANAGEMENT OF UTAH BEEF PRODUCERS
Building for the Successful Transition of Your Agricultural Business Workshops and Resources
30 Minute Breakouts
Donald Breece, breece.2@osu.edu
Ohio State University Extension

Co-Presenters
Presenter: Donald J. Breece PhD Farm Management Specialist Co-Authors: David Marrison & Barry Ward Extension Educators Ohio State University Extension

This presentation will share information about the 2007 “Building for the Successful Transition of Your Agricultural Business” workshops, developed by OSU Extension Educators and Specialists. With funding from a North Central Risk Management Education Center Grant, an Extension bulletin, “Transferring Your Farm Business to the Next Generation” was revised and a series of fact sheets were developed for distribution as written publications and on the OSU Extension Web site, www.ohioline.osu.edu. Also developed were teaching materials, in-class exercises, and participant notebooks. Educators offered follow-up assistance to help farm families develop a transition (succession) plan for their business.

The presentation will describe how the two day workshops were developed, furthermore samples of the curriculum and resource materials will be shown. The Ohio workshops were designed to help all members of the family business analyze the current status of the business, determine where the business is going, and plan for the future. Communications between generations was a major focus. Participants also learned about business organization structures and strategies, how to treat on-farm and off farm heirs, how to transfer assets, how to plan for adequate retirement income, and how buy-sell agreements, trusts, and life insurance can be utilized in transition planning. Over 100 Ohio producers attended the regional workshops.

Materials
Poster Advertisement for Farm Transition Workshops
Building for the Successful Transition of Your Agricultural Business- Workshops and Resources
Transition Program Tri-fold Brochure
Transition program one page flyer
Collaborating for Success
30 Minute Breakouts
Crystal Smithmyer, cmsmyer@aol.com
AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians
http://AgExtEd.cas.psu.edu/agrab

For the past three years, AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians has conducted risk management education through an on-going RME grant. At the project’s core is a history of successful collaboration with a variety of agricultural organizations and Cooperative Extension agents.

At the project’s inception, the primary partner was to be the PA Farm Bureau and the outreach activities were to take place at a series of PFB region meetings. However, from the first year the number of meetings held was less than anticipated and not all regions that did hold meetings chose to partner with us. So we went outside the box and looked for partners who were in the planning stages of first-class events on producer education, but were in need of financial and planning support.

The result has been collaboration with no less than 6 diverse organizations. Literally hundreds of producers have been reached on subjects ranging from crop insurance and farm financial planning to direct marketing liabilities and alternative energy sources for the farm.

By partnering with a variety of organizations in this way, and at established events; grant funds are maximized. The funding has not been pigeon-holed to support only one type of organizational member, or one type of commodity grower. Moreover, event costs are dispersed through a number of supporters, so that all of AgrAbility’s RME funds are not going to just one conference or event, but rather several throughout the year.

Materials
Not Available
Creating Business Opportuinites
30 Minute Breakouts
S. Gary Bullen, Gary_Bullen@ncsu.edu
North Carolina State University

Co-Presenters
S. Gary Bullen North Carolina State University

Most extension personal are trained in the production agriculture and lack business and marketing skills necessary to assist farmers in development of a new enterprise. However extension personal are being asked to assist with business development issues.

The Creating Business Opportunities (CBO) was organized from the core leadership organizations of the North Carolina Rural Center, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, North Carolina Farm Bureau and N.C. REAL to address this problem. The curriculum committee developed an eight day business class to prepare agricultural professionals to assist potential entrepreneurs. The CBO training class was made up of four-two day trainings covering business start up, market research, financial management, legal issues, and business planning. The CBO training participants are made up of most of the agencies working in business development and marketing. Each organization’s supervisors and directors nominated county level employees who would participate in the eight days of training. The CBO participants were organized into 11 teams based on geographic location and organizations to foster collaboration and networking of the various organizations. Each team was asked to develop a practicum as part of the CBO training. The teams developed marketing plans for a new business in their area.

A companion notebook and CD–ROM of business resources has been developed for the CBO participants. A web site http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/cbo/ has been created to encourage sharing information. The web site will serve as a business development resource. Ninety CBO participants completed the CBO training.

Materials

Creating Business Opportunities .ppt
Crop Insurance in Argentina: La Dulce Cooperative
30 Minute Breakouts
William Edwards, wedwards@iastate.edu
Iowa State University

Argentina is a major world producer of corn, soybeans, wheat, sunflowers, barley, flax and other grains. La Dulce Cooperativa de Seguros has been marketing crop insurance to producers in the Buenos Aires Province of Argentina for 85 years. The major insurable hazards are hail, wind and fire. Replant protection is also offered. Both traditional and decreasing deductible policies are available. In addition to providing risk management to its members, La Dulce also offers a web page ( www.ladulceseguros.com.ar ), an electronic newsletter, satellite photos of members’ farms, and a cultural foundation that serves the community. I will be visiting La Dulce Cooperative during March 6-9, 2007, and would welcome the opportunity to share how crop insurance programs are designed and delivered in the Southern Hemisphere.
Materials
Argentina Crop Insurance
Dying without a Will in Montana
30 Minute Breakouts
Marsha Goetting, goetting@montana.edu
Montana State University Extension
http://www.montana.edu/extensionecon/familyeconomics.html

Sale of land is a major financial risk for farmers and ranchers who die without a will because of state intestacy distributions to spouse and children, some of whom may lack interest in farming/ranching and demand their inheritance in cash. Many of the 842 participants in the 2004-2005 estate planning programs indicated the topics “Montana law and property distribution” were the most valuable. A web site and interactive CD illustrating how property passes under Montana law when a person dies without a will is under process of development. We anticipate that those who use the CD and Web site will become motivated to contact their attorney to write a will. The CD and Web site format could be easily adapted in other states. At the session the proto-type of the CD will be demonstrated with other illustrations of how property title also affects distribution of property after the death of the owner.

Materials
Dying Without A Will in Montana
Enterprising Rural Families – Starting Family Enterprise Managers on the Road to Success
30 Minute Breakouts
John Hewlett, hewlett@uwyo.edu
University of Wyoming
http://eRuralFamilies.org

Co-Presenters
Randolph R. Weigel, William R. Taylor, and The Enterprising Rural Families Team

Enterprising Rural Families is a course designed to assist families manage their rural enterprises for success. It was conceived by Extension educators in Wyoming working with collaborators in Queensland Australia and British Columbia Canada. A robust, visual model describes the interlinking and overlap of individual, family, business, and community systems surrounding and shaping the rural family enterprise at its core.

Originally developed as an online course with supporting electronic monthly newsletter, the team is more recently developing CD-based modules for distribution and presentation in other venues. Strategic Management focuses on assisting families define and achieve the success they desire. Course topics cover an introduction to the family business, the ERF model, family business roles, family life cycles and change, strategic planning and goal setting, visioning, drafting a mission statement, setting strategic goals, and an overview of the planning process.

The Resource Inventory course is designed to aid in resource identification and assessment. Topics in this course include: the ERF model, an introduction to resource inventorying, inventorying individual systems, inventory of family systems, inventory of business systems, and inventory of community capitals.

Enterprising Rural Families provides hands-on solutions to issues faced by rural enterprise managers everywhere. These two, new courses offer useful and relevant risk management information to family businesses.
Materials
Enterprising Rural Families – Starting Family Enterprise Managers on the Road to Success - part I
Enterprising Rural Families – Starting Family Enterprise Managers on the Road to Success - part II
EXPANDED RISK MANAGEMENT CASE FARM WORKSHOP
30 Minute Breakouts
G. A. "Art" Barnaby, barnaby@ksu.edu
Kansas State University
http://AgManager.info

KSU has been using the case study approach for teaching risk concepts to growers on how to combine crop insurance, futures/options, etc., and government programs to manage revenue risk. The case study now includes the recently offered group policies. Participants are asked to manage price and yield risk for the case farm in order to minimize risk and maximize profits. Participants may use any price strategy that leaves the case farm in a hedged position and they select a crop insurance strategy, including no insurance.

Effectively, the Group Risk Plan (GRP) is a “put option” on expected county yield and Group Risk Income Protection (GRIP) is a “put option” on expected county revenue and farmers must manage the yield basis risk. To simulate this, participants draw their individual farm yield out of a hat and an Excel created Monte Carlo model draws a county yield under the four different farm yield scenarios. This is not a totally random draw because the case farm’s yields are set up to be highly correlated with the county yield. There is a five percent chance of drawing a poor farm yield and a normal county yield and five percent for the reverse. Because it is theoretically possible for a GRIP/GRP insured farmer to have crop damage and no insurance claim, these two outcomes were included in the distribution of county yield draws. After the workshop farmers have a better understand of how the group policies transfer risk.
Materials
Paper_copy_Barnaby_presentation
Barnaby_AZ.ppt
Extending a Good Program…Adopting Annie’s Project in Kentucky
30 Minute Breakouts
Jennifer Hunter, jhunter@uky.edu
University of Kentucky

In Extension, education programs are sometimes successful, but never get a chance to serve their full potential because they are not replicated in other areas. Extending programs beyond local or state boundaries can be problematic due to differences in needs, extension culture/structure or personal incentives of extension workers.

RME, in cooperation with Illinois and Iowa Extension services, offered an opportunity to extend "Annie´s Project" beyond its original area. Modeling Annie’s Project after successful programs in the mid-western United States has allowed the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service to benefit from their experiences and fine tune the program for our area. The success of Annie’s Project in Kentucky was dependent on buy in to the program from extension specialists, county extension agents, administrators, and most importantly the participants.

This paper documents the procedures used and provides a case study analysis of the adoption of this program in Kentucky. Data from three pilot programs are described. Demographic information about participants is compared between the original participants and participants in the new area.

Materials
Extending A Good Program
Extending Our Reach – Training Agricultural Professionals to Facilitate and Teach Price Risk Management in a Marketing Group Setting
30 Minute Breakouts
Bret Oelke, oelke002@umn.edu
University of Minnesota

Co-Presenters
Bill Craig, University of Minnesota Dale Carter, Agricultural Consultant

Several Regional Extension Educators for the University of Minnesota within the Agricultural Business Management work group have been actively involved in facilitating, teaching, and managing marketing groups across Minnesota for a number of years. The demand for this type of Risk Management education has exceeded the supply of University staff available to effectively and efficiently reach the producers that are interested in participating in these marketing and management discussion groups. A pilot program was implemented to train non-University Agricultural Professionals, in coordination with several local farm organizations, to facilitate and to lead discussions in a Marketing Group setting with training and support from University Staff. This concurrent session will outline the steps that were taken to identify interested facilitators, sponsors, and producers; the training and support that are provided to the facilitators; and the format and tools that are used to improve the commodity marketing and price risk management of the marketing group participants. Additionally, we will discuss the process used to start these groups within the fee based sponsorship model that is used by the University of Minnesota Agricultural Business Management Educators and the non-University facilitators that they support.

By extending our reach and training agricultural professionals we have been able to effectively reach many more farm families than we can with the limited resources of our Land Grant University.
Materials
"Extending Our Reach – Training Agricultural Professionals to Facilitate and Teach Price Risk Management in a Marketing Group Setting"
Extreme Makeover: PowerPoint Edition
30 Minute Breakouts
Jeff Reisdorfer, jreisdor@umn.edu
The University of Minnesota
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/jreisdor/design/

Make your point without drowning in PowerPoint.

This talk gives presenters helpful tips and insights into the best ways to improve their PowerPoint presentations. These tips can be taken and put into use immediately.
Materials
Extreme Makeover: PowerPoint Edition
Farmer´s Grain Marketing Decision Aid
30 Minute Breakouts
Carl German, clgerman@udel.edu
University of Delaware
http://www.webixi.com/grainguide/

Producers frequently say that marketing their production is the toughest management challenge they face. It is widely held that the influx of investment cash into commodity funds has added a new element of uncertainty to the futures component of farmers´ prices. At the same time, the advent of bio-fuels and changing transportation patterns have introduced new volatility into futures markets and local basis bids.

This decision aid is designed to help make the farmers´ pricing job easier. The Aid´s four-section grid displays at a glance the cash and/or futures/options tools appropriate if a farmer expects futures prices to rise or fall and basis to strengthen or weaken. The farmer/grain marketer is assisted with sorting out the marketing alternatives that are appropriate for given market conditions. Each alternative or combination of alternatives within a quad is to be considered as an appropriate sales method to use in making a specific grain sale. For example, if the Futures Price Trend is Up and the Basis is Strong then one of the five marketing alternatives listed in the upper left quadrant would be appropriate for use.

Basis strength and/or expected price direction serve as indicators for selecting the proper sales method. The aid uses price trend analysis in providing guidance to the sales method and timing of the farmer´s grain marketing decision.

The aid can be printed and posted anywhere to help a producer make a quick marketing decision throughout a marketing year.

