Farmers & Ranchers College

Farmers & Ranchers College Year Getting Started

The Farmers & Ranchers College was formed in January, 2000 with the purpose of providing high quality, dynamic, up to date educational workshops for area agricultural producers in south central Nebraska through a collaborative effort between business, industry and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. Furthermore, the Farmers & Ranchers College will provide the tools necessary so that agricultural producers will be able to respond positively to these changes using a profitable decision making process.

 The first session is slated for November 30th at the Bruning Opera House featuring Dr. David Kohl. His interactive presentation will start at 1:00 p.m. and is titled “Global Economic Impacts on the Farm & Ranch”. Twenty-first century agriculture has many more global interconnections than ever before. This workshop will focus on the new mega trends impacting producers’ profitability and lifestyles. What will be the emerging nations’ role? What will be the economic game changers? How can producers position themselves to capitalize on these trends? Do high farmland values represent a credit or asset bubble? Where is the economy heading? Don’t miss this session with Dr. Dave Kohl, Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Finance and Small Business Management at Virginia Tech, as it will increase your economic literacy, which is critical to managing your business and household.

Registration is free due to the generous sponsorship of Farmers & Ranchers College sponsors. For more information, call the Fillmore County Extension Office at (402) 759-3712.

Good Starting Planning Session for Families

The 2011 Ag at the Crossroads Conference will focus on the Theme: “The Transition of Nebraska Agricultural Businesses”. Ag at the Crossroads will be held on Thursday November 3, 2011 with registration at 8:30 am and program from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm at the Lancaster County Events Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Nebraska AgRelations Council chose this theme because the generational change bubble is going to result is accelerated ownership changes in Nebraska farms and agricultural businesses in the coming years. AgRelations President Paul Hay says, “We have an outstanding program put together on this incredibly important topic for the future Nebraska agriculture.”

Advance registrations are $45 by October 28 and $50 at the door. Featured speakers are Dave Specht, Coordinator of Family Business Programs and Lecturer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business Administration and Ag Economics Departments; Bruce Johnson, Professor of Ag Economics; Larry Kopsa, Partner in Kopsa Otte CPA’s, Joe Hawbaker of Hawbaker Law Office, and Tina Barrett, Executive Director of Nebraska Farm Business, Inc.

You can call 402-472-2821 by October 28 for reservations and pay at the door or send the names of those attending and payment to the Nebraska AgRelations Council, P.O. Box 830918, Lincoln, NE 68583-0918. For more information e-mail Paul C Hay at phay1@unl.edu, call 402-223-1384.