Farm and Ranch Management Workshop Feb. 12-13 in Plains

Plains will be the site of a Farm and Ranch Management Workshop on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 12 and 13 in the 4-H Pavilion at the Sanders County Fairgrounds.

Participation in this workshop will satisfy the requirements of Farm Service Agency Production and Financial Management Training, according to Sanders County Extension Agent Juli Thurston. The registration deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 5.

Workshop hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb. 12, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb. 13.

Program topics include:

° Enterprise Crop Budgets

° Niche Marketing and Agritourism

° Agricultural Outlook

° Managing Non-Agricultural Risk

° Cropland and Grazing Leases

° Retirement and Farm Transition

° Soil Fertility and Fertilization

° Crop Insurance

° Invasive Species

° Cattle Production Issues

° Family Business Issues

To register for the workshop, contact Keri Hayes at 406-994-3511 or email khayes@montana.edu. With questions, contact Hayes or Thurston at 406-827-6934.

Farm and Ranch Management Workshop

Feb. 12-13

4-H Pavilion, Plains

WORKSHOP AGENDA

Feb. 12

(morning session)

9:30-9:40 a.m. - Intro-duction to Sample Farm/Ranch Operations; Joel Schumacher, MSU Extension

9:40-10:30 a.m. Intro-

duction to Risk Management; Kate Fuller, MSU Extension

10:30-10:45 a.m. - Break

10:45-noon - Market Channel Assessment and Agritourism Opportunities; Dave Renn, Community Food and Ag Coaltion of Missoula

noon-1 p.m. - Lunch on your own

Feb. 12

(afternoon session)

1-1:45 p.m. - Leasing with Sample Lease Calculation Examples; Kate Fuller, MSU Extension

1:45-2:30 p.m. - Beef to School; Schumacher

2:30-2:45 p.m. - Break

2:45-3:30 p.m. - Agricul-tural Outlook; Fuller

3:30-4:15 p.m. - Hay Production 101 (video); Emily Meccage, MSU Animal and Range Sciences

4:15-5 p.m. - Manag- ing Non-Ag Risk for Families: Life and Health Insurance; Schumacher

Feb. 13 (morning session)

9-9:45 a.m. - Bridging the Gap: Financial Reports to Enterprise Crop Budgets; George Haynes, MSU Extension

9:45-10;30 a.m. - The Good, Bad & Ugly of Starting a New Ranch; Jonathan Sepp and Brittany Masters, Roam Free Bison-Hot Springs

10:30-10:45 a.m. - Break

10:45-11 a.m.- Agricul-tural Policy Update, Haynes

11:30-12:15 p.m. Integ-rated Weed Management (video); Jane Mangold, MSU Land Resources & Environmental Sciences

12:15-1:15 p.m. - Lunch on your own

Feb. 13 (afternoon session)

1:15-2:30 p.m. - Family Business Issues; Haynes

2:30-2:45 p.m. - Break

2:45-3:30 p.m. - Mineral Nutrition Impacts on Beef Cattle Production (video); Megan Van Emon, MSU Animal and Range Sciences

3:30-4:45 p.m. - Tips for Successful Farm Transition: Retirement and Succession Planning; Schumacher

4:45-5 p.m. - Workshop wrap-up