Materials
Farmers Grain Marketing Decision Aid.ppt
http://www.webixi.com/grainguide
Farmers´ Evaluations and Behavioral Changes due to Attending Farm Transition and Estate Planning Workshops
30 Minute Breakouts
Gary Hachfeld, hachf002@umn.edu
University of Minnesota Extension Service

A majority of farm families have not named a successor nor developed an up-to-date farm business transition and estate plan. This program effort was designed to enable these farm families to gain a better understanding of the process required and thus develop and implement a farm transition and estate plan. In terms of improving understanding, the workshops were highly successful. Most of the participants indicated their understanding of the main educational points of the workshop improved due to attending the workshop. Based upon post-meeting evaluations, almost all indicated they better understood the need for clear goals and communication. Over 90% said they better understood the strategies available for use in a transfer plan; the importance of assessing the financial strength of the farm; and wills, trusts, and estate planning strategies. Ninety percent said they have improved their understanding of life insurance, power-of-attorney, and health care issues as part of the process. Eighty-seven percent of particpants said they had improved their understanding of tax issues related to the farm transfer process. While 58% of participants did not have an up-to-date estate plan and 89% did not have an up-to-date farm business transfer plan, 81% stated that as a result of attending the workshop, they would begin the transition process by developing a transfer and estate plan beginning that year. Based upon six month follow-up evaluative data, over 59% had begun developing a farm transfer plan with 12.5% completed. Fifty-seven percent had begun updating their estate plan with 7.3% completed.
Materials
Farm Transfer and Estate Planning Seminars.ppt
Farm Transfer and Estate Planning Seminars - paper.doc
FINBIN, Benchmarking for Success
30 Minute Breakouts
Dale Nordquist, dnord@umn.edu
Center for Farm Financial Management, University of Minnesota
http://www.cffm.umn.edu

Ever wonder how your producers are doing financially? Come take a look at FINBIN, the largest public online database of farm financial information. We will look at how you can use FINBIN and the benchmark data that is available to help your producers and to develop educational programming. We will also discuss how the producers you work with can improve their profitability by using FINBIN´s powerful benchmarking capabilities. We will spend some time looking at FINBIN, how you do queries and the type benchmark data that is available. As an added benefit, FINBIN now includes data from a number of organic producers -- come see how organic production stacks up financially.
Materials
FINBIN Benchmarking for Success
Forecasting Grain Basis Using Kriging Spatial Extrapolation or Markov Chain Techniques: Which is more Accurate?
30 Minute Breakouts
ward nefstead, nefst002@umn.edu
University of Minnesota
http://www.apec.umn.edy/faculty/wnefstea

Grain basis knowledge is very important in making good marketing decision. The traditional method of forecasting basis is to use historical data and multiple year averages to determine the next year´s basis levels. Knowledge of future basis allows the farm operation to determine the success of hedging and allows evaluation of forward contract bids. The author has experimented with two additional methods of forecasting basis. These are Kriging Extrapolation of Spatial Surfaces for Basis and the use of Markov chains to determine regional basis levels. These additional methods are very important in that historical data on basis is backward-looking and cannot capture the rapid structural changes that are characteristics of some markets such as the current corn market. This presentation will contrast these two methods with the traditional historical approach to determine which is more accurate.
Materials
Forecasting Basis
Golden Age Farming
30 Minute Breakouts
Mary Sobba, sobbam@missouri.edu
University of Missouri Extension
http://muextension.missouri.edu/audrain/

Co-Presenters
Parman Green, University of Missouri Extension

Golden Age Farming began as a University Extension class for farm families 55+ years of age in Missouri in 2005. The class was designed by University Extension based upon topics that would help farmers pass on the farm to the next generation or liquidate the farm at retirement. The goal of Golden Age Farming is to empower farm families to plan for their future, using the compiled class manual, a network of class participants and appropriate professionals.

During 2004-05, an instructor manual was developed by University Extension personnel. The manual includes multiple risk management areas, while focusing on estate planning, retirement issues, succession of the farm and adaptations on the farm. Also, it includes instructor notes, resources, handouts, sample exercises, evaluation pieces and suggested ideas. The manual was developed to be shared and to allow customization to local agriculture. Additional instructors were trained in Missouri this past year.

Golden Age Farming was designed to be taught in four sessions, with a variety of teaching methods. The manuals for both instructors and students have been placed on the Golden Age Farming website, so that others have easy access to materials. Also, electronic versions allow for easy updates/additions to the manual

The program, Golden Age Farming has appealed to audiences of varying ages. Initially, the target was 55+ years of age, but enrollments indicated it was growing in popularity with younger farm families too. The classes were taught by University Extension educators.

Materials
Golden Age Farming
Green Industry: Planning to Continue Business After a Disaster
30 Minute Breakouts
Virginia Morgan, morgamv@auburn.edu
Alabama Cooperative Extension System
http://www.aces.edu

The green industry is a mix of production, service, and trade-type businesses. This course focused on the production sector, which includes growers of nursery crops (woody perennial plants that are usually grown in containers or in-ground), floriculture crops (bedding plants, potted flowering plants, foliage plants, cut cultivated greens, and cut flowers), and turfgrass sod farms. Because the green industry represents a significant portion of the nation’s economy, disasters that affect the green industry affect, directly or indirectly, the rest of the economy. Even production operations not physically affected by a disaster may be disrupted due to infrastructure shutdowns, shipping problems associated with inputs and products, reduced consumer demand, family and environmental concerns, cash flow disruptions, and perhaps enforced restrictions.

Producers have invested significant amounts of time, energy, and finances into their operations. Staying in business until one is ready to close down or transfer the operation is the goal. However, closing down for good may happen sooner than a producer is ready if planning for recovery doesn’t occur before the disaster. All sections of the country may face one or multiple types of natural disasters, and all are at risk of experiencing a man-made disaster.

The project originally was to be a 6-hour hands-on workshop including an interactive exercise focusing on procedures for sustaining productive capacity through market and production interruptions. It was to also include expert presentations, peer interaction, and a risk aversion assessment. The training was to take place at the 2006 Gulf States Horticulture Expo, but because only three people signed up for it, the training was modified and postponed until the 2007 Expo. The course was offered as part of the pesticide certification section--twenty-six producers participated.

A Web site (www.greenindustryemergencyplan.com) was created for producers to post their emergency plans, inventories, insurance and banking information. In addition, a course was developed based on FEMA´s ReadyBusiness. The material includes a facilitator guide, producer booklet (emergency plan template--hard copy) and a list of emergency numbers for state (Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina) and federal agencies.
Materials
Green Industry: Planning to Continue Business After a Disaster
GREEN INDUSTRY: PLANNING TO CONTINUE BUSINESS FOLLOWING A DISASTER -- A GUIDE FOR FACILITATORS
GREEN INDUSTRY: PLANNING TO CONTINUE BUSINESS FOLLOWING A DISASTER
GREEN INDUSTRY: PLANNING TO CONTINUE BUSINESS FOLLOWING A DISASTER -- AGENCY CONTACTS
Growing a New Local Food Economy
30 Minute Breakouts
katherine baril, kbaril@wsu.edu
Washington State University - jefferson county extension

Co-Presenters
Briar Kolp, Port Townsend Food Coop

In the past five years, our rural County in Western Washington has experienced a dramatic renaissance in local food production. By literally revisualizing local food production through the arts and posters we are demonstrating tremendous success including the first local cheese production in thirty years! Extension faculty and community partners formed a unique Food and Farm Network which uses web sites, podcasting, and digital marketing to provide a full range of business training, marketing support, and innovative techniques to attract and support a younger generation of farmers. We developed easy access to a complex support system of marketing, human resources, law and finance information. Market sales have grown from $60,000 to over $600,000. A BUY LOCAL at the local food coop resulted in membership increasing from 100 members to now over 4500 and annual sales of over $8 million. Entrepreneurial education, marketing support, and one on one enterprise facilitation has demonstrated that farmers not only need to know how to grow but also how to be successful in business. Today a 120 acre farm is being preserved as a teaching learning farm and another 70 acres of golf course land is being converted to a working-teaching farm. The local food and farm network- using direct entrepreneurial support and high tech coaching is recruiting, training, and celebrating a new generation of farmers. The image of our market is a young, confident woman.. She captures the confidence and commitment this community has to growing its own local food economy
Materials
Not Available
Heart of the Farm Wisconsin Women in Agriculture Program Statistics & Trends
30 Minute Breakouts
Jenny Vanderlin, jmvander@wisc.edu
Center for Dairy Profitability
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/heartofthefarm/

Co-Presenters
Joy Kirkpatrick, Center for Dairy Profitability

The Heart of the Farm Conference Series (HOF) empowers Wisconsin farm women in production, price, financial, legal and human areas of risk management education. Heart of the Farm conferences bring women together in a professional setting and provide education to improve their competence in farm business management and production. By providing opportunities to network with their counterparts, these conferences attempt to decrease the social isolation experienced by many farm women. Since 2002, there have been 20 Heart of the Farm one-day conferences across the state. Three locations consistently host a HOF conference each year, providing infrastructure to continue the Heart of the Farm one-day conference program.

Evaluations indicate participants contribute a large percentage of labor and management to the farm operation. Heart of the Farm participants indicate they share many of the decisions for the farm business, including long term planning and farm investment decisions. Previous HOF participants identified the most important factors that drive their decisions to attend farm educational workshops; with the most important being the information is pertinent to their business. The experience and information gathered from five years of HOF evaluations will assist farm business educators with developing programs that both men and women will value. Coordinators of HOF will share the details of planning and executing a farm women’s program including how far in advance to start promoting to the details that make women feel welcome at a mixed gender Extension program. Evaluation analysis comparing statistics across the five years of HOF will be presented.

Materials
Heart of the Farm - Handout
Heart of the Farm - Powerpoint (Update)
Helping Ethnic Chinese Growers Conform to Water Regulations and Manage their Risks.
30 Minute Breakouts
Aziz Baameur, azbaameur@ucdavis.edu
UC Small Farm program

Co-Presenters
Micheal Cahn, UC Cooperative Extension Monterey County Laosheng Wu, UC Extension Specialist, UC Riverside

Helping Ethnic Chinese Growers Conform to Water Regulations and Manage their Risks.

Chinese growers in the California’s Central Coast area have recently begun to learn about water quality issues. UC Small Farm program in cooperation with other local and regional agencies have committed to address the needs of this community whose primary means of communication remains Chinese. This might be the first water quality training in Chinese. Presently, Over 95% of the growers grow greenhouse Asian vegetables.

The material is loosely based on the concept of the popular UC Water Quality Short course used in the central coast. The class is 15-hour long and is set up in 5 different installments. Material selection and writing were made to accommodate the limited theoretical knowledge of the percipients.

In this presentation we will focus on the irrigation and nutrient management part of the training. The training designed to be participatory hands-on approach. They took place in operating greenhouses. The pertinent written materials were translated into Mandarin Chinese. The materials were delivered to the growers simultaneously in English and Cantonese Chinese.

Participants learned to evaluate existing greenhouse irrigation systems for irrigation distribution uniformity and fertilizer application uniformity. The highlight of the sessions was the participation of the attendees in collecting the data that were the basis for the calculations and comparisons between two sprinkler types for uniformity. The attendees were also introduced to the concepts of fertilizer injection time, travel time, and flush time, techniques to help them curb excess water and fertilizer use.

Materials
helping chinese growers
Impact of the proposed Base Revenue Protection and Revenue Countercyclical Programs (BRP-RCCP) for North Dakota corn, soybean and wheat producers.
30 Minute Breakouts
Dwight Aakre, dwight.aakre@ndsu.edu
NDSU Extension Service

Co-Presenters
Ronald Haugen, NDSU Extension Service Andrew Swenson, NDSU Extension Service

The National Corn Growers Association Public Policy Team´s Base Revenue Protection and Revenue Counter-cyclical Program were analyzed for corn, soybean and hard red spring wheat producers in North Dakota. The analysis was completed using the BRP-RCCP calculator, developed for the National Corn Growers Association. Three representative counties were chosen for each crop. Historic and projected data was used to compare the BRP-RCCP program with the current farm program over the 2002 to 2010 time frame.
Materials
Impact of the proposed Base Revenue Protection and Revenue Countercyclical Program
Base Revenue Protection and Revenue Countercyclical Programs for Corn in North Dakota
Base Revenue Protection and Revenue Countercyclical Programs for Spring Wheat in North Dakota
Base Revenue Protection and Revenue Countercyclical Programs for Soybeans in North Dakota
Improving Record Keeping Skills and Marketing Strategies to Reduce Risks for American Samoa Farmers
30 Minute Breakouts
Faamaile Frost, ffrost2539@hotmail.com
American Samoa Community College
http://www.ascc.as

Co-Presenters
Josephine Malepeai, USDA Farm Service Agency

Implementing keeping financial records or developing new marketing strategy, as adopted risk management strategies have been the objectives of this project: "Reducing Risk for American Samoa Farmers". Cooperative Extension Services at American Samoa Community College Division of Community and Natural Resources, has been overwhelmed with the great enthusiasm and interest shown by the local farmers for keeping financial receipts and document transactions done at their farm businesses. These are the more effective risk management strategies on their farms, coupled with Farm Service Agency opportunities. Because the majority of farmers are not too comfortable speaking, reading and writing English, Farm record books have been translated into these two native languages to increase farmers´ understanding and proficiency in record keeping. The American Samoa farmers (Tongan and Samoan) are very thankful for the simplified and translated farm record books distributed to them, (first quarterly terms) until we finalize publishing a permanent annual Farm Record Book.
The farmers´ other main concern to increase marketing of produce has been communicated across to the School Lunch Program, and local Department of Agriculture, through cooperative consultations with the collaborative partners and agencies (FSA, EPA, USDA-NRCS, WBC, SBDC). The proposed project has encouraged local farmers to keep records.
Materials
Not Available
Improving the Ability of Agricultural Decision Makers to Compare Financing Alternatives
30 Minute Breakouts
Jayson Harper, jkh4@psu.edu
Penn State University

Co-Presenters
Jayson K. Harper and Jeffrey R. Stokes Dept. of Agricultural economics and Rural Sociology The Pennsylvania State University

Agricultural businesses rely on borrowed capital for inputs, machinery, equipment, and land. Debt capital, relative to equity capital, is typically less expensive and can accelerate equity capital growth. However, use of debt capital increases the risk of equity loss and its management is a critical farm business management function. Managing debt capital for a farm is choosing from among multiple financing sources offering differing interest rates, rebates, points, and other non-interest costs. Educational efforts that teach producers how to evaluate financing alternatives are important so the true cost of borrowing is known. Knowing the true cost of debt capital can lead to better decision making because financing sources can be ranked based on cost. In addition, knowing the true cost of debt capital aids in risk management because equity loss only occurs when the farm’s rate of return of farm assets drops below the cost of debt capital.

