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Contacts for Program
Jefferson/Madison
Counties Dairy Profit Team Initiative
EIN 06 025
Version 2 |
Duration: June 1, 2007
- May 31, 2009 |
Request: $114,930 |
|
Agricultural Production
Sector: Dairy |
|
Emphasis: None of these |
|
Anticipated Results:
Increased farm sales, Reduced cost of production, Educational or outreach material |
|
Project Leader:
Mr. Jay Matteson
Jefferson County Agricultural Development Corporation
coordinator@comefarmwithus.com
P.O. Box 838
21168 NYS Rte 232
Watertown NY 13601
Work: 315-782-1806
Home: 315-232-2108
Cell: 315-783-2251
Fax: 315-782-1944 |
Contractor:
Jay Matteson
Jefferson County Agricultural
Development Corporation
P.O. Box 838
21170 NYS Rte 232
Watertown NY 13601
coordinator@comefarmwithus.com
Phone: 315-782-1806
Fax: 315-782-1944
|
Abstract:
Ten dairy farms in Jefferson
and Madison Counties, NY successfully utilize dairy profit teams to improve both farm
profitability and/or productivity through the proposed Jefferson County Dairy Profit Team
Initiative. Introducing the successful program implemented by the Center for Dairy
Excellence in Pa., farms are provided cost share funds to pay 4 industry professionals to
serve as an advisory team providing planning assistance and holding the farm accountable
for quantifiable goals. Farms are expected to achieve a 3% increase in profitability or a
2lbs per cow increase in production. The team provides an assessment of the farm, develop
performance targets, milestones, and action items for implementation. The teams and
project administration provide evaluation of team success and project success. Results of
the project are disseminated through websites, publications, radio shows and the NYFVI.
The immediate result of the project is a demonstrated increase in profit and productivity
encouraging the farm to maintain the team, at the farms cost after project
completion. Dairy farms across the County, Region and State will create their own
profit teams as a long term result of the success of this project.
An increase in the
profitability and productivity of these 12 farms and then additional farms provides
greater employment, improved success for dairy support businesses and improved milk supply
for dairy manufacturers. Improved quality of life and profitability on the farm
brings youth to dairy farming as a career path. A thriving dairy industry
supports a strong community. |
|
Producer Involvement: |
Proposal Development
The Jefferson/Madison Counties
Dairy Profit Team project (DPT) was proposed by 15 dairy farmers and 7 agribusiness
reps participating in a Jefferson County Dairy Focus Group (GROUP) meeting. DPT was then
proposed to the Jefferson County Agricultural Development Corporation (JCADC) Board of
Directors (6 dairy farmers and 2 non-dairy farmers included, 11 other
members). One dairy farmers have actively participated in proposal
development. (23 farmers)
Project Advisory Committee
The JCADC Board will provide
final oversight of DPT and the GROUP will serve as an immediate Project Advisory
Committee. (23 farmers)
Project Implementation
Ten dairy farmers will be
selected for Project Implementation. All dairy farms in Jefferson and Madison
Counties are eligible to apply. Only farms that will be part of the "future" of
the dairy industry will be selected. The JCADC will select the participants from all
applications received. (20 farmers)
Project Outreach
JCADC will provide for project
outreach through our weekly ag radio show, our ag website, articles, reports,
mailings, and meetings. The 10 farms participating will be required to
actively participate in outreach activities. (20 farmers)
Project Evaluation
The 10 farms
participating, JCADC and the GROUP will be actively involved in program
evaluation measuring effectiveness and efficiency of program methods. (35 farmers)
|
Target Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries of
this project are 10 dairy farms in Jefferson County and Madison County,NY. The 10
are selected from applications received. All dairy farms in Jefferson and Madison Counties
are eligible to apply. This program is not a last ditch effort to save a farm(s). It
is for farms that intend to be part of dairy's future. As applications allow, 5 farms will
be selected from each county. Criteria will be used to select farms to achieve maximum
diversity across each county. Size, location, type of operation, but most
importantly, willingness to change, will be utilized to select farms. Secondary
beneficiaries include all dairy farms in the county, region and state. Through project
outreach, dairy farms have the opportunity to learn about dairy profit teams and their
impact. |
|
Identification Of Barriers:
The Jefferson/Madison Counties
Dairy Profit Team (DPT) initiatives goal is developing an efficient and effective
management assistance program for dairy farmers, utilizing on farm professionals in a team
approach. DPT mirrors the program started by the Center for Dairy Excellence
(CDE) in Pa.
The New York Farm Viability
Institute (NYFVI) identified barriers and opportunities.
