FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative welcomes dairy farmers to attend the cooperative’s Producer Discovery Workshop series as part of its 2022 Annual Meeting taking place on Friday, February 11, 2022 at the Stoney Creek Hotel & Convention Center in Onalaska, Wis.
“Welcoming all dairy farmers to our Producer Discovery Workshops allows for greater discussion to take place. The more dairy farmers that engage in these thought-provoking discussions ultimately benefits the industry as a whole,” says John Rettler, dairy farmer and president of FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative. “Education is part of the foundation of this cooperative, and we are pleased to extend these workshops to all dairy farmers.”
The 2022 Annual Meeting theme, ‘Today’s Vision, Tomorrow’s Success,’ embraces the cooperative’s approach to engaging farmers on important topics the industry faces, including federal order updates, as well as taking a closer look at the 2022 dairy market forecast and the risk management tools that are available to dairy farmers.
The first Producer Discovery Workshop kicks off at 1:15 p.m. ‘Federal Orders: Their History and Their Future,’ features Dana Coale, the Deputy Administrator of Agricultural Marketing Services – Dairy Program with USDA. In her role, Ms. Coale leads programs impacting the dairy industry to facilitate the efficient marketing of milk and dairy products. She’ll provide a review of the structure of federal orders, how they operate, and their value to the industry. Ms. Coale will also discuss proposed changes to the orders that are being considered by the dairy industry.
The second workshop ‘Understanding the Milk Market & Your Management Tools,’ begins at 2:45 p.m. and features Dr. Mark Stephenson, Director of Dairy Policy Analysis at UW-Madison and Travis Glaser, agent and co-owner of ARM Services, an ag risk management agency based in Barron, Wis. Mr. Stephenson will review the milk market forecast for 2022 while Mr. Glaser will share his insight on building a risk management strategy. With an in-depth knowledge of past dairy market trends and a passion for risk strategy, Mr. Glaser will discuss how to best prepare for what 2022 has to offer using the tools available to dairy farmers.
“There is never a shortage of issues to engage on, especially when it comes to these two topics of federal orders and dairy risk management. FarmFirst believes it is incredibly important to ensure that farmers have the opportunity to learn from these industry experts while getting their questions answered,” says Rettler. “By engaging on these topics today, we can build a better industry for dairy farmers tomorrow.” There is no cost to attend, however attendees are asked to make reservations to ensure sufficient seating. Call Julie at 608-286-1909 by February 8 to make a reservation. For more information about FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative’s 10th Annual Meeting and to learn more about the guest speakers, please visit www.FarmFirstDairyCooperative.com.