Three Excel-based decision aids were developed that allow producers to calculate the cost of debt capital. The first model uses the economic concept of opportunity cost and the financial concept of time value of money to determine the cost of capital from supplier financing. The second decision aid uses of time value of money concepts for machinery and equipment purchases. The third decision aid evaluates the cost of capital for real estate purchases. Each of the decision aids elicit the appropriate financial information for each financing alternative so the costs of capital can be compared.
Materials
Ag Cost of Capital.xls
Improving the Ability of Agricultural Decision Makers to Compare Financing Alternatives.ppt
Is corn profitable on the Eastern Shore?
30 Minute Breakouts
Eddie Johnson, ejohnso3@umd.edu
University of MD Cooperative Extension
http://extension.umd.edu/local/Wicomico/

Co-Presenters
none

Is Corn Profitable on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland?

Eddie Johnson
Wicomico County Extension
E-mail: Ejohnso3@umd.edu
410.749.6141
01/15/07

Research Question: The agricultural land use of the Lower Eastern Shore is dominated by field crop production, mostly in support of the poultry industry. In the Tri-County area of the Eastern Shore of Maryland (Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset Counties) an average of 12.5% of the State’s grain (corn and soybeans) is produced (25% of the production on the Eastern Shore). Demand for corn by the poultry industry alone has been estimated to exceed Maryland’s average annual production by 50%. Ethanol will demand more corn than we can possibly produce.

…

Study Description: A Corn Improvement program was started in Wicomico County in 1986 through a joint effort between the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service and local the poultry industry. Since 2000, the Corn Improvement has expanded to include a tri-county area of Wicomico, Worcester and Somerset Counties.

A field is selected by a farmer, which is then measured by an employee of the county Extension office. Harvest is completed in the measured section and moisture of the corn in the measured area is determined as it is loaded into a truck. Specific production information that was performed by the farmer is recorded by the extension personnel to determine Best Management Practices used and all cultural practices. All associated costs of production are determined using current Custom Rates provided by the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Land charges are fixed at $75 per acre; seed, fertilizer and chemical cost are determined by an average of 3 local dealers’ prices for a cost for each product used in the field. Irrigation is a fixed cost for system of $70 per acre plus $1.80 per inch of water applied.

This program derives a specific cost of production for each farmer who enters their farm into the Corn Improvement Program. Every participant will have an individual cost per bushel of production calculated. Each can only pick themselves from the literature and power points presented.

Recommendations: The program results in an annual maximum economic yield using the six week average of harvest prices. Final costs for the farmer are determined as cost per bushel, which is steadily increasing each production year (with the exception of 2002 due to drought). A Best Managers Award is given to the farmer with a combination of highest yield and lowest inputs (Table 1). A characteristic of this program that is unique, and increases the farmers’ satisfaction of the program is the use of portable scales. The use of scales saves the farmers’ time as well as eliminating any pre-weighing of the truck.

Table 1. The Best Managers Award: Lowest Cost of Corn Production on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. 2000-2006.
Year Price Yield (bu/acre) Production Cost
(per acre)
2000 $1.92 203 $1.08
2001 $2.10 215 $1.26
2002 $2.90 235 $1.80
2003 $2.45 204 $1.27
2004 $2.20 232 $1.29
2005 $2.15 168 $1.46
2006 $2.89 254 $1.41
Average $2.37 216 $1.36

During the seven years of this program, both irrigated and non-irrigated corn yield were represented. Corn farmers in the program have averaged 42.4 bushels per acre higher than county averages. Table 2 represents the average yields of farmers involved in the program compared to the county average.

Table 2. Yields of Irrigated and Non-Irrigated Corn in Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. 2000-2005.

The overall cost per acre of all participants (average) and the Best Manager’s Cost are shown in Table 2. This can be viewed alongside the average profit per acre and price per bushel that was earned by the farmers participating in the program. The cost of irrigated corn is steadily increasing but always profitable. In 2002, despite the drought the true cost production exceeded the price of corn by $0.32 per bushel
Materials
Risk Management Conference.ppt
Market Journal Toolbox
30 Minute Breakouts
Rebecca Small, rsmall1@bigred.unl.edu
Department of Agricultural Economics at UNL

Co-Presenters
Darrell R. Mark, Department of Agricultural Economics, UNL Jim Randall, Department of Communication and Information Technology, UNL

After realizing the need for a program that would educate agricultural producers on marketing and risk management, Market Journal Toolbox was designed by a team of educators at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). Market Journal Toolbox is a distance education program delivered through 16 classes in a five DVD set. This program is essentially a self-directed marketing course that complements Market Journal, a weekly television program featuring marketing and risk management strategies from UNL researchers and extension specialists.

This program teaches detailed hedging and risk management techniques using cash contracts, the futures and options market, insurance products for crops and livestock, as well as government farm program benefits. Market Journal Toolbox is unique in that it not only covers various marketing tools, it steps producers through the process of developing a marketing plan tailored to their operation.

The quality of the program’s content was initially tested through a beta testing stage. Forty two evaluators studied each section. Results indicated that in most sections there was 35-50% increase in understanding after participates completed the section.

Currently, Market Journal Toolbox is being distributed nationally. Future plans for Market Journal Toolbox include updates of material as it becomes dated (e.g., government programs), a section on technical analysis, and college credit for the course.
Materials
Market Journal Toolbox
New England Farm Transfer Workshops
30 Minute Breakouts
Robert Parsons, bob.parsons@uvm.edu
University of Vermont

Co-Presenters
Michael Sciabarrasi University of New Hampshire

With the increasing development pressure, tight profit margins, and rising average age of farmers in New England, smooth transition of the farming business to the next generation is challenging. Over the past four years, Extension and nonprofit groups in New England have teamed up to offer educational workshops on farm transfer and business succession.

Supported with funds from the Northeast Center for Risk Management Education, 25 daylong workshops were conducted from 2003 through 2006 across the six New England states. Of the 25 workshops, 18 were introductory estate planning workshops referred to as “Transferring the Farm”. The curriculum for these introductory workshops addressed family communications and goal setting, provided an overview of estate planning issues and tools, presented a legal interpretation of transfer issues, offered creative solutions to farm transfer, and provided a forum for discussion of farmer experiences. Traditional lecture presentations were blended with small group discussion, self assessments and farmer testimonial.

The seven second level workshops, “Transferring the Farm II”, were designed to cover selected topics in greater depth. Extensive discussion of business structure was combined with an overview of asset transfer, income requirements, retirement, and health care issues. Case studies helped participants understand the concepts and tie them together.

Workshop effectiveness was measured by post workshop evaluation. Over 90% of the participants rated the workshops as excellent and over 80% showed significant gain in knowledge on all issues presented. The evaluation also included open ended, qualitative questions about transfer barriers and intended use of information presented.

Materials
New England Farm Transfer Workshops-Parsons Phoenix 2007.PPT
New Study Defining Rural Clientele for Extension in the West
30 Minute Breakouts
Trent Teegerstrom, tteegers@ag.arizona.edu
University of Arizona
http://ag.arizona.edu/arec/

Co-Presenters
Jeffrey E. Tranel, Colorado State University John P. Hewlett, University of Wyoming Randolph Weigel, University of Wyoming Cole Ehmke, University of Wyoming Tauhid Rahman, University of Arizona

The principal objectives of this presentation are: (1) to characterize potential extension clientele in the West; (2) to identify their sources and extents of their perceived vulnerability; and (3) to identify effective methods for delivering Outreach education. The empirical analyses of the presentation are conducted by using Farm Survey Data of 2,645 farm operators in states of Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming targeting farm operations with annual sales of less than $50,000. The survey was conducted in 2006 by authors of this paper through the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The total response rate was 53.6%. A total of 2,645 surveys were completed, which is the sample size of our empirical analyses. Data were collected on small operator’s demographics, sources of risks, information sources and preferences, resource management, and income status, and thus enabling us to empirically examine and identify new clientele with respect to their socioeconomic status.

Our preliminary findings suggest that new clientele are farm operators who never received information from cooperative extension, those at financial and production risks, and operators whose farm income accounts for more than 50% of the total household income. The results show that there is disconnect between farmer’s own assessment of educational needs, and educator’s educational contents. Also we find that the most preferred medium for receiving outreach education in the West are print publication mailed directly to them rather than the current emphasis on delivering education through workshops and web media.
Materials
Rural Clientele
Online FINPACK Training
30 Minute Breakouts
Kevin Klair, kklair@umn.edu
Center for Farm Financial Management
http://www.cffm.umn.edu

Co-Presenters
Dale Nordquist, Center for Farm Financial Management

How do you respond when people wanting to attend your training sessions are widely dispersed geographically? With the studio tools currently available we developed a well-received online training program that allows anyone to take FINPACK training on their own time schedule and at their own pace. This session will describe the new FINPACK online training system, talk about how to develop your own online training and will discuss the tools we use to develop online training courses. We will also discuss developing quizzes and tools to monitor participant’s progress.

Materials
Introduction to FINPACK Online Training
Passing It On: An Estate Planning Resource for Farmers and Ranchers
30 Minute Breakouts
Cole Ehmke, cehmke@uwyo.edu
University of Wyoming
http://ces.uwyo.edu/passingiton.asp

Co-Presenters
Lucy Pauley, Wyoming Department of Agriculture; Alan Schroeder, University of Wyoming

The importance of a transition plan for the management and ownership of an ag operation is well known. However, many agriculturists have trouble starting the conversation with family, sorting through the numerous materials available, collecting the appropriate information and eventually coming to agreement on a plan that meets the goals of stakeholders. Developed in 2006, Wyoming’s Passing It On resource emphasizes the interpersonal aspect of transition planning as well as provides expert-authored concise articles on estate planning tools in an easy-to-use binder. Initial reception in the state has been very good, and requests for the materials have come from other states in the West, as well as across the country. The materials are a result of a partnership between the Wyoming Department of Agriculture’s Mediation Program, the University of Wyoming’s Department of Agricultural Economics and estate planning authorities in the West. An initial challenge was partnering with professional groups, but through personal contacts, individuals become involved. Now unsolicited content is proposed.
Materials
Passing It On: An Estate Planning Resource for Farmers and Ranchers (paper)
Passing It On: An Estate Planning Resource for Farmers and Ranchers (PPT)
Planning for the Passing of Agricultural Reservation Land to Avoid Further Fractionation under the American Indian Probate Reform Act of 2004
30 Minute Breakouts
Marsha Goetting, goetting@montana.edu
Montana State University Extension Service
http://www.montana.edu/extensionecon/familyeconomics.html

During this session the packet of information that has been developed to help Indian agricultural producers on the Blackfeet, Fort Hall, and Fort Belknap reservations make informed risk management decisions about estate planning under the American Indian Probate Reform Act of 2004. The goal of the 14 fact sheets in the packet is provide agricultural producers with fractionated interests with the information they need to avoid further fractionation of agriculture land that is so important to their livestock and grain operations. Topics include: the consequences of dying without a written will and the benefits of utilizing estate planning risk management tools including written wills, appropriate titling of their fee status lands, and the utilization of gifting, life estates and partioning of their land.
Materials
American Indian Probate Reform Act
Private-Public Collaboration - Sounds Great, But Hard To Do! Example of Success: Regional Dairy Modernization Task Force
30 Minute Breakouts
Kevin Bernhardt, bernhark@uwplatt.edu
University of Wisconsin - Extension
http://www.swwrpc.org/redc/dmt/index.html

Co-Presenters
Kevin Raisbeck, Southwest Wisconsin Technical College

The Regional Dairy Modernization Task Force is a three-state (Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois) collaborative effort between eighteen private and public entities to reduce the risk of making and implementing a modernization decision. The Task Force mission is to organize, coordinate, and leverage resources towards the end goals of:
- improving producers’ ability to achieve desired financial performance and/or other farm business and family goals including health, quality of life, and farm transition,
- increasing milk production in the region,
- adding cows in the region, and
- increasing economic activity in the region.
The Task Force accomplishes its goals through an overall strategy of targeting different dairy operation system types to both enhance drivers of change and reduce barriers including skills development, knowledge, social networks, entrepreneurial confidence, and support of the surrounding communities.

