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Farm Finance Series to Determine Statewide Financial Needs

Mary Sobba

Summary

Volatile grain and livestock prices over the past two years have changed the cash flow of agricultural producers. The challenge has been determining the extent of the change and the needs of the agricultural producers. Missouri Department of Agriculture and University of Missouri Extension partnered to plan and conduct a series of farm financial meetings across the state of Missouri. The workshops were designed to share a small portion of the time with planned presentations about current programs and market outlooks. The majority of time was utilized by local panels. The panels consisted of lenders, agricultural farmers and ranchers, farm service agency personnel and department of agriculture. University of Missouri Extension moderated the panels. Panel members were given a few standard questions to begin the discussion. The audiences of predominantly farmers and ranchers asked many difficult questions and also the bulk of all questions. The results from each meeting were gathered and used to produce a statewide report, which has been used for multiple purposes including working with surrounding states and also by the ag economics extension personnel. The data has been helpful in determining training needed for new regional specialists to preparing to work with producers. The data has also been helpful in planning educational programs throughout the state. One unanticipated outcome was a stronger working relationship between MU Extension and the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

Details

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