Organic dairy farm families will have a chance to sharpen their management skills this winter.

The second and third rounds of these workshops will be held in Franklin County on April 6 & 12, and in Jefferson County on April 7 & 13. PRE-REGISTRATION IN NECESSARY FOR THESE WORKSHOPS! The cost is $10 per person with a maximum of $20 per farm to encourage multiple family members to attend. Cost covers all materials and lunch. For more information or to register call Molly Ames or Ron Kuck at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County at 315-788-8450, or e-mail mba7@cornell.edu. We encourage all decision makers from the farm to attend.

Participants will get help in establishing their core values and goals, setting plans to achieve these goals, and managing their farms holistically, to the benefit of their families, their animals, the environment, and future generations.

"There's an opportunity now for people to make some good money in organic dairy," says workshop organizer Fay Benson. "One concept of management that needs to change when farmers transition from conventional to organic is their "Time Management." In conventional dairy production there are a lot of tools to change or correct short-term situations by using antibiotics, hormones, fertilizers, weed spray, etc. These are no longer available in organic management. Farmers need to manage their time, so that they are spending it on actions that are preventive and benefit them in the long-term."

"You have to be clear about why you're farming organically, and you have to figure out how to use your resources most effectively to create a sustainable, profitable and enjoyable farming system." Workshops will help farm families answer these four basic questions:

1. Where do you want to go? Create your own holistic goal for enhancing sustainability, paying off debt, bringing in the next generation, and/or retiring.

2. What are the resources you can use to get there? Assess your current management abilities, employee abilities, soils and pastures, buildings and facilities, cows, crops, products and markets.

3. What is the route you will take to arrive at that point? Learn how to set appropriate long term and short term goals, identify the root causes of problems, make sound decisions, and take action.

4. How to use records to keep track of your journey to be sure you are on the right route? Improve your management of financial records and production records, and learn how to monitor personal, family and employee satisfaction.

The NY Organic Dairy Initiative, NY Farm Viability Institute and the Cornell Small Farms Program sponsor these workshops. For more information about a variety of small farm topics, visit www.smallfarms.cornell.edu.

For more information contact Fay Benson
Email: afb3@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-753-5078