Since 2003, the Task Force has coordinated twenty-six events attended by 1,183 participants. Surveys from a recent event showed that of sixteen producers who modernized, seven stated that task force events were “very influential” in their decision to do so and seven more stated “somewhat influential.” Of twenty-two dairy industry professionals, nine stated that Task Force events were “very influential” in helping them help their clients and this group of nine had aided sixty-seven modernizations. Another twelve answered “somewhat influential” and accounted for 110 modernizations.

The focus of the presentation is how to manage, communicate with, coordinate, and fund a collaborative effort involving three states and 18 organizations towards a common goal.
Materials
Private-Public Collaboration: Example of Success
Professional and Producer Response to the "Risk-Assessed Business Planning for Small Producers" Curriculum
30 Minute Breakouts
Marion Simon, marion.simon@kysu.edu
Kentucky State University
http://www.kysu.edu/landgrant/

Co-Presenters
Louie Rivers, Jr. Kentucky State University

The "Risk-Assessed Business Planning for Small Producers" curriculum has been introduced and taught to professionals and producers across the southern region. This session will present the response of the trainees to the materials.
Materials
Not Available
Profitability of Northeast Organic Dairy Farms
30 Minute Breakouts
Robert Parsons, bob.parsons@uvm.edu
University of Vermont

Co-Presenters
Glenn Rogers University of Vermont Extension Dennis Kauppila University Of Vermont Extension Richard Kersbergen University of Maine Extension Lisa Bragg University of Maine

The 2nd year of the only study in the US that is examining the profitability of organic dairy farms found that profitability for calendar year 2005 had increased 18% over 2004. However, average profitability did not result in a positive Return on Equity. The 2005 study examined the returns from 44 organic dairy farms in Vermont and Maine. The farms averaged 58 dairy cows and marketed an average of 12,500 lbs. of milk per cow.

As compared to conventional dairy farms, the organic dairy farms had fewer cows, produced less milk but had a higher net income per cow. At the farm level, the organic dairy farms were 18% more profitable for milking fewer cows.

The study showed high variability between farms, with 33% showing a positive return on equity and a high standard deviation of net farm income. The farmers averaged 50 years of age, younger than their conventional neighbors, were higher educated, and had smaller herds. The farms all grazed their cows and few produced any grain crops. The majority of early adapters selected organic production primarily for ethical reasons while most recent adapters switched to organic for economic reasons.

Organic presents a viable alternative for smaller dairy farmers in the northeast but for how long remains a major marketing question.
Materials
Profitability of Northeast Organic Dairy Farms-Parsons Phoenix 2007.ppt
RightRisk: Ag Survivor and Strategic Risk Management
30 Minute Breakouts
Jay Parsons, jay.parsons@OptimalAg.com
Colorado State University
http://www.rightrisk.org

Co-Presenters
Dana Hoag, Colorado State University John Hewlett, University of Wyoming and the RightRisk Education Team

The RightRisk Education Team has delivered over 150 risk management workshops to agricultural producers over the last five years emphasizing an experiential learning environment using simulation software. The suite of simulation scenarios, entitled Ag Survivor, has grown to include materials involving range management, drought, livestock production, livestock insurance, forage and crop production, crop insurance, marketing alternatives, market risk, financial health, human risk, and legal risk. This presentation will summarize the materials and programs that we have assembled to deliver effective, experiential risk management educational programs.

Our Ag Survivor scenarios are focused on realistic agricultural operations located in the western midsection of the continental U.S. However, we have presented workshops as far west as New Zealand and Hawaii and as far east as Maryland and Massachusetts. We have found our materials to be highly adaptable as long as the workshop focus is on education and the risk management decision making process. To this end, we are formalizing the risk management decision making process into a ten-step program entitled the Strategic Risk Management Process. An overview of that process will be included in the presentation.
Materials
RightRisk: Ag Survivor and Strategic Risk Management
Risk Attributes of Labor and its Management Practices from Farmers´ Perspective: Implications for Educational Programs
30 Minute Breakouts
Vera Bitsch, bitsch@msu.edu
Michigan State University
http://www.msu.edu/user/bitsch

Historically training and education for farm managers has focused on agricultural production, but there is a growing need for educational programs on labor management. This presentation reports on results of three need assessment studies and the subsequent development of educational workshops. Managers from agricultural operations were assembled in focus groups (5 horticultural groups, 4 dairy groups, 6 pork groups) to discuss their labor management challenges and opportunities between 2001 and 2005. Starting with the horticultural groups, pilot workshops were developed for each industry between 2002 and 2006 based on the analysis of these discussions. During six years of iterative assessment, program development, and evaluation, a framework for categorizing management practices according to managers’ perceptions was developed, resulting in the following 11 management categories: performance management, working conditions and organizational structure of farms, social environment, recruitment, selection, training, performance evaluation, compensation, discipline, labor law, and hiring immigrant employees. Whereas recruitment, selection, training, performance evaluation, compensation, discipline, and labor law are traditional labor management functions and described in almost all textbooks, performance management, using positive aspects of working conditions and ameliorating negative aspects, managing the social environment, and hiring immigrant employees are rarely discussed in the literature. To what extent each topic should be included in an educational workshop depends on the industry and the hierarchical level of participants. For recruitment of workshop participants, the description of the workshop content needs to focus on needs which potential participants have already recognized, but additional content needs to be addressed during the workshops.
Materials
Risk Attributes of Labor and its Management Practices
Risk Management Education-Reaching Farm Women Audiences
30 Minute Breakouts
Bob Wells, wellsjb@iastate.edu
Iowa State University Extension
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/annie/

Co-Presenters
Ruth Hambleton-University of Illinois Extension Tim Eggers-Iowa State University Extension Kelvin Liebold-Iowa State Universtiy Extension Mary Sobba-University of Missouri Extension Karisha Devlin-University of Missouri Extension

USDA statistics suggest the number of women who are principle farm operators is increasing. USDA Risk Management Agency grants and stakeholder partnerships open avenues to educate and work with this audience.

While information needs and decision-making formulas remain the same for male and female audiences, how we reach, teach and work with female populations requires different attitudes and teaching environments.

This presentation reviews successful programs for farm and ranch women. These programs, Annie’s Project, Women Marketing Grain, Overall Women’s Conference, and Women in Agriculture, all contain nine identified criteria leading to a successful women’s program. Some of the programs are rigidly structured; while others are more a base program concept with no set agenda. Each program has a strong participant planning component and requires program delivery using a mix of educators, professionals and practitioners. Each of these groups bring a different perspective and skill set to the educational process and they are willing to partner for a common cause, education of farm and ranch women. These groups of educators communicate formally and informally the goals and outcomes for learners and harness group dynamics to enhance the learning experiences.
Materials
Risk Management Education-Reaching Farm Women Audiences
Narrative-Risk Management Education-Reaching Farm Women Audiences
Risk Management Programming: Is it Effective at Creating Change?
30 Minute Breakouts
Kynda Curtis, kcurtis@cabnr.unr.edu
University of Nevada Reno
http://www.cabnr.unr.edu/curtis/

The USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) and the Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service (CSREES) allocate millions of dollars annually to risk management education across the U.S. These funds are allocated with the end goal of improving the risk management skills of farmers and ranchers, to increase the profitability and competitiveness of agricultural producers in domestic and world markets. However, little research has been done on the overall impact of such programming on U.S. farmers and ranchers. This paper discusses the impact of risk management training in Nevada on producer program attendees; including decision making skills, farm/ranch financial improvements, and awareness of alternative strategies to risk management. We evaluate these impacts based on pre and post-program testing, post program evaluations, as well as six-month and one-year follow-up mail surveys.
Materials
Risk Management Programming: Is it Effective at Creating Change?
THE FARM AND RANCH SURVIVAL KIT
30 Minute Breakouts
Brian Tuck, Brian.Tuck@oregonstate.edu
Oregon State University Extension Service, Wasco County

Co-Presenters
•Brian Tuck, Oregon State University Extension Service, Brian.Tuck@oregonstate.edu •Susan Kerr, Washington State University Extension, kerrs@wsu.edu Note we would like to do both a Poster and 30 minute presenation if possbile with our first choice as the 30 minute presentation.

Lack of profitability is a major threat to agricultural enterprise sustainability. Despite the critical importance of business planning and analysis, few producers have much knowledge or interest in receiving training about this topic. Due to competing time demands, fear of being perceived as struggling financially and/or disinterest in the subject, few producers attend public workshops on financial topics.

The Farm and Ranch Survival Kit program was developed to address the financial risk management educational needs of agricultural producers in a non-threatening, user-friendly manner using simple yet innovative delivery techniques. An invitational postcard was sent to agricultural property owners in the Mid-Columbia River area. Respondents enrolled in the program and opted to receive six monthly installments of risk management educational materials in hard copy or electronic format. Each installment highlighted a farm enterprise financial sustainability topic such as Enterprise Diversification, Marketing Strategies, Farm Financial Analysis, Business and Strategic Planning, Interpersonal Skill Development and Farm Succession Planning.

More than 160 participants enrolled in the program. Hundreds of others accessed program materials online and/or attended supplemental workshops. Due to increased knowledge, appreciation for topic importance, development of trust with program sponsors and decreased fear, workshops were very well attended. Topics included Ranching for Profit, Land Lease Agreements, Farm Succession Planning, Farm Business Analysis and other agriculture business topics.

Program effectiveness was measured by progress toward self-selected goals and a telephone survey. Respondents reported they would eliminate non-profitable enterprises, evaluate new ventures, reduce overhead costs, do more financial analyses, change marketing methods and restructure.
Materials
The Farm and Ranch Survival Kit installment #1
The Farm and Ranch Survival Kit installment #2
The Farm and Ranch Survival Kit installment #3
The Farm and Ranch Survival Kit installment #4
The Farm and Ranch Survival Kit #5
The Farm and Ranch Survival Kit installment #6
The Farm and Ranch Survival Kit Program
The Farm Directory: A new website linking producers with consumers interested in farm and ranch products including post products and agri-tourism events.
30 Minute Breakouts
Trent Teegerstrom, tteegers@ag.arizona.edu
University of Arizona
http://ag.arizona.edu/arec/arechome.html

Co-Presenters
Russ Tronstad & Tauhid Rahman Dept of Ag. & Resource Economics The University of Arizona, Tucson AZ

The Farm Directory was designed so that producers can easily list the availability of their farm products and events by season into a searchable database where consumers are sure to find the most unique "needle in a haystack" that is even within a specified distance from their zip code!! We welcome you to search as a consumer and post products and events as a direct farm marketing and tourism provider. The site is a collaborative effort between public and private partners with a desire to help producers in the Southwest connect with local consumers that wish to directly buy their farm products or attend farm related events. The development and maintenance of this site is provided by Growing Business Solutions with direction and input from the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. In addition, local county Cooperative Extension personnel will assist in signing up new “producer members” and in keeping the database of producers maintained. Please request your own user account for free at this site if you are a producer that would like to market your farm products and/or events directly to the public. Financial support for developing this site has been directly or indirectly provided by the Risk Management Agency (Outreach), University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Western Center for Risk Management Education, and the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics – University of Arizona. We are grateful to the support of these sponsoring organizations.
Materials
Farm Directory
The Real World: Youth Focused Risk Management Education and Career Investigation
30 Minute Breakouts
Steven Klose, sklose@tamu.edu
Texas Cooperative Extension

Co-Presenters
Greg Kaase, Texas Cooperative Extension Jeff Howard, Texas Cooperative Extension

Youth today have too few opportunities to obtain formal education in agricultural career choices. It is important that young people have an understanding of the nature of production agriculture, the risk involved, and the implication for one’s lifestyle, especially at a stage where they are making education and career choices. Informed decisions at an early stage can lead to more successful choices and careers. The Real World project has developed a simulation gaming experience for high school age youth to give them a taste of managing a production agriculture business and experiencing uncertain outcomes. In addition, the project provides in-depth risk management curricula explaining the concepts of risk and choices under risk, as well as career choice and further education information, all in an internet-based delivery system.

Materials
Real World
Tree Fruit Cost of Production Calculator
30 Minute Breakouts
Dan Kelly, dkelly@waclearinghouse.org
Washington Grower Clearing House
http://www.waclearinghouse.org

We have on our website a Cost of Production Calculator that growers/producers, Bankers and others use to calculate their cost of production. The presentation would include going online to present the calculator and how it works for tree fruit. Other industries have modified to meet their own needs such as wine grapes.
Materials
Tree Fruit Cost of Production Calculator
Tribal RME Across the Southwest
30 Minute Breakouts
Gerald Moore, gmoore@ag.arizona.edu
University of Arizona

Co-Presenters
Trent Teegerstrom Russell Tronstad Tauhidur Rahman

This project targeted many of the Navajo, Hualapai, Hopi and San Carlos Apache producers who want to develop their management skills and adopt a new record system for their operations as a result of the past training. Due to the overall lack of record keeping knowledge across the Tribal Nations, adoption of sufficient records systems requires continued training and support. During the past year, this project offered training to Navajo, Hopi and Apache producers, who continue to express interest in the training. Tribal outreach professionals organized over 15 sessions for producers to learn to use a variety of record keeping tools, including record books and computer software. A local “computer training station” was set up so that outreach professionals could provide follow-up support to participants after training workshops. Producers from all tribes have been and continue to implement/improve records systems to track and evaluate animal health, production, and finances and their adoption will be assessed through personal interviews and a follow-up survey to document successes on the Navajo Nation.

