Agricultural Business Management News

By David Bau, Extension Educator Beginning this month, dairy farmers will have to make decisions on new dairy programs available for revenue protections. In order for dairy farmers to make informed decisions, they need to understand how these programs work and connect to their current farm finances. The Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (Farm Bill) has a new program called Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) that helps protect the milk price to feed margin. Dairy Revenue Protection is available through the Risk Management Agency and is a new tool that is like crop insurance for milk. Farmers need to know their farm’s cost of production when making revenue protection decisions. Your cost of production is the minimum price you need to break-even or make $0 profit. Knowing this will help you decide the milk price you need to fully cover your farm costs. You can calculate this on a per cow or per hundredweight (cwt) basis. Cost of production will vary by farm and by size of the farm. If

By Megan Roberts and Sarah Schieck, Extension Educators Our June 2019 "Woman in Ag" feature is Kristi Oberdieck. Kristi has been involved in farming all her life and chose to pursue a career in agriculture. Kristi shares her perspectives below as a young professional starting her career in agriculture. WAGN: Tell us a little about your background and career. Kristi Oberdieck Kristi: I was raised on a crop and hog farm just northeast of Truman, MN. As a kid I never thought that agriculture was the career that I would have a passion for. I hated the busy spring and fall because it didn’t leave time for other activities. It wasn’t until I was 16 that my interest in the field began to grow. I attended South Central College in Mankato and received my associate degree in Agribusiness Service and Management with an Agronomy emphasis.  I am currently working at Anez Consulting in Willmar, MN as an Ag Nutrient Technician. My main responsibility is in CSP (Conservation Stewards