DPT addresses business
systems changes including farm financial analysis, benchmarking, and developing
measures of profitability. Participating farms are required to complete a Dairy Farm
Business Summary.
?DPT addresses adoption of
financial/business planning tools.
?The approach provides
assessment of owner/management strengths and weaknesses and opportunities to bring
professional help to the team.
NYFVI identified production
system changes addressed by DPT.
?In CDE’s newest
application they estimate 38% of farms increase milk production by 2lbs/day and 40%
improve milk quality.
?DPT identifies cow/herd
issues, harvest and storage issues, and quality and harvest timeliness of forage.
?DPT provides analysis of how
management decisions affect production.
Labor issues pose major
threats, according to NYFVI. DPT helps farms analyze their human resources and make
improvements.
? DPT helps farm management
assess attracting and keeping a necessary workforce.
The Jefferson County Dairy
Focus Group (15 dairy farmers) identified the need for dairy profit teams in their
list of action items in August 2006. |
|
Project Justification:
It is critical to our dairy
industry that identified barriers be addressed to improve viability of farms.
Helping dairy farms improve their business systems allows for effective and efficient
management decisions and identification of farm resources. Identifying needed production
systems changes, improves ability to produce higher quality milk in greater quantity.
Addressing labor issues leads to improved milk production and profitability. Greater
quality of life for farm owners/managers/employees is achieved by reducing or eliminating
stress caused by these barriers. Employee retention is improved because of increased job
satisfaction and profitability. Young adults are likely to come onto dairy farms
because of more rewarding and profitable careers being available.
Dairy farm owners/management
are caught in the intense demand for their abilities and cannot spend the effort to
complete proper planning. Owners/managers sometimes don’t see the barriers, or ways
to address them because of this intense demand for their abilities. A Dairy Profit Team
(DPT) provides needed professional resources to assist the farm with identifying
individual barriers and solutions and holds the farm accountable for implementation of
action items.
It is important to our economy
to improve profitability on the farm to ensure related support businesses are profitable,
manufacturing operations are viable, and the 2 people who are employed as a result of
every person working on a dairy farm continue to have employment. In Jefferson County 1000
people are employed directly on our farms, 300 work for our dairy manufacturers, and an
estimated 700 work for our supporting agri-businesses. Indirectly, another 2000
people are employed because of our dairy farms bringing total direct and indirect
employment, as a result of dairy farming in Jefferson County, to over 4000 people.
The Jefferson/Madison County
Dairy Profit Team (DPT) project addresses barriers by bringing together advisory teams
with a trained facilitator and farm managers to improve profitability and productivity by
providing planning assistance. DPT assists with financial projections and analysis,
management assistance, business strategy and goals evaluation, animal health evaluations,
farm profitability analysis, and production efficiency input. DPT is led by trained
facilitators working with identified resource professionals such as ag lenders,
veterinarians and others. DPT acts as an unofficial advisory board to the dairy farm by
holding the farm accountable to quantifiable goals. The project provides the
opportunity for farms to test the DPT concept, without risking the entire cost. The
productivity and profitability increases, as a result of the DPT, will demonstrate the
value of the DPT.
Team facilitators work with
farm management to identify core team members such as ag lenders nutritionists and
veterinarians. The team completes training that addresses issues such as team
function, business planning, human resources, and production analysis. A performance
analysis is completed and additional resource professionals are called in as needed.
Quantifiable goals and action items are developed and implemented. The team
regularly measures progress and reevaluates. Success and failures are documented and
the team reassesses business performance. |
|
Performance Targets,
Milestones, Activities / Methods: |
|
10 dairy farms in Jefferson
and Madison Counties successfully utilize dairy profit teams to improve both farm
profitability by 3% and/or farm productivity by 2lbs per cow per day. |
|
|
Milestone: |
The administrative team and
project advisory committee will form |
|
Activity: |
-The Jefferson County
Agricultural Coordinator will serve as Project Coordinator -The Jefferson County
Agricultural Development Corporation (JCADC) will contract with the Small Business
Development Center at Jefferson Community College to provide a Project Administrator and
administrative support staff for assessment aggregation, organization, and editing, as
well as support for individual profit teams. - JCADC will contract with Cornell University
Cooperative Extension of Madison County to assist in delivering the DPT project to dairy
Farms in Madison County. -The Jefferson County Dairy Focus Group will meet to discuss roll
out of the project and provide advice on implementation. -Jefferson County Farm Bureau
Board of Directors will be advised of the project and their input sought on project
implementation. |
|
Date to Achieve:
June 30, 2007 |
|
|
Milestone: |
Select 10 dairy farms to
participate that are the future of dairy farming in Jefferson and Madison Counties and
have the ability to pay $150 towards each team meeting consulting fees. |
|
Activity: |
-Utilize subcommittee from two
counties to develop application that helps determine a farms willingness and financial
ability to adopt recommendations of the dairy profit team. - Every dairy farm in each
county will be invited to participate in one of two informational meeting and invited to
submit application. -Send out program application to all dairy farms in Jefferson and
Madison Counties -Utilize subcommittee to select farms for participation |
|
Date to Achieve:
July 31, 2007 |
|
|
Milestone: |
Work with selected farms to
identify team facilitators and train facilitators |
|
Activity: |
-Project administrator and
administrative team meet with farms to help them identify their team facilitator. -JCADC
will contract out for facilitator training, possibly with Pennsylvania State University,
SUNY Morrisville, or Cornell University. -Team facilitators are selected and provided
training on facilitation skills, team dynamics and function. |
|
Date to Achieve:
September 30, 2007 |
|
|
Milestone: |
Selected farms begin forming
Dairy Profit Team and teams receive training. |
|
Activity: |
-Project Administrator works
with farms and facilitators to identify team members. -JCADC contracts with either Cornell
University, SUNY Morrissville or Pennsylvania State University to provide team training.