Feedback received from our partners and participants reveal that computer workshop attendees tend to share the computer software or something else that they learned from the workshop with about six individuals. While we had many participants attend computer workshops that had never used the computer before, participants that share the software or information they learned with other individuals may also be reaching individuals that do not utilize the computer for management decisions.

Materials
Not Available
Using a Mentor Program to Extend Risk Management Education
30 Minute Breakouts
Jason Johnson, JLJOHNSON@tamu.edu
Texas A&M University / Texas Cooperative Extension

Co-Presenters
Blake Bennett, Texas Cooperative Extension Stan Bevers, Texas Cooperative Extension Wade Polk, Texas Cooperative Extension Brenda Duckworth, Texas Cooperative Extension Bill Thompson, Texas Cooperative Extension

Two critical characteristics necessary for success in today’s agricultural business environment are education and experience. In many traditional businesses, the use of mentors has proven successful in educating, training and establishing a succession plan for future managers. This type of program has rarely been used and applied to self-employed agricultural businesses.

Texas Cooperative Extension’s “Tomorrow’s Top Agricultural Producer (TTAP) Program” is a comprehensive and intensive agricultural business management training program. During a three year program, TTAP participants spend two years developing critical managerial skills that culminate in a detailed written business plan for their individual operation. Creating a written business plan provides the foundation for meeting the educational requirements necessary for success. The area of experience is addressed through a one year mentoring process in which TTAP graduates are matched with other agricultural managers and specialists. TTAP mentors are successful managers that are selected for their ability to provide useful perspective and approaches to relevant issues confronting the TTAP graduate’s operation.

The use of mentors is an approach that could be easily be used and adapted to complement any number of risk management training programs across the country. Over the course of the TTAP program’s five years, instructors have gained valuable insight into the merits and pitfalls of utilizing mentors to extend the education process. The intent of this presentation is to share those lessons learned regarding a mentor program so that other educators can consider its usefulness in improving their educational efforts.

Materials
Using a Mentor Program to Extend Risk Managment Education - Jason Johnson
Web-Based Education for Kansas Agribusiness via AgManager.info
30 Minute Breakouts
Kevin Dhuyvetter, kcd@ksu.edu
Kansas State University Department of Agricultural Economics
http://www.AgManager.info

Co-Presenters
Richard Llewelyn, Kansas State University Department of Agricultural Economics James Mintert, Kansas State University Department of Agricultural Economics G.A. (Art) Barnaby, Kansas State University Department of Agricultural Economics

Approximately ten years have passed since the internet was first widely used for delivery of Extension educational materials. As computer costs decline and rural broadband internet connections become more accessible, the demand for information content on the Internet by agricultural managers continues to grow. Likewise, as Extension budgets tighten, the need for more efficient delivery systems is increasing.

In 2002, Extension faculty in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University developed a single comprehensive site, www.AgManager.info, with the intent of providing information and tools for agribusiness managers in Kansas and surrounding states. This site has become one of the most visited sites in the K-State Research and Extension system, currently receiving more than 40,000 visits per month.

AgManager.info provides diverse information on traditional topics such as Agribusiness; Crops (including market outlook, production and management, and insurance); Livestock (including market outlook, insurance, production, and management); and Ag Policy (with special emphasis on information regarding the 2007 Farm Bill debate). Newer topics include Energy, focusing on the effects of energy prices on agribusinesses in Kansas; and News and Upcoming Events, which provide users with easily accessible updates of time-sensitive information which would be difficult to deliver using traditional methods, such as direct mailings. Decision tools are also available to users, allowing them to evaluate various scenarios specific to their operations.

This presentation outlines the development of AgManager.info and, more importantly, presents trends and challenges which will influence future delivery of Extension education via the Internet.
Materials
AgManager PowerPoint Slides
AgManager Paper (PDF)
Why worry about energy costs in greenhouses?
30 Minute Breakouts
Robin Brumfield, BRUMFIELD@AESOP.RUTGERS.EDU
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
http://aesop.rutgers.edu/~farmmgmt

Energy costs have increased in the last few years. At a whopping increase of 103% since 2003, gasoline has increased the most, but other types of energy have all gone up as well. In a mature with intense competition, this is a concern for many greenhouse operators. How big is the cost of energy? In a survey of 30 greenhouse businesses, I looked at total costs and found that energy costs averaged 8.5% of sales. This includes heating fuel, gas/diesel, electricity, and trucking costs.
How can producers deal with high energy costs in their greenhouses? Since profit = price – cost, to increase profits, either cut costs or increase prices. The options include:
Reduce fuel costs
Conserve energy
Evaluate alternative or additional fuel sources or heating systems
Change production practices
Use space wisely
Evaluate costs to look for places to cut
Increase prices
Profits may not be the only objective of the business. Producers will also want to analyze how these alternatives address the firm´s other objectives. They should include the employees in the planning and evaluation process. Employees are often closer to problems than owners/managers. They often can contribute to recommendations and solutions to problems. Knowing that their opinion is valued also can improve their job satisfaction and productivity.

Selecting the final strategy may involve trade-offs among various objectives. One alternative may offer the greatest financial returns, but it may be inconsistent with other objectives. At this point, producers must decide which objectives are most important.

Materials
2007RME-Brumfield.ppt
Winning the Game
30 Minute Breakouts
Robert Craven, rcraven@umn.edu
Center for Farm Financial Management, Univ. of Minnesota
http://www.cffm.umn.edu/wtg

Co-Presenters
Edward Usset, Wynn Richardson

In 2006 we introduced the latest in the Winning the Game series of commodity marketing programs -- Launch and Land Your Post-harvest Marketing Plan. Learn more about this program and the key ingredients that make Winning the Game a successful program. What does it take for a program to be successful in different states, with different commodites, and with different presenters? What have the producers and sponsors said about the program?
Materials
Presentation
60 Minute Breakouts
Ag Specialists that Cross the Line
60 Minute Breakouts
Steven Johnson, sdjohns@iastate.edu
Iowa State University Extension
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/polk/farmmanagement.htm

Co-Presenters
Steven Johnson, Farm & Ag Business Management Field Specialist, Iowa State University Extension Terry Hejny, Extension Educator, University of Nebraska

The rapid changes in agriculture witnessed in recent years are challenging the land-grant university Extension. The "graying faculty and staff" as well as declining budgets mean fewer human resources to deliver traditional programs as well as address emerging issues.

Yet, agriculture risk management issues are becoming more complex. Many Extension educators are charged with revenue generation requirements that should stimulate innovation, entrepreneuial ideas and new partnerships.

Iowa State University and the University of Nebraska Extension educators share some of their lessons learned. The result has been more ag specialists that cross county, area and state lines to deliver new, innovative programs that generate revenue and meet the needs of clients.

The impact has been not only greater outreach efforts, but Extension clients that see value in programs as they seek to build their knowledge. The future is bright, but the delivery methods might not always be traditional.
Materials
Ag Specialists That Cross the Line
Annie’s Project, Heart of the Farm, and Beyond—Moving Past Introductions to Farm Financial and Risk Management
60 Minute Breakouts
Aliesha Crowe, aliesha.crowe@ces.uwex.edu
University of Wisconsin Extension-Rusk County
http://rusk.uwex.edu

Heart of the Farm (HOF) in Wisconsin provides Farm Management and Production Education for Women Improving Farm Business Decision-Making. Starting in 2002, through HOF, county based agents offer 1-day conferences, networking, hands-on workshops, programming on business planning, farm management, and human resources. In 2004, Wisconsin Extension specialists and county agents adapted a successful agriculture risk management program from Illinois to meet the needs of Wisconsin farm women. Annie’s Project, a five session series of workshops, brings women together to learn risk management strategies and to network and learn from each other. Annie’s Project was partially funded by a NCRME grant. The Heart of the Farm - Women in Agriculture Conferences and Annie´s Project address the needs of farm women by providing education on pertinent topics, connecting them with agricultural resources, and creating support networks.

In Rusk County, Annie’s Project and HOF programs provided first-time exposure to financial and risk management education. After participation, women requested on-farm consultation, next-step training, in-depth programs on specific topics such as determining cost of production, marketing milk and value-added products, milk quality, and financial and production record-keeping. Farm women in Rusk County applied the knowledge gained through these programs to their own farm situations, and a Rusk County Women in Agriculture Network formed. The Rusk county agent works with farm women to form on-farm teams including spouses, partners, lenders, nutritionists, milking plant representatives, and others who contribute to the management of the farm. Farm women use these teams for farm financial and risk management decision-making.

Materials
Annies Project, Heart of the Farm, and Beyond--Moving Past Introductions to Farm Financial and Risk Management
Can I Survive in Agriculture: Why Financial Analysis is Critical
60 Minute Breakouts
Duane Griffith, griffith@montana.edu
Montana State University
http://www.montana.edu/extensionecon/softwaredownloads.html

The objective of this session is to introduce a financial analysis teaching tool intended to teach producers WHY they need to put more time and effort into preparing adequate financial analysis for their operations. An Excel spreadsheet with extremely condensed versions of four basic financial statements (balance sheet, cash flow, income statement, statement of owner equity) will be presented to illustrate the information good financial statements can provide. This system of financial statements can be used to teach producers why all financial statements are necessary for adequate financial analysis; show the interaction between financial statements; and show the interaction between family structure and business financial position and performance. The Excel spreadsheet is available in two formats, Excel and a compiled version with a user friendly interface.

Materials
RDFinancial PowerPoint, Outline for your adaptation
PDF of Excel and Macromeida Flash versions of RDFinancial
Excel version of RDFinancial
Flash version of RDFinancial
Instructor script with examples for using RDFinancial
Conservation, Wildlife, and Farmland Protection Educational Programs: The Georgia Experience
60 Minute Breakouts
R. Curt Lacy, clacy@uga.edu
University of Georgia

Co-Presenters
Wes L. Harris, UGA Keith D. Kightlinger, UGA

Four statewide workshops were conducted in Georgia during February and March 2006 to educate farmers, ranchers and landowners about the various conservation, wildlife and farm protection programs available to them. The workshops consisted of presentations with follow-up discussions by UGA, state, federal and non-governmental personnel. Agencies involved included: UGA, USDA-NRCS, USDA-FSA, USFS, GA Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission and the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Analyses of workshop evaluations revealed the following: the vast majority of attendees were non-traditional extension clientele, strongest interests were in conservation and farmland protection programs, most were amazed at the duplication and sometimes competitive state and federal programs, virtually all wanted to attend future workshops.
Materials
Conservation, Wildlife and Farmland Protection Educational Programs: The Georgia Experience
Developing Business Plans for Agricultural Producers
60 Minute Breakouts
Brenda Duckworth, bduckworth@ag.tamu.edu
Texas Cooperative Extension
http:\\agrisk.tamu.edu

Co-Presenters
Stan Bevers, Texas Cooperative Extension Dr. Blake Bennett, Texas Cooperative Extension Dr. Jason Johnson, Texas Cooperative Extension Wade Polk, Texas Cooperative Extension Bill Thompson, Texas Cooperative Extension

Historically, agricultural producers have not completed business plans, and when they do, the plan rarely addresses risks facing the operation. Furthermore, most available support material was not developed specifically for agricultural producers. Recognizing the importance of business plan development and the lack of curriculum, team members of the Tomorrow’s Top Agricultural Producer, or TTAP, program began developing just such a tool. The result is the “Developing Business Plans for Agricultural Producers” curriculum. Its purpose is to provide Extension faculty and staff, as well as other paraprofessionals, with lesson plans for teaching the development of agricultural business plans. Each lesson includes a publication for reference, worksheets for completing that lesson, and a case study application. Eleven lesson plans cover these topics: Executive Summary, Business Organization, Business History, Mission Statement, Resource Inventory, SWOT Analysis, Legal and Liability Issues, Setting Goals, Production Plan, Financial Plan, and the Marketing Plan. A twelfth component of the curriculum is a completed business plan case study called TTAP Enterprises.

The curriculum was utilized during the second class of the TTAP program. Since the curriculum was completed, over 25 agricultural business plans have been developed. These plans detail agricultural operations from Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico and include row crop farms and cattle operations. This presentation will demonstrate the curriculum and how it has been used.

Materials
Developing Business Plans for Agricultural Producers
Developing new markets for farmers through a Workplace CSA program
60 Minute Breakouts
Claire Morenon, claire@buylocalfood.com
CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture)
http://www.buylocalfood.com

I propose a presentation about CISA’s (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture) Workplace CSA program in which I will address the development of this program, some logistical details of making the program function, and the benefit of the program to farming families. As a result of attending this workshop, participants will have a basic understanding of the program, be able to assess the program’s applicability to their own community, and have the resources to develop their own workplace CSAs.

