| Montana State University Extension will offer two Ag workshops in early
December. Organizers have scheduled a morning crop risk management
workshop for Friday, Dec. 7, and a two-day basic farm planning and
financial workshop for Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec.11 and 12.
The half-day crop risk management workshop, scheduled for Dec. 7, will
run from 9 a.m. to noon at the library meeting room in Sidney. The
three-hour workshop will explain approaches to managing risk, managing
production and the price and business risks associated with individual
crops. People need to know what crops are insurable and at what level,
what it costs, and how much the government will subsidize it, explains
Red Lovec, Richland County extension agent.
Lovec points out that crop insurance remains an integral part of crop
risk management. The federal crop insurance program in North Dakota and
Montana has always been a good deal, Lovec remarks. For every dollar
paid, producers have received three or four dollars in return. Crop
insurance is an important part of risk management.
Producers continue to experiment with new crops, which may or may not
be included under the crop insurance program. There are new crops all
the time, says Lovec. Many producers will not grow a new crop unless
it is covered by crop insurance.
He adds, People need to know whats available and how crop
insurance fits in. Its a tool, and producers need to know how the tool
works so they can use it to their advantage.
MSU extension will also offer a two-day basic farm planning and
financial workshop, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 11 and 12.
This workshop will provide participants with information on family and
ranch/farm goals, budgeting to assess profitability of each major crop,
total farm budgeting, livestock planning, cash flow budgeting and partial
budgeting. Participants will work on issues pertaining to their own farms
and ranches.
Lovec explains that the two-day workshop springs from the WIRE, or
Western Integrated Ranch/Farm Education Program. This financial
management workshop is a spin-off from the WIRE program, Lovec remarks.
It used to be a five-day course, held one day a week for five weeks.
He continues, This workshop looks at total farm resources; human,
financial and land resources, and how producers use these resources in
their operations.
The two-day workshop will delve deeply into financial planning. This
is quite an in-depth workshop, Lovec comments. It makes people take
a look at what they are doing, and makes them take a look at their total
resources. Participants also look at goals and objectives in an effort to
make better, more informed decisions.
The two-day workshop will run from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the library meeting
room.
For more information on either workshop, contact Red Lovec at the
Richland County extension office, 406-433-1206. |