Bob Wells and Jim Jensen, Field Specialists-Farm Management, Southeast
Producers today depend on a team of Agricultural Professionals to make decisions allowing them to remain profitable while dealing with wide swings in crop yields and prices. Agricultural professionals have a difficult task in gathering and evaluating the abundance of information necessary to guide producers. Studying United States supply and demand trends, worldwide demand and production, and regional price variations takes time.
SE Iowa Pro-Ag Outlook Workshops focused on providing agriculture professionals timely information needed to aid producers making farm level decisions. The Pro-Ag Show Me the Profit, seminars offered agriculture professionals concise looks at livestock and grain outlook, farm policy, and machinery management. It also featured an in depth look at Iowas emerging ethanol industry. The seminars also provided an opportunity for agriculture professionals to interact with Iowa State University Extension personnel.
After several years of steady attendance, a change in marketing approach for the seminars increased overall attendance by 30 percent. Grain marketing outlook provided insight to the rapid increase in grain prices and its possible effects on livestock production. Farm Policy discussions provided a look at the coming farm bill debate. Machinery management discussions related to farm level increases in cost of production. Dr. Miranowski discussed Iowas emerging bio-economy and its impacts on Iowas farm economy. Exit surveys indicated agriculture professionals increased their knowledge of grain and livestock markets, and increased their understanding Iowas ethanol industry. Also indicated was a better understanding of the interdependence of Iowas grain, livestock and ethanol industries. Follow-up phone calls to SE farm management specialist indicate agriculture professional increased their knowledge of where obtain the information needed when advising farm clients.
104 - Agricultural Risk and Financial Management
Page last updated:
April 11, 2006
Page maintained by Linda Schultz, firstname.lastname@example.org