The Workplace CSA program links farmers with large workplaces or community organizations to deliver weekly shares of produce to employees who opt into the program. Over the past two years, we learned how to work with many different partners to create an innovative food distribution system that fits workplaces’ needs and builds new markets for farmers.

I will use the presentation time to talk about the needs of farmers in our area, the system that we created to meet those needs, and some of the challenges we faced in doing so. Specifically, I will share lessons that we learned (often the hard way) about working with complex corporate systems to set up workplace distributions sites and introducing a new food-buying system to urban employee shareholders. I will also discuss the balance of working to expand urban access to local food via workplaces while ensuring a profitable and sustainable arrangement for the farmers. I will focus on the ways that this program helps sustain local agriculture in Western Massachusetts by helping farmers find new markets. Time needed to present is flexible.
Materials
Off-farm CSA Best Practices Tip Sheet
Enhancing Community Support and Knowledge of Local Agriculture Issues
60 Minute Breakouts
Laura Hunsberger, LHuns@umd.edu
University of Maryland Cooperative Extension
http://extension.umd.edu/local/Worcester/

Co-Presenters
Shannon P. Dill University of Maryland Cooperative Extension P.O. Box 519 Talbot County Office Easton, MD 21601

This presentation will focus upon two educators’ work on enhancing community support and knowledge of local agricultural issues on Maryland´s Lower Eastern Shore. Over 80% of the participants are women, as women tend to be more interested in working with the public and local promotion. From this presentation educators will learn about engaging the community in local promotional programs. Success stories, program design, participation and grant funding will be covered.

Most fresh fruits and vegetables produced in the U.S. are shipped from California, Florida, and Washington and travel an average of 1,300 miles from farm to table. Two counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore (Talbot and Wicomico) were the targets of educational tactics to increase visibility of local agricultural issues and promote locally grown agricultural products.

In Wicomico, cooking demonstrations using local ingredients were staged at the local hospital. Employees engaged in discussion of farming issues, nutrition and what foods are considered ‘local’ in their area. Additionally, a public access television show, ‘Delmarva Cooks’ has been an outlet for educating the public on local food issues. The show focuses upon preparation of locally grown produce.

In Talbot County agricultural displays, tours, a website and news articles have helped to increase local promotion of agriculture and engage agricultural women in the community. Promotional events include a barn tour and an annual county legislative tour. The website allows county residents to learn about local agriculture statistics and industry importance. This effort has increased the visibility of farm families and the Farm Bureau Women.

Materials
Enhancing Community Support and Knowledge of Agriculture Issues Presentation
Reasons to Buy Local
Ag Promotion Worksheet
Cooking Demonstrations Using Local Food
Celebration of Local Food
Equipment and Labor Sharing:a Risk Management Tool for Small- and Medium-Sized Farmers
60 Minute Breakouts
Kelvin Leibold, kleibold@iastate.edu
Iowa State University Extension

Co-Presenters
Georgeanne Artz, Univeristy of Missouri

Cooperative approaches are one alternative for producers to reduce risks and more effectively manage farm resources. Faced with a shortage of available skilled labor and rapidly rising equipment costs, some producers have found creative ways to share both labor and equipment in their operations. Others have expressed interest in sharing resources, but lack the knowledge to do so. Sharing resources in farm operations has helped some farmers better manage both financial and human resources risk in their operations. Yet, sharing can have implications for taxation, liability, and farm payment eligibility not fully understood by many engaged in these arrangements, potentially exposing them to greater legal and financial risk.

This multi-state project is designed to create awareness among producers about cooperative strategies for sharing resources and to provide producers with tools for developing sharing arrangements suited to their particular situations. We aim to help producers understand the legal and financial implications of sharing informally and provide them with strategies to reduce or avoid the corresponding risks that may arise.
Workshops are designed to acquaint producers with potential benefits and difficulties created from resource sharing, drawing on real-life examples from our case study research. We have developed tools and resource materials to help producers evaluate the feasibility of their resource sharing ideas. This ‘manual’ includes ten case studies, ranging from simple cases of jointly owning one machine to formal partnerships and complete sharing, as well as spreadsheet templates for allocating costs and fact sheets on legal organization and farm payment eligibility issues.

Materials
Equipment and Labor Sharing:a Risk Management Tool for Small- and Medium-Sized Farmers
Executive Marketing: Developing a Risk Management Plan
60 Minute Breakouts
Scott Mickey, cscfma1@ftc-i.net
Clemson University

Co-Presenters
Johnny Jordan, Clemson University

Over 200 marketing plans have been implemented by grain producers in CO, GA, MS, NC, SC, and TN via the Executive Marketing seminars, an annual 2.5 day marketing workshop. The workshop helps farm managers develop written marketing plans based on their financial situation-- operating costs, cash flow and planting intentions. Key components of the seminar include:

• Target Price Analysis-- Assessing the financial condition of the business and developing commodity pricing signals to achieve
oGrowth Goals
oBreakeven Goals
oCash Flow Goals
• Fundamental Analysis using USDA Supply & Demand estimates
• Putting on the Trade understanding the mechanics of forward contracts, options, and futures and the importance of basis
• Using GRIP, CRC & MPCI insurance as a marketing tool
• Marketing Simulation Game to practice or try new marketing techniques
• 4 Triggers for Marketing Decisions
oWhat I need
oFundamental Price Direction
oCrop Insurance support
oTechnical Signals
• Putting the Plan on Paper—developing a plan of action for the next 3 months
• Quarterly Updates to monitor the plan and adjust for new information

Most seminar participants return every year because they develop the trigger points for marketing opportunities in the coming year. Comments from participants:
“Good Program. Helps me plan my whole year!”
“Wish I had attended in past years!”
“.. excellent job explaining the mechanics of the market and how to use the tools available.”
“Keep doing it!”

“The best risk management educational program!”


Materials
Not Available
Farm Succession Research, Trends and Programs in Wisconsin
60 Minute Breakouts
Joy Kirkpatrick, joy.kirkpatrick@ces.uwex.edu
UW Center for Dairy Profitability
http://cdp.wis.edu

Data culled from the 2002 Ag Census shows that approximately 46% of Wisconsin farmers who identified farming as their primary occupation are 55 years old or older. The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that over 500,000 of the nation’s two million farmers will retire during the next decade and will be replaced by 350,000 entrants. Using a conservative extrapolation, this means a potential for thousands of farm transfers in the Wisconsin over the next ten years, at a time when we see complex and rapid changes in the industry due to technological innovations, trade and other government policies, a growing world population, and urban pressures on agricultural lands, as well as conservation issues and environmental concerns. Research conducted in the four southwest counties of Wisconsin shows that a minority of farmers have identified a successor and/or developed farm business succession plans. The research indicates a majority of farmers have not discussed their retirement or succession plans with anyone. Survey responses show farmers in the study valuing an equal division of assets for inheritance, which may negatively impact on-farm heirs’ ability to continue farming. University of WI Cooperative Extension developed one-day, three-day and four-day farm succession programs to build awareness and facilitate the development of succession plans. Instructors lead participants through visioning and goal setting exercises with the use of the case farm, Bella Acres. At the end of the three and four-day workshops participants identified personal and business goals and developed an action plan to move their plan forward.
Materials
Farm Succession Research, Trends and Programs in Wisconsin
Growning Assets: Linking Direct Market Producers
60 Minute Breakouts
Beth Zabel, bethzabel@comcast.net
Bridging Brown County
http://www.bridgingbrowncounty.com

Co-Presenters
TBA

Identifying personal, professional and regional assets provides direct market producers a framework for expanding and/or improving their production and potentially their bottom line. Growing Assets, a 1-day workshop, brought together community members, consumers and producers to learn about and identify assets. Follow up sessions with professionals in the areas of marketing, ag-tourism, finance, business planning and community supported agriculture were able to assist small groups of producers apply specific information to their own businesses.
This presentation will review the formation of the original planning team, expansion of the team to include direct market producers, the development of the topics and speaker selection and the program efficacy study.
Materials
Growing Assets: Linking Direct Market Producers
Growing Assets presentation handout
Ground to Gourmet producer flyer
K-State Cattle Risk Management Workshop
60 Minute Breakouts
James Mintert, jmintert@ksu.edu
Kansas State University
http://www.agmanager.info

Co-Presenters
Kevin Dhuyvetter, Kansas State University Rich Llewelyn, Kansas State University

The goal of the workshop is to provide Kansas cattle producers a comprehensive risk management education program that helps them develop the skills necessary to objectively evaluate and use various risk management tools. The workshops accomplish this via a computer-based training tool designed to instruct Kansas cattle producers in the use of each of these risk management tools.

Each workshop consists of a combination of lecture material on a variety of risk management topics and a realistic case-farm simulation that provides attendees the opportunity to make real-time risk management decisions. Each workshop participant has the opportunity to make a series of risk management decisions for a simulated Kansas case farm. Participants can choose from LRP insurance for feeder cattle, futures, options on futures contracts, and forward cash contracts, in addition to traditional cash sales, when managing their case farm operations. The computer program facilitates comparing marketing alternatives and also tracks participants’ decisions. At the end of each workshop participants can compare their case farms’ performance to other case farms at the workshop and see how their strategies would “play out” over a large number of years by simulating the results for a variety of different outcomes. This helps participants evaluate various strategies outcomes, if pursued over the course of several years, not just a single year. Evaluating strategies in this context greatly improves participants understanding of the role of risk management on a Kansas farm operation.

This session will focus on the key factors that have made this workshop successful.
Materials
K-State Cattle Risk Management Workshops
Livestock Record and Management Tools
60 Minute Breakouts
Russell Tronstad, tronstad@ag.arizona.edu
University of Arizona
http://ag.arizona.edu/arec/

Co-Presenters
Trent Teegerstrom, University of Arizona

An online website with individual producer accounts has been developed to assist ranchers in jointly tracking financial, range, and livestock records. This tool records individual financial transactions, common and unique livestock events (e.g. weaning weights and specific vaccinations), and pasture activities. A powerful feature of this tool is tracking finances to various sub-enterprises (e.g., registered versus commercial cattle, cattle versus sheep, cattle versus grain crops, etc.) that have been customized by the user to fit their operation. For example, hay purchased for cattle can be separated from hay purchased for sheep on the ranch by developing appropriate sub-categories. In addition, animal ID information can be easily retrieved. We are able to retrieve all animals that have been commingled with any given animal by a “single click” and multiple descriptors/numbers (e.g., USAIP tag, written description, and default system numbers) are available for identifying animals. Risk Management Education has been provided on using this tool to not just enhance production efficiencies but to also develop more targeted beef products through specialty beef markets.

A spreadsheet template has also been developed that allows restocking/destocking to occur within the immediate 5-year horizon while returns are calculated for a 20-year horizon. Biological parameters are incorporated so that higher cow fertility leads to keeping fewer replacement heifers to maintain a herd size. This tool helps quantify how supplementation can be a risk reduction tool by minimizing the odds of low fertility due to drought or other events.
Materials
Livestock Records and Management Tools
Managing human resource and legal risks of heat stress on CA and AZ farms
60 Minute Breakouts
Howard Rosenberg, howardr@are.berkeley.edu
University of California
http://apmp.berkeley.edu/

Co-Presenters
Trent Teegerstrom, University of Arizona

Excess heat has long been detrimental to people in agriculture, their work performance, and business results. Projects supported by the WCRME have helped agricultural employers in California and Arizona apply principles from exercise physiology and sports medicine to reduce risks of personal harm, performance impairment, workplace injuries, and operational disruptions due to heat stress, and thus to control associated expenses. Interest in and reach of the California project were magnified by recent adoption of a state regulation requiring employers to take specific steps that would prevent heat illness in outdoor workplaces, thus adding to producers´ legal risks.

Because control of heat stress in the production workforce depends on actions of managers and workers alike, the projects were designed to reach both. Direct contacts in structured sessions were nearly all with managers and first-line supervisors. The projects helped equip these very participants and numerous collaborating educators, however, to deliver educational content to production workers. Written materials and presentation slide files developed under these projects have been widely disseminated and adapted to provide practical guidance throughout the agricultural community.

Although the California project initially focused on education for licensed farm labor contractors, it grew to also address other agricultural employers, hired managers, and production workers within and beyond the state. It engaged several collaborating organizations in a large array of educational activities and products that have increased problem awareness, built understanding of risk reduction measures, and led to modification of work conditions as well as behavior.

Materials
field education card - bilingual
CA heat illness prevention standard
presentation slides: Education to Help Manage Old and New Risks of Heat Stress on CA & AZ Farms
agriculture rises to heat challenge
legal requirements to prevent heat illness in CA
key points on heat stress and illness
Reporting the Accomplishments of Your Extension RME Project
60 Minute Breakouts
Kevin Klair, kklair@umn.edu
Center for Farm Financial Management
http://www.cffm.umn.edu

Co-Presenters
Jon Newkirk, Director, Western Center for Risk Management Education

Why is Extension Risk Management Education so focused on funding and reporting results? We will explain the philosophy of results based funding, demonstrate the reporting system used by all Extension RME funded projects, and show how the results of funded projects are displayed publicly. We will demonstrate how to search completed projects to learn about successful risk management education programs.

