NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State
University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
May 28, 1998
The North Dakota dairy industry is using Dairy Month to launch a new program designed to help dairy farmers boost profitability and production. Under the program, being launched Monday, June 1, dairy farmers can call on a team of expert advisors for guidance in improving their operations.
The North Dakota Dairy Diagnostic Advisory Team program will help producers improved productivity and profitability by helping family dairies plan for the future and set goals that will help them achieve those plans.
"We've borrowed ideas from past programs in the state and from efforts in other states to come up with a plan that is custom made for North Dakota producers," says J.W. Schroeder, dairy specialist with the North Dakota State University Extension Service.
The program is sponsored by the North Dakota Dairy Strategic Planning Task Force, a consortium of public and private dairy interests. Support for the program has come from the North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Committee, the NDSU Extension Service and a number of private companies involved in the dairy industry.
Under the program, a local diagnostic team will help producers assess strengths and weaknesses of their dairy farms with a goal of making them more profitable and goal oriented. The diagnostic team will be made up of local people selected by the dairy producer with expertise in areas such as dairy nutrition, finance, equipment, herd health, manure management, labor issues, and farm and family goal setting.
"The success of the program depends on the willingness of local people to volunteer. Many of them are professionals in their fields, so they're already providing this service to the region," Schroeder says. "We hope they see this as a way to ensure the future success of the dairy industry and their own businesses."
On June 1, the program will begin taking applicants for the first year of the program. About a dozen dairy farms will be selected to participate in the pilot year, Schroeder notes.
"We'll be looking critically at how the program works during this first year to work the kinks out and improve it," Schroeder says. "We need to walk before we can run."
For more information on the program, write to the North Dakota Dairy Diagnostic Program, 100 Hultz Hall, Box 5053, NDSU, Fargo, ND 58105-5053 or call (701) 231-7644 for application forms. Coordinator John Johnson will be overseeing the initial setup of the program. He can be reached at (701) 361-2987.
"We're looking for a select group of producers with stable dairy operations who want to fine-tune their enterprises and find the holes that are reducing profitability and milk quality," Schroeder says. To qualify for the pilot program, producers should maintain some form of enterprise or farm business management records, be interested in expanding farm profitability, intend to build a future in dairying and be willing to share diagnostic team experiences with other producers. An annual fee of $150 will be charged to participants.
"The dairy industry in the state of North Dakota is at a critical stage right now," Schrodeder says. "If we don't do something, there won't be much of a dairy industry left. We felt we needed to strengthen our existing producers as we look at expanding the overall industry."
In 1990, there were 85,000 head of dairy cattle in the state. In 1998, there were 58,000. Currently the dairy industry represents more than 25 percent of the North Dakota's gross receipts from animal agriculture. "We could see that contribution to our economy drastically reduced unless we take quantum steps now to support this important industry," Schroeder says.
###
Source: J.W. Schroeder (701) 231-7663
Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629