The Conference Will Be Virtual Event on Sept. 15 – 16
Registration is now open for the 11th annual Dairy Financial and Risk Management Conference, titled “Navigating the Numbers.” The event is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15, and Wednesday, September 16, from 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. on both days as a virtual event. Dairy lenders, financial consultants, and dairy farmers are encouraged to register online at www.centerfordairyexcellence.org/conference.
This year’s event is designed to help dairy professionals navigate new terrain across the marketplace and embrace change to make data-driven decisions on the farm. With four featured speakers and a panel of Pennsylvania dairy producers, attendees will learn from experienced dairy professionals who have expertise in strategic management, dairy economics, agricultural insurance, benchmarking, and business planning.
“Whether you’re analyzing the past, looking at our present situation, or forecasting the future, change is always going to be a factor for the dairy industry. Change is everywhere,” said Zach Myers, Risk Education Program Manager at the Center for Dairy Excellence. “To help dairy financial consultants and dairy producers navigate change, our speakers will share practical takeaways about market dynamics, risk management, insurance, and change management that can make an immediate impact on the farm.”
Featured speakers at this year’s conference include:
Matthew Gould – “Market Dynamics.” Matt Gould is a well-known and well-connected analyst and consultant in the dairy industry. He is the author of The Dairy Market Analyst, a widely followed industry newsletter and serves as the Chief Market Analyst at Rice Dairy, LLC, a dairy futures brokerage. His insights on industry subjects are regularly requested including recent citations in Bloomberg, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. Matt also writes for Progressive Dairy. Matt earned a B.S. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and grew up on a dairy farm in Western New York that is in its third generation of ownership.
Mark Goodhart – “Understanding Insurance Options.” Mark Goodhart began his career with the nation’s largest crop insurance carrier as marketing director when he completed his degree from Penn State University in the spring of 2002. In December 2004, he joined the Strickler Agency as a farm service agent to help farmers with their agricultural insurance needs. Mark is now the Ag Department Manager and Corporate Vice President. Mark and his father operate a small cash grain farm in Shippensburg, Pa., primarily growing corn and soybeans. He is a member of the PA Farm Bureau and Crop Insurance Agents Association of PA.
Dr. Jennifer Garrett – “Change Management and Looking to the Future.” Dr. Jennifer Garrett has over 30 years of leadership and business experience in agriculture, food and nutrition. She started her career on faculty in Animal and Dairy Sciences at the University of Missouri after receiving her PhD in Nutrition at Virginia Tech and her MS and BS in Animal Sciences at the University of Kentucky. Her desire to be more actively involved in agribusiness led to various US and global leadership roles in the Monsanto Dairy and Monsanto Corporate Engagement businesses. For the next 10 years, she held senior positions in nutrition communications and policy with the Kellogg Company and with McCain Foods. In 2015, she founded JG Consulting Services, LLC, a strategic management consulting firm dedicated to sustainable food and agricultural systems.
Mike Hosterman – Leading the Dairy Producer Panel Discussion with Glenn Kline (Y-Run Farms LLC), Rodney Hissong (Mercer-Vu Farms Inc.), and Mark Mosemann (Misty Mountain Dairy LLC). Mike has been with AgChoice Farm Credit and its predecessor organizations for 30 years, giving him much knowledge and experience in the agricultural industry. In his role as an executive ag business consultant, Mike works with farm operations to conduct all types of strategic planning, business planning, transition/ succession planning, budgeting and benchmarking. During his 30 years at Farm Credit, Mike has primarily worked with dairy clients to benchmark their operations and make profitable business decisions. Mike continues to work with some of Pennsylvania’s more progressive operations. Mike grew up on a farm in central Pennsylvania and his background is in swine, beef and dairy.
The cost to attend this year’s Dairy Financial and Risk Management Conference is $80 per person, discounted to $60 for those who are representatives of the Center for Dairy Excellence Allies for Advancement. Register online or download a PDF registration form at www.centerfordairyexcellence.org/conference.
The Center for Dairy Excellence has transitioned the Dairy Financial & Risk Management Conference to a virtual event in light of new restrictions related to the COVID-19 situation. Our goal is protect the health and well-being of attendees, speakers, partners, and staff. To sign up for conference email updates, visit centerfordairyexcellence.org/signup.