Dairy Producers Are Invited to Free Workshops on October 8 and October 15
As dairy producers work to navigate market uncertainties and emerging trends, the Center for Dairy Excellence and Penn State Extension are hosting free Risk Management and Financial Literacy Workshops this October. The workshops will be held on Thursday, October 8 in Lancaster and Thursday, October 15 in Chambersburg. During one of the sessions at the workshops, Jayne Sebright and Valerie Mason-Faith will help you decode dairy market signals and explore key factors that are currently influencing milk prices – including dairy market economics, domestic and global supply and demand, and other market highlights.
“Our goal with these workshops is to take some of the stress out of managing risk and finances on your dairy farm. Our speakers plan to take complex financials and ever-changing dairy markets and break it all down to the fundamentals,” said Valerie Mason-Faith, Risk Education Manager at the Center for Dairy Excellence. “We’ll help you decode dairy markets and outline core financial metrics, so you can walk away with practical skills to make confident financial decisions for your farm.”
Along with dairy markets, Dr. Rebecca Weir will cover the key federal dairy price risk management programs, including Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC), Dairy Revenue Protection (DRP), and Livestock Gross Margin for Dairy (LGM-Dairy). Dr. Weir will break down how each program functions, share recent policy and program updates, and offer enrollment considerations to develop a risk management strategy tailored to your dairy’s needs.
In addition, Dr. Brian Reed will discuss the key financial statements every dairy farm should know as well as calculating and interpreting core financial metrics. He will demonstrate how you can use these numbers to calculate your farm’s cost of production and evaluate your financial health to make confident, informed management decisions.
The free events also include lunch, and attendees will have the option to work one-on-one over lunch with an industry expert. The workshops will be held on the following dates:
October 8, 2026 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Lancaster Farm and Home Center
1383 Arcadia Road
Lancaster, PA 17601
October 15, 2026 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Franklin County Extension Office
185 Franklin Farm Lane
Chambersburg, PA 17202 Visit www.centerfordairyexcellence.org/rm-workshop or call 717-346-0849 to sign up for the free events. Contact Valerie Mason-Faith at vmason@centerfordairyexcellence.org with questions about the workshops.