“Those who attend will be shown tools they can use to evaluate their breakeven costs for various crops,” he said. “They’ll learn how to develop marketing strategies for their crops and what the new ‘farm safety net’ will do for their farming operations. They’ll also get a little insight into what future weather patterns may have in store for crop production.”
Speakers will include Dr. Mark Welch, AgriLife Extension agricultural economist, College Station; Dr. Joe Outlaw, AgriLife Extension economist and director of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center, College Station; Dr. Levi Russell, AgriLife Extension economist, Corpus Christi; and John Metz, National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist, Corpus Christi.
Bobby McCool, AgriLife Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources in San Patricio County, said the six-hour, in-depth and hands-on training from AgriLife Extension experts will help producers with marketing strategies, farm policy and farm benchmarking.
“Dr. Welch will take a look at the upcoming 2015 crop year and potential strategies and plans that may assist producers with future marketing decisions,” he said. “He’ll conclude his portion of the program with an interactive crop marketing exercise designed to mimic real marketing strategies.”
Outlaw will review AgriLife Extension’s online farm bill decision aid, with hands-on examples of what to expect as they maneuver through the online tool and “the interpretation of the numbers,” McCool said.
“Dr. Russell will focus on farm industry benchmarks so producers can measure their operations against others within the state or region,” McCool said. “This can be extremely helpful to farmers by comparing production costs to streamline particular aspects of their individual operations.”
The workshop will conclude with a current and long-range weather outlook.
Attendees are asked to RSVP by Dec. 10 to the AgriLife Extension office in Nueces County at 361-767-5223 or the San Patricio County office at 361-364-6234.
Source: Agrilife