Materials
Results Based Grant Making
RightRisk – New Risk Management Materials for the Smaller Enterprise Manager
60 Minute Breakouts
John Hewlett, hewlett@uwyo.edu
University of Wyoming
http://RightRisk.org

Co-Presenters
Jeffrey E. Tranel, Colorado State University Rodney Sharp, Colorado State University and The RightRisk Education Team

RightRisk is an Extension education program which has been offered across the western United States since its inception in 2002. Team members offer programs using portable computer labs and web-based software to managers located in remote locations from the bottom of the Grand Canyon to the windswept-plains of Wyoming.

Program offerings have expanded beyond the risk simulation – Ag Survivor – to include a ten-step process for strategic risk management with accompanying tools for implementation. Additional courses covering dimensions of risk management have been developed, including: Rural Enterprise Feasibility and Taxes for Agricultural Enterprises.

The enterprise feasibility course covers Agricultural and Rural Enterprises: definition and common traits, alternative enterprises, level of interest and SWOT analysis; Selecting and Planning for Alternative Enterprises: assessing feasibility, competitive analysis, and business planning; and Assessing Risks: risk preferences, sources of risk, and risk management strategies. The taxes for agricultural enterprises course covers the Definition of a Farm, The Importance of Records, Farm Income, Farm Expenses, and Tax Management.

The RightRisk team is dedicated to providing hands-on solutions to risk management issues faced by agricultural enterprise managers. These two, new courses offer useful and relevant risk management information to the new, beginning, or smaller manager.

Materials
RightRisk – New Risk Management Materials for the Smaller Enterprise Manager
Risk Management and Financial Planning Training Seminars utilizing FAST Tools
60 Minute Breakouts
Paul Ellinger, pellinge@uiuc.edu
University of Illinois
http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/ellinger/

Co-Presenters
Paul Ellinger and Gary Schnitkey

This session is designed to provide feedback on a set of two-day Risk Management and Financial Planning Training Seminars utilizing FAST Tools. Participants could enroll in one or two-day workshops. The first day workshop was entitled Exploring Risk Management and Marketing Strategies Using FAST and the second day was entitled Improving Your Financial Management Using FAST. Exploring Risk Management and Marketing Strategies Using FAST focused on tools that help producers make crop insurance, grain marketing, and grain management decisions. Improving Your Financial Management Using FAST demonstrated how selected tools can be used to prepare and evaluate farm financial statements, conduct short and long term financial plans, and assess grain storage, real estate, and machinery investments. Producers, lenders, crop insurance agents and agribusiness personnel participated in the hands-on computer workshops utilizing a mobile computer lab. Sessions were held at 4 separate locations. The structure of the educational seminars will be discussed as well as demonstration of the excel-based tools. Each of the attendees will receive a complimentary FAST CD.
Materials
Risk Management and Financial Planning Training Seminars utilizing FAST Tools
Sample FAST Prorgram Outputs
Poster Sessions
AGR-Lite-Insurance Offers Unique Blanket Protection
Poster Sessions
Mary Mafuyai-Ekanem, mafuyai@ncat.edu
North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC
http://www.ag.ncat.edu/

Co-Presenters
John O’Sullivan and Keith Baldwin, (NCA & TSU) Phillip Farland (NC Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services), Raleigh, NC Sandra Strayhorn (USDA/RMA/Outreach, Raleigh, NC Regional Office)

Small farmers who want to diversify their farming operations can now purchase the blanket insurance coverage on their adjusted gross revenue. Farm operations, with gross revenues under $1,000,000, can benefit from this tool. Producers of fruits and vegetables, direct marketers with less than 50% of sales from crops, also qualify the AGR-Lite Insurance Program. Ranchers can now take charge of the fluctuations in gross revenues, low yields, and poor prices. Dairy farms with sales from other enterprises and organic producers are also covered under this policy. The sales closing is March 15, 2007. The program requires five years farm average revenue reported on IRS tax return (Schedule F) or equivalent forms.

Teams with the Cooperative Extension Program in partnership with others provided outreach to farmers. Their effort enabled the enhancement and understanding of tax forms, farm record systems and sound business documentation for obtaining this risk-reduction tool. Find out how women and other minorities are enhancing their skills and adopting practices in their operations. A poster will feature the latest AGR-Lite Insurance Program and how it works for limited resource farmers audiences in our area. Other features include eligibility, premium subsidy, application process and contacts.

North Carolina A&T State University is collaborating with North Carolina State University, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Community-Based Groups, Insurance Providers and Research Scientists in enhancing awareness about the AGR-Lite Insurance Tool with target audiences. The program is sponsored by the USDA/RMA/Community Outreach and Assistance Partnership Program.
Materials
Not Available
Annie´s Project Risk Management Education for Farm Women
Poster Sessions
Bob Wells, wellsjb@iastate.edu
Iowa State University Extension
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/annie/

Co-Presenters
Ruth Hambleton-University of Illinois Extension Tim Eggers-Iowa State University Extension Kelvin Leibold-Iowa State University Extension Mary Sobba-University of Missouri Extension Karisha Devlin-University of Missouri Extension

Annie’s Project is targeted to women involved with the farm business. The common thread that all Annie’s participants have is that they want to learn more about their farming operation and want the business to thrive. Each participant comes with a positive attitude, wanting to learn and meet others in similar situations. During the class participants grow as individuals through increased knowledge and access to resources. Beyond the class, participants continue to increase their knowledge, but they also grow from the relationships they have built from peer participants, the instructors and practitioners lasting for years.

Annie’s Project coordinates educational processes encompassing a practical, broad vision of farm business management. It targets relevant subjects promoting group dynamics through developing support networks. Annie’s Project concentrates on providing farm management education in five risk management areas: (1) production, (2) marketing, (3) financial, (4) legal and (5) human resources.

A successful Annie’s Project requires a mix of educators, professionals and practitioners with different skill sets, willing to partner for a common cause and communicate formally and informally the goals and outcomes for learners, while harnessing group dynamics to enhancing the learning experiences.
Materials
Not Available
Benchmarking Texas Cow-calf Operations by Region
Poster Sessions
Stan Bevers, s-bevers@tamu.edu
Texas Cooperative Extension
http://agrisk.tamu.edu

Texas leads in the U.S. in the number of beef cows and beef cow-calf operations. Since the early ‘90’s, a major educational and analytical effort has been made by the Texas Cooperative Extension to develop regional databases that benchmark production and financial performances of cow-calf operations within the state. Using the Beef Cattle Integrated Resource Management - Standardized Performance Analysis (IRM-SPA) guidelines developed and endorsed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, annual workshops have been offered to cow-calf operators in order to complete the analysis. Furthermore, for operations not able to attend these workshops, individual visits have been made. Since 1991, 371 operations totaling 289,420 breeding females have completed the SPA analysis in Texas.

Because of Texas’ diversity, cow-calf operations across the state are very diverse. For the purposes of this poster, the state has been divided into five regions, each representing prominent cow-calf production systems. These include 1) East Texas (88 herds), 2) Central Texas (66 herds), 3) South Texas (52 herds), 4) West Texas (43 herds), and 5) High Plains and Rolling Plains (122 herds). This poster will present production and financial results by region. Production performances will include pregnancy rates, calving rates, weaning rates, weaning weights, and stocking rates. Financial performance results will include investment per female, rate of return on assets, specific cost items, total costs per female and hundredweight, and net income per breeding female. These results serve as benchmarks for other cow-calf operations and assist those operations in identifying their own strengths and weaknesses.
Materials
Not Available
Decision-Making Tools for Perennial Agricultural Systems
Poster Sessions
Clark Seavert, clark.seavert@oregonstate.edu
Oregon State University
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nwrec

Co-Presenters
Herb Hinman - Washington State University Karen Klonsky - UC Davis

This website is a resource for agricultural producers who manage the financial, marketing, production and human resource risks associated with perennial agricultural systems. Producers of tree fruit and nut, berry and vineyard crops often put in large up-front investments in hopes of gaining sufficient returns in the future to cover their establishment costs and make a reasonable return off their investment. Producers who misjudge the costs and potential returns of such an investment may find themselves in serious financial difficulty. Global competition, labor costs, labor availability, and narrowing profit margins increase growers´ risks when establishing and producing long-term agricultural crops. Adequate compensation for these risks can come to those who have the information, develop cropping and marketing strategies, and perform sensitivity analyses to each of these strategies before implementing a decision.

The Crop Profitability Analysis (CPA) and Equitable Crop Lease (ECL) computer programs are designed to help agricultural producers in making long-run cropping decisions. CPA uses previously generated enterprise budgets to establish a base from which producers can analyze the potential profitability of perennial crops with establishment periods or the feasibility of long-term crop rotations. The ECL program evaluates the potential financial risks associated with short- and long-term leases.

Materials
Not Available
Developing a simulation game to help farmers learn about risk management strategies
Poster Sessions
Gregory Ibendahl, ibendahl@agecon.msstate.edu
Mississippi State University

Teaching farmers about how various risk management tools work is often difficult in a classroom type setting. Because risk management and the associated tools are often rather abstract, just explaining the information is often not enough for farmers to develop any practical knowledge about the topic. What is needed is some way for farmers to actually practice using the various risk management tools that doesn’t cost them any money and allows them to see results in a few hours or less.

This poster demonstrates a computer-based simulation that allows farmers to try various risk management strategies in a short timeframe and without any real money being used. The simulation game developed here is for analyzing and trying out dairy put options. Price risk and the option prices are based on real data. The simulation allows farmers to purchase various put options throughout a simulated year and then see how much money they made or lost compared to not using the options.
Materials
Not Available
Feasibility of Machinery Cooperatives
Poster Sessions
Phil Kenkel, phil.kenkel@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University
http://www.agecon.okstate.edu/coops

Machinery ownership costs are an increasingly important cost category for most producers. The purchase price of new equipment limits a small producer’s access to technology and may prevent crop diversification. The formation of a small-scale machinery cooperative provides the potential to reduce ownership costs by over 35%. A machinery cooperative feasibility template and related educational material were developed by Oklahoma State University with support from USDA Risk Management Agency. The template was used to compare individual versus cooperative machinery ownership for a representative Southern Plains wheat producer. Ownership costs, operating costs and probability of completion within available working days were analyzed. The impacts of cooperative size, geographic dispersion and set-up time were also considered. A three member cooperative reduced machinery expenses by 14% relative to individual ownership. A five member cooperative was projected to reduce costs by up to 41%. The three and four member cooperative structure were projected to complete field operations for all members within available working days with a 95% level of confidence. The five member cooperative could not meet working days restrictions in some regions. Cooperative ownership of spraying and no-till planting equipment appeared to have the highest potential of cost savings. Related educational material developed by Oklahoma State University addresses organizational, procedural and structural issues
Materials
Not Available
Increasing Use of Price Risk Management Tools by Beef Producers Who Stocker, Background and Finish Cattle
Poster Sessions
Emmit Rawls, elrawls@utk.edu
University of Tennessee
http://www.tnbeefcattleinitiative.org

Co-Presenters
Emmit Rawls University of Tennessee Curt Lacy University of Georgia John McKissick University of Georgia Tammy McKinley University of Tennessee

Beef producers who are stocker/backgrounding operators as well as those who retain ownership of cattle through the finishing phase of production lack knowledge of the risk management tools which can be used to improve returns. Extension specialists from the University of Tennessee and University of Georgia planned and conducted four educational workshops in each state to teach beef producers how to use futures and options to manage price risk. The workshops were attended by beef producers, Extension Agents and Vocational Agriculture instructors. There were a total of 103 participants in Tennessee and 85 in Georgia. Evaluations of the workshops indicated that there was an increased level of understanding and knowledge in each of the subject matter areas covered. As a follow up to the workshops, monthly teleconferences are being held with interested workshop participants to keep them up to date on fundamental and technical information related to feeder cattle and live cattle futures. Several producers have taken action to manage price risk on spring sales of fed cattle. Livestock market operators and dealers are being offered the opportunity to learn how to offer their customers forward price contracts for feeder cattle through the use of futures. Periodic surveys will be taken to determine the extent the knowledge gained has been used to manage price risk on feeder cattle and fed cattle.
Materials
Not Available
Information Needs and Risk Management Strategies Preferred by Limited Resource Farmers in Alabama
Poster Sessions
Duncan M. Chembezi, duncan.chembezi@aamu.edu
Small Farms Research Center, Alabama A&M University
http://www.aamu.edu/smallfarmers/

Co-Presenters
E´licia L. Chaverest (elicia.chaverest@aamu.edu) Small Farms Research Center

Knowledge and information are critical in generating high quality management and coping with risk associated with farming. Agricultural producers with access to risk management information and the knowledge to use it have the key to profitable and competitive farm operations. The problem is that small and limited resource farmers often struggle to find and use appropriate information. Most of them experience frustrations of not being able to locate answers to specific questions, not understanding the information presented, and being overloaded with too much information to filter through to find what they need. Given the risky situation in agriculture, it should be especially important for farmers and agricultural businesses to increase their awareness and understanding of insurance programs and alternative risk-management tools and strategies. However, the number of available tools and strategies for risk management seems to be increasing very rapidly, which means awareness and understanding may be more difficult to accomplish than in the past. This poster is aimed at sharing the results of the needs assessment survey conducted in 2006 involving 300 small and limited resource farmers in Alabama. It also highlights some of the important strategies or tools preferred by agricultural producers in dealing with agricultural risk.
Materials
Not Available
Intergenerational Farm Transfer Workshops in Delaware
Poster Sessions
Laurie Wolinski, lgw@udel.edu
University of Delaware Cooperative Extension

Co-Presenters
Maria Pippidis University of Delaware

Delaware farmers, a population whose average age is 55 years, are faced with pressure of considering estate planning and/or how to transfer their farm to the next generation. Farm families who have a “next generation” to takeover the family farm, often find estate planning or the intergenerational transfer of the farm process a daunting task. Issues they may face include: selling to development vs. preserving/farming the land, division of labor and decision making responsibilities among generations, division of the estate, and parent’s retirement security.

