Risk management workshops – coordinated by the NY Center for Dairy Excellence and funded by the NY Farm Viability Institute – are being offered across the state this winter to help dairy farmers better deal with price instability and improve their bottom line.
 
“In the depths of this dairy crisis, farmers need to be on top of their game in the management of risk to improve their margin, which is vital to their operations,” said John Lincoln, a dairy farmer and board chair for the NY Farm Viability Institute, which launched the NY Center for Dairy Excellence in 2007.
 
The free program, “Managing the Margin” will focus on risk management issues in an effort to help farmers build long-term viability for their dairy enterprises. 
 
“Managing the Margin is a day-long educational workshop focusing on understanding the world around us, global commodity markets and various price management tools and strategies available for our use when managing the risk of declining milk prices and the risk of increasing feed costs,” said John Berry, Agricultural Marketing Educator, Penn State Cooperative Extension, who will be conducting each of the seminars.
 
 The program includes lunch, and registration is required.  Seating is limited so farmers are encouraged to sign up early. Reservations may be made by contacting Eileen Maher of the NY Farm Viability Institute at 315-453-3823 or emaher@nyfvi.org, or with the local contact person listed below.
 
The workshop schedule is as follows:
 
Monday, February 22 – 10:30 am to 3:00 pm
United Presbyterian Church
186 Main Street
Randolph, NY
Contact Ginny Carlberg: 716-664-9502, ext 201 or vec22@cornell.edu  
 
 
Tuesday, February 23 – 10:30 am to 3:00 pm
Wyoming County Cooperative Extension Office
401 North Main Street
Warsaw, NY
Contact Cindy Kiel: 585-786-2251 or WyomingCountyCCE@cornell.edu  
 
Wednesday, February 24 – 10:30 am to 3:00 pm
Saratoga County Cooperative Extension Office
50 West High Street
Ballston Spa, NY
Contact Sandy Buxton: 800-548-0881 or sab22@cornell.edu  
 
Thursday, February 25 – 10:30 am to 3:00 pm
Miner Institute
1034 Miner Farm Road
Chazy, NY
Contact Anita Demming: 518-962-4810 ext 409 or ald6@cornell.edu  
 
Friday, February 26 – 10:30 am to 3:00 pm
Farm Credit East Burrville Office
25417 NY Route 12
Watertown, NY
Contact Peggy Murray: 315-376-5270 or mlm40@cornell.edu  
 
Wednesday, March 17 – 10:30 am to 3:00 pm
Holiday Inn
68 Crystal Run Road
Middletown, NY
Contact Cathy Hughes: 845-344-1234 or cah94@cornell.edu  
 
The “Managing the Margin” workshops are part of the Center for Dairy Excellence’s broader response to the dairy crisis that is now in its second year, placing severe financial stress on dairy farms across the state. The Center also provides assistance to farmers through Dairy Profit Teams, Farmer Discussion Groups, Farm Worker Skills Training and Cash-Flow Planning programs.   
 
The risk management workshop series complements ongoing activities of the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, which presented four Managing the Margin workshops in January in Central New York.

“These workshops help producers better understand volatility in markets, how that volatility is changing, and what it means for managing the farm business,” said Commissioner Patrick Hooker. “The challenge for producers today is much more than just a “good” milk price; rather, it is how profits are made at the margin, a margin that is constantly changing.”

The NY Center for Dairy Excellence project will include follow-up with farmers to develop additional programming based on response.  Those programs will likely include web-based education, coordination of local farmer groups for continued risk management dialogue and one-on-one consulting. 
  
The NY Farm Viability Institute is a farmer-led organization that directs applied research to increase profits for all farming sectors. The NY Center for Dairy Excellence is an initiative of the Farm Viability Institute focused on developing programs that impact dairy farmer productivity, profitability and quality of life. Both organizations are funded from the NYS legislature and NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets. For more information, visit www.nyfvi.org.  
 
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Contact: Rebecca Schuelke Staehr, NYFVI communication specialist
                T: (315) 453-3823 extension 103
                E: rschuelke@nyfvi.org