HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania dairy producers who want to tap into the knowledge of a personal team of dairy industry experts can enroll in the 2012 On-Farm Dairy Resource Team Program.
200 participants
More than 200 farms currently participate in the program, which is coordinated by the Center for Dairy Excellence with support from the Penn State Extension Dairy Team.
It offers funding and other support to establish a Dairy Profit Team, Target Profit Team or Succession Planning Team.
An on-farm dairy resource team operates much like a board of directors for the farm, with trusted advisors meeting regularly to discuss the farm operation and bottlenecks that impede profitability. A facilitator designated by the farm, with assistance from the center, coordinates the meetings and focuses the team.
Funding
The center offers funding to support the cost of paid team members and other discovery-related costs. Funding levels for 2012 are the same as for previous years:
Dairy Profit Team: Up to $1,500 for new teams or $1,000 for existing teams; Target Profit Team: Up to $1,000 for new teams or $750 for existing teams for specific operational performance review; and Dairy Succession Planning Team: Up to $2,000 for new teams and up to $1,000 for existing teams.
Farms new to the program and those currently participating must complete a 2012 application to receive funding.
Goals
New guidelines require teams to identify three annual goals and submit them to the center, complete the monthly monitor tool provided by the Penn State Extension Dairy Team and determine the farm’s gross margin (income over feed cost) on an ongoing basis.
Dairy farms not enrolled but interested in establishing a profit, target or succession planning team can contact the center to receive an application by calling 717-346-0849 or emailing info@centerfordairyexcellence.org.
Details
More details can be found at www.centerfordairyexcellence.org. Click on “Producer,” then on “Learn About Profit Teams.”
