By:  Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President

Things are tough in the farm economy too.  Prices farmers and ranchers receive for their work, which have been good over the past couple of years are heading downward.  Some of those prices, especially for Nevada dairy producers, have been difficult to keep things afloat for more than a year.

Agricultural economist with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources are partnering with the Risk Management Agency (part of the United States Department of Agriculture) to hold several workshops aimed at addressing “Agribusiness Risk Management in Economic Downturns”.

Kynda Curtis and others will be covering a number of important topics for farmers and ranchers to be up to full speed on.  On “Day 1” (starting at 8 a.m. and running to 4 p.m.) of the two-day sessions, participants will receive, review and discuss these topics:

• Overview of risk management strategies in economic downturns
• Strategies for reducing costs
• Strategies for increasing revenue
• Dealing with debt and bankruptcy issues
• Reducing risk through federal insurance programs

Day 2 Attention Turns to Energy

Even when times were good with farm and ranch prices, energy costs wiped out profits for many farmers and ranchers.  The second day of the session will look at “Strategies for Energy Costs Reduction and Alternative Energy Solutions”  The topics for this half-day (8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) include:

• Overview of U.S. energy trends
• Strategies for reducing energy usage on farms/ranches
• Components and benefits of energy audits
• Overview of alternative energy solutions (solar, wind, etc.)
• Energy assistance and rebate programs
• Questions and answers with energy efficiency panel

When And Where:

There are going to be four sessions around Nevada.  The costs for participation is $10 per person and will cover the materials provided (and snacks) for both days…

• January 26 & 27, 2009:  Churchill County Extension office (Fallon) with a remote compressed video feed to Winnemucca (Starts at 8:00 a.m. on Jan. 26)
  
• February 17 & 18, 2009:  Elko with a remote compressed video feed to Eureka (Starts at 8:00 a.m. on Feb. 17^th)
  
• February 24 & 25, 2009:  Lyon County Cooperative Extension office (Yerington) with a remote compressed video feed to Tonopah (Starts at 8:00 a.m. on Feb. 24^th)
  
• March 2 & 3, 2009:  Lincoln County Cooperative Extension office (Caliente) with a remote compressed video feed to Pahrump (Starts at 8:00 a.m. on March 2^nd)
  

More about the conference information can be found on the University’s Risk Management Website.

You can also get more information by calling Dr. Kynda Curtis at (775) 784-1682