This project’s objective is to educate Delaware farm families about the many aspects of managing their estate from estate planning to intergenerational transfer of the farm operation during day-long workshops. Topics that will be emphasized include wills and trusts, gifting, family dynamics and communication, tax ramifications, equitable distribution of assets, intergenerational farm transition options, and managing the transition. A pre and post workshop self assessment will be conducted among workshop participants.

Prior to the workshops, Delaware farm families will be surveyed. The confidential mail survey has two goals: to prompt the families to think about transferring their farm (and where they are in the process), and to provide workshop presenters an understanding of where many Delaware farm families are in the process. Summarized information from the surveys will also serve as teaching tool to create awareness about how families have approached the process.

This poster will highlight the results of the pre-workshop mail survey, as well as the results of pre and post workshop self assessments.
Materials
Not Available
National Women in Agriculture
Poster Sessions
Laurie Wolinski, lgw@udel.edu
University of Delaware Cooperative Extension

The information presented on this poster will highlight the 2006 National Extension Women in Agriculture Conference and the National Women in Agriculture Website.

The National Women in Agriculture Conference was held in St. Louis, Mo in April of 2006. There were 159 conference participants from 38 states and Puerto Rico. Overall, conference evaluations were excellent; evaluations were returned by 62 of the participants.

The National Women in Agriculture webstite serves as a resource for those who may be planning conferences or other women in agriculture programs.

Materials
Not Available
National Women in Agriculture Risk Management Efforts
Poster Sessions
Laurie Wolinski, lgw@udel.edu
University of Delaware Cooperative Extension
http://www.agrisk.umn.edu/wia/

Co-Presenters
Jeff Reisdorfer University of Minnesota Digital Center for Risk Management Education

The information presented on this poster will highlight the 2006 National Extension Women in Agriculture Conference and the National Women in Agriculture website.

The National Extension Women in Agriculture Conference was held in St. Louis, MO in April of 2006. There were 160 educators in attendance from 38 states and Puerto Rico. The goal of this conference was to broaden educational programming to women in agriculture, to encourage new programming efforts, and to strengthen existing programs. This goal was met by offering concurrent education sessions to share ongoing and emerging successful risk management education efforts directed toward women and their families who are involved in production agriculture. The target audience was private and public sector educators, crop insurance agents, lenders, and other agricultural professionals who are involved in outreach education.

The National Women in Agriculture website began as pre-conference resource for information and registration. The website has evolved into a resource for women in agriculture educators around the nation. The website provides links to regional and state women in agricultural programs, as well as conference planning resources.

The poster will include a summary of the 2006 conference evaluations and comments – indicating that the conference goal was met. It will also summarize information received from conference follow-up surveys. In addition, the poster will include examples of the resources that are available on the website.

This poster will also serve to create awareness of the 2008 National Extension Women in Agriculture Conference.

Materials
Not Available
Personnel Management for High Plains Agribusiness Producers
Poster Sessions
Steve Amosson, s-amosson@tamu.edu
Texas Cooperative Extension

Co-Presenters
Danny Klinefelter, Texas Cooperative Extension; Bridget Guerrero, Texas Cooperative Extension; and Fran Bretz, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.

Personnel management is critical for many Texas High Plains and Oklahoma Panhandle agribusinesses. They are continually having problems with a vast array of personnel management issues such as; recruitment, retention, termination, legal considerations, communication and diverse employee cultural backgrounds. A two-day conference was held in Amarillo, Texas to assist agribusinesses to become better equipped with personnel management issues they face daily.
Speakers for the conference came from around the country and were selected based on their experience in personnel management and communication skills. The conference format consisted of a combination of general and concurrent sessions. Some of the specific topics addressed included: Cultivating Culture; Conflict Management; Transformational Leadership; Compliance Issues with a Non-Citizen Workforce; Effective Training; Employee Compensation; Performance Evaluation and Employee Selection; and Legal Issues in Labor Management.
A total of 86 participants attended the conference. Three methods were utilized to determine the effectiveness of the conference. A pre and post-test was administered to participants to measure the knowledge gained. An exit survey consisting of open-ended questions on content and a six-point rating scale of speakers and topics was utilized. In addition, a six-month post-attendance mail survey was employed to assess implementation. A 34.2% increase in knowledge gained was measured. Overall, participants rated the conference 5.26 on the six-point scale with speaker scores ranging from 4.59 to 5.61. In the six-month post attendance survey, 91% of the respondents indicated they had already made changes in their personnel management practices.

Materials
Not Available
Pricing Milk with Contracts and Puts: Evaluating Price Risk Reduction Using Historical Class III Milk Futures and Options Data
Poster Sessions
Margaretha Rudstrom, rudstrmv@umn.edu
University of Minnesota Extension

Co-Presenters
Dr. Kevin Bernhardt University of Wisconsin-Platteville

The presenters have collaborated on the construction of a spreadsheet system, titled “Milk Marketing Manager,” that allows ex-ante evaluation of generic milk marketing strategies for the years 2000-2006. Once a strategy is set, the Milk Marketing Manager employs the strategy over the seven year period using daily Chicago Mercantile Exchange settle prices and put option premium data. Program flexibility allows users to:
- employ both forward contracting and PUT option strategies,
- set target strike prices, maximum premium, and the range of months for PUT option purchases,
- set forward contracting trigger prices at three different levels for each month, the percentage of production to be contracted at each level, and
- set the timing for marketing decisions – daily, weekly, or bi monthly.

Results visually compare with and without marketing outcomes including overall revenue, average per hundred-weight price, and measure of dispersion over the seven year period.

Milk Marketing Manager is a hands-on tool to facilitate learning of price risk management and marketing. The automatic implementation of a generic strategy is very successful in reducing price variability, especially downside variability. However, there is often no change in the overall average price over a long-run period of time. The effects of changes in trigger prices, use of puts, milk volume priced on revenue and price can be easily assessed. If increased price is the desired goal, then much more daily involvement is needed to adjust for current outlook, moving in and out of marketing positions, etc.

Materials
Not Available
Professional and Producer Response to the "Risk-Assessed Business Planning for Small Producers" Curriculum
Poster Sessions
Marion Simon, marion.simon@kysu.edu
Kentucky State University
http://www.kysu.edu/landgrant/

Co-Presenters
Louie Rivers, Jr. Kentucky State University

The "Risk-Assessed Business Planning for Small Producers" curriculum has been introduced and taught to professionals and producers across the southern region. This session will present the response of the trainees to the materials.
Materials
Not Available
Risk Management Education for Goat and Pastured Poultry Producers
Poster Sessions
Marion Simon, marion.simon@kysu.edu
Kentucky State University
http://www.kysu.edu/landgrant/

USDA-RMA/RME funds have been used to teach goat and pastured poultry production, marketing, and economic information to producers in Kentucky and Tennessee who are looking at these enterprises to replace lost tobacco income. This poster will show the methodology and results of some of these efforts.
Materials
Not Available
Risk Management for Nursery Production for the Southwest and Hawaii
Poster Sessions
Ursula Schuch, ukschuch@ag.arizona.edu
University of Arizona
http://ag.arizona.edu/extension/riskmanagement/

Co-Presenters
Trent Teegerstrom**, Russell Tronstad** and Stuart Nakamoto*** **Dept. of Agricultural & Resource Economics University of Arizona, and ***Dept. of Human Nutrition Food & Animal Science, University of Hawaii

The project Risk Management for Nursery Production for the Southwest and Hawaii is part of a larger RME project that targets livestock, forage, and vegetable and specialty crop producers in the region. Three areas of risk management for nursery producers were addressed: crop insurance, production costs, and labor communication. While crop insurance is available for some nursery products, most producers shy away because of insufficient understanding or lack of information. We presented information on the RMA subsidized crop insurance program, life insurance programs, and most recently the newly available AGR-Lite. The second area, cost of production, was addressed by developing the HI-AZ Nursery Break Even Price and Profit Estimator. This spreadsheet tool helps growers understand the cost of production of individual products and how management and pricing decisions affect profit. The third area of risk management addressed is to improve communication across different worker and management levels to reduce turnover in the workforce. Retention of trained nursery workers can be challenging because of physically demanding labor and often harsh environmental conditions. Immigration issues and competition from other industries have led to a tight labor market. Information for this project was disseminated at conferences, workshops, and a website, through poster and oral presentations, and trade magazine articles. Nursery producers were exposed to a variety of educational materials and through increased awareness and improved knowledge can assess how any of the tools may benefit in diminishing financial risk for their operation.
Materials
Not Available
Southeast Beef Cattle Marketing School
Poster Sessions
Tim Hewitt, thewitt@mail.ifas.ufl.edu
University of Florida

Co-Presenters
Todd Davis, Clemson University; Curt Lacy, University of Georgia; John McKissick, University of Georgia; Walt Prevatt, Auburn University; Jim Rathwell, Clemson University.

An integrated educational program that combined classroom and hands-on experiences was held to teach Southeast cow-calf producers, extension agents, agricultural lenders, and veterinarians how to calculate breakeven prices that cover variable, total, and family living costs, provide price outlook, discuss market alternatives, and demonstrate how futures and options can reduce price risk. Case studies and marketing games were used inside the classroom to teach price risk management. Outside the classroom, producers improved their understanding of market grading and how calf quality affects market price. Follow-up meetings were held in each state to provide updated market outlook and management ideas. Overall eight producer meetings were held in the four state Southeast region. Also a two-day marketing and risk management school was held in each of the four states. The attendance was 470 for the producer meetings and 192 for the marketing management schools. As a result of this educational program, producers were able to calculate their breakeven price, form a reasonable price expectation, and implement a marketing strategy. Also, as a result of the programs attendees now collaborate more closely with extension agents, specialists, and industry experts in improving their risk management practices.
Materials
Not Available
The National Ag Risk Education Library
Poster Sessions
Jeff Reisdorfer, jreisdor@umn.edu
University of Minnesota - Digital Center for Risk Management Education
http://www.cffm.umn.edu

Co-Presenters
Chris Mikesell, Kevin Klair, Digital Center for Risk Management Education.

The National Ag Risk Education Library is a major component of USDA´s Risk Management Education (RME) program. The Library organizes thousands of risk management materials which help producers and agricultural professionals quickly locate information, tools, and assistance on specific risk management topics.
Materials
National Ag Risk Education Library Poster download
Using Precision Agriculture to Manage Risk
Poster Sessions
Carl Dillon, cdillon@uky.edu
University of Kentucky

Co-Presenters
C. R. Dillon1, T. Stombaugh2, Ben Kayrouz1, J. Salim1 and B. Koostra2 1Department of Agricultural Economics, C.E. Barnhart Building, University of Kentucky, Lexington KY 40546-0276 2Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, C.E. Barnhart Building, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0276

Precision agriculture (PA) has been shown to reduce the risk borne by farmers in prior research. This project used the teaching of teams consisting of a county extension agent and one or more Kentucky farmers with training and tools to use and help others use PA to manage risk. Three workshops that consider the effects of other risk management techniques such as land tenure (e.g., owned land, crop share) were conducted. Upon completion, participants were expected to be able to competently apply three PA risk management tools at either a basic or advanced level. The workshops were well received and accomplished the goal of providing decision aids useful in applying PA techniques in reducing risk. The more difficult and uncontrollable task of leveraging this education by having teams help others remains ongoing.

Conclusions are fourfold. First, precision agriculture as a risk management tool is an important concept and is well received by farmers. Second, it can be especially helpful in approaching decision aids from both an easy to apply viewpoint as well as a more advanced analytical approach. Third, the complexity of agriculture makes it inherently well suited to a multidisciplinary approach in an effort to enhance the probability of success. Finally, while teaching the teachers in an attempt to leverage resources and increase knowledge exponentially is appealing, actual implementation is hindered by a lack of control by the original project team instructors and incentives for those initially trained in this knowledge to teach others.
Materials
Not Available
Winning the Game
Poster Sessions
Jeff Reisdorfer, jreisdor@umn.edu
University of Minnesota
http://www.cffm.umn.edu/wtg

Co-Presenters
Ed Usset, Robert Craven, Wynn Richardson, Center for Farm Financial Management

"Winning the Game" is a series of workshops from the University of Minnesota and the Center for Farm Financial Management. Each workshop features a realistic marketing game, where producers make pricing decisions before or after harvest. The games are fun, but more important is learning a practical approach to marketing that cuts through the fog of market opinions and commentary to help producers make some common sense decisions.
Materials
Winning the Game Poster Download
©2010 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. Trouble seeing the text? | Contact U of M | Privacy
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. Last Updated: Wednesday, June 17, 2009