-Dairy profit teams are provided training on program expectations and requirements, team
dynamics and function, business management and analysis, exposure to business assessment
software, meeting organization and management. |
|
Date to Achieve:
October 31, 2007 |
|
|
Milestone: |
Dairy Profit Teams begin dairy
farm evaluation and performance assessment |
|
Activity: |
-Dairy Farm Business Summary
is completed -Profitability, capital efficiency, repayment capacity, and solvency
are assessed. -Production is evaluated including herd status, cow management (cull rate),
udder health, reproductive success, and other benchmark areas as identified by dairy
profit team. -Additional team training needs are identified -An evaluation report is
generated and provided to the program administrator that provides a clear baseline
assessment of farm productivity and profitability. |
|
Date to Achieve:
February 28, 2008 |
|
|
Milestone: |
Dairy Profit Teams identify a
minimum of 2 performance targets to achieve |
|
Activity: |
-Teams identify and prioritize
all areas of needed improvement. -Performance targets are selected -Quantifiable goals are
developed for the highest priority needs. -Action items are identified with appropriate
time tables for implementation. - Results are evaluated, activities are monitored and
additional plans/strategies are implemented if necessary. -Plans, actions and results are
documented and provided to project administrator. |
|
Date to Achieve:
May 31, 2008 |
|
|
Milestone: |
Evaluate each Dairy Profit
team for team performance and function at the end of the first year. |
|
Activity: |
-Project Administration team
meet with each team to perform an assessment of team performance and function.
-Recommendations are provided to each team for consideration and implementation -Reports
are generated based on assessments - Project Administration team will meet with Dairy
Focus group to provide assessment of project and seek advice on further implementation of
project. |
|
Date to Achieve:
August 31, 2008 |
|
|
Milestone: |
At the end of year 2, dairy
profit teams are evaluated for overall performance and function. |
|
Activity: |
-Project Administration team
meets with each team to perform an assessment of team performance and function.
-Recommendations are provided to each team for consideration and implementation -Final
reports are generated for each team that compares profitability and productivity of the
farm at the end of year 2 to the beginning of the project. Assessments are provided
in the report as to what worked well for each team and what didn’t work well.
What resources did the team need, that was not provided or available. Recommendations will
be made in each report as to what the teams were able to achieve for the farm and what the
program overall achieved for the farm. |
|
Date to Achieve:
October 1, 2008 |
|
|
Milestone: |
The achievements and
challenges of the Jefferson County Dairy Profit Team Initiative will be documented and
provided to the industry. |
|
Activity: |
- The Small Business
Development Center at Jefferson Community College will assist the Jefferson County
Agricultural Development Corporation in aggregating, organizing, and editing case studies,
lessons, and success stories on a no-name basis in written and electronic formats. - The
Dairy Focus Team, Jefferson County Farm Bureau, and Jefferson County Agricultural
Development Corporation will be provided presentations on project achievements. -These
materials will be made available through our agricultural website, www.comefarmwithus.com to anyone interested in
downloading the material. -Written materials will also be available and provided to the
New York Farm Viability Institute for their use. -In addition, the Dairy Profit team
program will be featured on our agricultural radio show, The Home Grown Show, which is
available over the air and on the internet.
