Completed Project Report


Planning Your Dairy Farm's Future

  • Award Amount: $46,968
  • Regional Center: North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center
  • Grant Program: 2022 Education Projects
  • Project Director: Jim Salfer
  • Email: salfe001@umn.edu
  • Organization: University of Minnesota Extension

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Project Overview

This project targeted financial and human risks related to business planning. The Planning Your Dairy Farm’s Future project included two different types of educational sessions, a multi-session and single session meetings.

The program included short lectures, case studies, discussion, and worksheets. For the multi-session class, we used AgPlan to teach business planning principles. Business owners identified leadership and management roles for family members and key employees. Participant used tools to better understand themselves and to improve their leadership capacity. At the class’s conclusion they had a partially completed business plan.

We also offered shorter one session meetings that focused on business planning principles. Topics varied by session and included topics such as understanding personality and communication style, developing a SWOT analysis, identifying personnel for the farm’s leadership team and tools to make decisions.

We targeted businesses that were contemplating changes to the farm. Most participants were businesses that were transitioning between generations. We offered three multi-session classes with forty-five participants from seventeen different farms. Two hundred thirteen people attended the nine single session classes.

Our partner, Minnesota Dairy Initiatives, followed up with farms to set up management teams and to work with the business to reach their goals.

Number of Participants: 258

Outcomes

Project Steps

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

There are no promotional materials available for this project.

EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

There are no educational materials available for this project.

REPORTS & EVALUATIONS

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DELIVERY AREA

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