MDAR: Extras - Deadlines and Upcoming Event

Katelyn Parsons

USDA Reminds Dairy Producers of December 11th Deadline for 2021 Safety-Net Enrollment

September Triggers Fourth Dairy Margin Coverage Payment for 2020 Program Participants

The USDA reminds dairy producers that the deadline to enroll in Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) for calendar year 2021 is Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) opened DMC signup in October to help producers manage economic risk brought on by milk price and feed cost disparities.

The DMC program, created by the 2018 Farm Bill, offers reasonably priced protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed cost (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer. For more information, visit farmers.gov DMC webpage, or contact your local USDA Service Center. To locate your local FSA office, visit farmers.gov/service-center-locator.

2020-2021 GenerationNext Program – For the Next Generation of Agricultural, Fishing, and Forestry Managers

Online classes start December 2, 2020 – Sign up by November 23.

Farm Credit East’s “GenerationNext” training program is shifting online for 2020! And now at reduced rate of $199 for the series.

GenerationNext is a comprehensive training program designed for people who may be part of the “next generation” of leaders taking management responsibility in an agricultural business, or entrepreneurs starting and growing businesses of their own. Either way, the course is designed to broaden your management expertise covering areas such as: Leadership and Management; Financial Management and Budgeting; Marketing; Risk Management; Strategic Planning and Farm Transfer. The program can help you: Identify areas for personal growth and development; Acquire tools to help manage an agricultural business; Network with other young industry leaders.

This is a series of 8, 1.5 hour web sessions held each week, from December to January. Visit https://www.farmcrediteast.com/generationnext more information.

2021 Northeast Farm to Institution Summit: Reimagined & Virtual – April 1, 8, 15, 2021

Call for Proposals – Since the first gathering in 2015, the biennial Farm to Institution Summit has become a seminal event for hundreds of stakeholders working across the value chain to transform the regional food system. This year’s program is centered on the theme: Reflection, Resilience, & Renewal. The summit is an opportunity to showcase the network’s responses to urgent systemic disruptions of racial injustice, climate change, and COVID-19 – and to use the power of institutions to build a more just, resilient food system.

The call for proposals for presentations, panels or discussions at the summit is open through November 23rd. Workshops, lightning talks, roundtable discussions, virtual field trips, wellness activities and more are welcome! More information can be found here: www.f2isummit.org.

Upcoming Events:

November 18 – Board of Agriculture Meeting

• November 19 – CISA Webinar: Using Point-of-Sale Data to Increase Sales – 5:00-7:00pm | Free – Presenter: Matt LeRoux, Ag Marketing Consultant. Grocery stores have used scanner data to inform marketing techniques for decades. Farmer-friendly point of sale software, such as Square, now gives farmers similar potential to track their sales. Learn how Cornell researchers used this technology in conjunction with eight NY-based vegetable production farms. Leave this workshop with specific takeaways and tips for your own production and sales methods. This workshop is applicable to all producers selling directly to consumers using POS software. Click on this link to learn more about this webinar and register here. Questions, [email protected] or call 413-665-7100 x26.
• December 1 – Dairy Markets: 2020 and Beyond – noon – 1:15pm – 2020 saw dramatic price swings in dairy markets due to COVID-19’s global impact on foodservice markets. What have we learned from this? What will 2021 bring? While the precise answers are still unknown, we are sure to see volatility. Are you sure you’re ready? Timely discussion led by Dr. Marin Bozic of the University of Minnesota along with Farm Credit East business consultant Gregg McConnell. Register here
• December 15 – Permanent Foreign Labor Options for Seasonal Businesses – Farm Credit Webinar is the third in a series that navigates the complex maze of labor options. This 90-minute session will cover permanent labor certification, defining job requirements, the prevailing wage process and more. Register here. Details here.
• December 16 – State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board Meeting

Save the Dates:

• January 8 – 10 – NOFA Winter Conference
• February 12 – Virtual Grant Workshop for Dairy Farmers – 10:00am-11:00am. MDAR hosting virtual grant workshop specifically for MA dairy farmers as part of a USDA-funded project on increasing profits for MA dairy farmers. The goal of the workshop is to raise awareness of MDAR and USDA grant programs that can help dairy farmers lower their production costs. Dairy farmers will be able to ask questions and interact with each presenter at the end of each presentation and via the chat feature. RSVP by emailing Katie Rozenas at [email protected]. NOTE: The workshop will be focused on dairy projects, however, anyone is welcome to attend.
  February 24 and 25 – Harvest New England Agricultural Marketing Conference