|
|
Date to Achieve:
December 1, 2008 |
|
|
Milestone: |
Additional Performance Targets
are selected as time and resources allow |
|
Activity: |
Teams utilize the same process
to achieve new performance targets. |
|
Date to Achieve:
February 28, 2009 |
|
|
Milestone: |
Farms update benchmarking of
operation |
|
Activity: |
-Dairy farms will update
existing benchmarks of farm. - Project Administrator will collect completed farm
benchmarks and updated farm plans. |
|
Date to Achieve:
February 28, 2009 |
|
|
Milestone: |
Hold meeting for 10 farms
participating to share successes and difficulties experienced. |
|
Activity: |
-Project administration team
will coordinate a meeting for all ten farms participating in the project. -Farms will
share successes and difficulties experienced. -If needed, additional training will be
provided at the meeting |
|
Date to Achieve:
February 28, 2009 |
|
|
Milestone: |
Final Results of project are
gathered and documented |
|
Activity: |
- Final Team meetings are held
to develop report of successes and failures of the team. -Project administrator gathers
reports and creates final accounting of project to provide to project coordinator |
|
Date to Achieve:
May 31, 2009 |
|
Project Outreach:
The results of this project
will be disseminated through many existing channels already available.
www.comefarmwithus.com is our
agricultural website. We will create a new section for the Jefferson County Dairy Profit
Initiative. The project proposal, project forms, and farmer application will be
placed immediately so farmers may use it for consideration of applying. The
administration team reports will be placed on the site, with any confidential information
removed, so our progress can be tracked. Final reports, lessons learned and case studies
will be placed on the site after project completion so others may download the materials.
Our site regularly receives 5000 visitors a month from across the world.
We will use at least one show
of our weekly agricultural radio show, The Home grown Show to feature the
Jefferson/Madison Counties Dairy Profit team Initiative. The purpose will be to discuss
the successes, challenges and what worked and didn’t work. The show is
broadcast over the air and live over the internet through our website.
Printed reports will be
available based on assessments, evaluation, progress reports, and final reports
produced by the Small Business Development Center at Jefferson Community College.
These reports will be the same as or similar to what will be available through our
website.
We will work closely with the NYFVI to take advantage of their excellent information outreach program to disseminate
materials across NYS. |
|
Project Evaluation:
The Jefferson and Madison
Counties Dairy Profit Team Initiative will undergo regular scrutiny for efficiency,
effectiveness, and success
Jay Matteson, Jefferson
County Agricultural Coordinator, will serve as Project Coordinator His role is to focus on
overall project success
Eric Constance, Director of
the Small Business Development Center at Jefferson Community College, will be contracted
with to serve as Project Administrator. His role is to focus on team success
Together our administrative
team will help teams conduct self evaluation, provide for outside evaluation of team
performance, and work with the JCADC Board and the Jefferson County Dairy Focus group to
provide project evaluation
The method and timeline for
evaluations of this project are outlined in the performance targets section of this
proposal
NYFVI may evaluate the long
term success of this project in 3 ways:
10 participating farms improve
profitability by 3% and improve production by 2lbs per cow during the project.
10 farms continue to utilize
their dairy profit teams for a minimum of three years after project completion
The Center for Dairy
Excellence reported that they went from 10 farms in their initial project to 150
applicants for their second dairy profit team project. |
Budget Year View: |
|
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Total |
Salaries & Wages |
|
|
|
Fringe Benefits |
|
|
|
Subtotal 1 |
|
|
|
Shipping & Communications |
1,100 |
800 |
1,900 |
Travel |
1,280 |
1,500 |
2,780 |
Fees |
|
|
|
Rentals |
|
|
|
Repairs |
|
|
|
Services & Lab Analysis |
|
|
|
Materials & Supplies |
500 |
1,450 |
1,950 |
Conferences & Seminars |
8,120 |
500 |
8,620 |
Consulting |
32,000 |
36,000 |
68,000 |
Publications |
|
|
|
Advertising & Promotions |
|
|
|
Equipment |
|
|
|
Subcontracts |
12,960 |
12,960 |
25,920 |
Other |
2,880 |
2,880 |
5,760 |
Subtotal 2 |
58,840 |
56,090 |
114,930 |
Total Direct Costs |
58,840 |
56,090 |
114,930 |
Indirect Costs |
|
|
|
Total Costs |
58,840 |
56,090 |
114,930 |
Budget Quarter View: |
|
Q1 |
Q2 |
Q3 |
Q4 |
Q5 |
Q6 |
Q7 |
Q8 |
Total |
Salaries & Wages |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fringe Benefits |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Subtotal 1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shipping & Communications |
700 |
200 |
100 |
100 |
200 |
100 |
100 |
400 |
1,900 |
Travel |
155 |
375 |
375 |
375 |
375 |
375 |
375 |
375 |
2,780 |
Fees |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rentals |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Repairs |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Services & Lab Analysis |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Materials & Supplies |
200 |
| | |
