wisconsin school for beginning dairy and livestock farmers<\/a> has helped new dairy farmers stay afloat by teaching them how to create business plans and keep their costs low.<\/p>\nwsbdf graduate, andy jaworski said that the school helped him create his first business plan, which he uses to run his dairy farm. jaworski said the goal-setting wsbdf requires is important because it adds practicality to the passion for farming many students have.<\/p>\n
\u201ca lot of people have this idea of how they\u2019re going to run this farm\u2014it\u2019s going to be all wonderful and kind of all rainbows,\u201d jaworski said, \u201cbut to actually sit down and come up with a business plan\u2026 that\u2019s a whole different side.\u201d<\/p>\n
richard cates, a farmer and former director of wsbdf, said that the school teaches students goal-setting to help them navigate the business side of farming. the school also trains students for the real world by teaching them how to get bank loans and by critiquing their business plans, according to jaworski.<\/p>\n
current wsbdf director nadia alber, said that the school gives students much needed support through connections with mentors and internships. alber said that these connections are important to \u201cbe able to survive\u201d in the agriculture industry. these agricultural networking opportunities are also available through uw\u2019s collegiate farm bureau.<\/p>\n
jessica wendt, a uw senior majoring in agriculture business management who serves as the collegiate farm bureau president, said that group members attend conferences and tours to learn about the agriculture industry.<\/p>\n
these conferences open \u201cdifferent opportunities from seeing different parts of the industry, talking to different people, really starting conversations to find where people are most passionate,\u201d wendt said.<\/p>\n
these mentorships are important because, according to alber, wsbdf \u201ccan\u2019t teach everything in the classroom.\u201d teaching students about all aspects of agriculture also gives them a wide array of skills and experiences, which, according to wendt, gives them the tools needed to adjust to a changing industry.<\/p>\n
one way uw has helped students adjust is through the teaching of management-intensive rotational grazing. wsbdf was the first school in the country to teach managed grazing, according to the wsbdf website. farmers utilizing managed grazing divide their open pastures into smaller paddocks; livestock are then moved from paddock-to-paddock. managed grazing ensures the cattle graze each paddock when the grass is most nutritious and gives the grass time to regrow. managed grazing cuts farmers\u2019 costs by reducing the need for expensive grain-based feeds.<\/p>\n
cates said that managed grazing makes sense for new farmers because of its low start-up costs and because it gives them a niche in the commodity market.<\/p>\n
cates\u2019 own grass-fed cattle business catered to a market looking for naturally raised beef, and he later taught his students to take advantage of such markets. jaworski, the wsbdf graduate, said that being grass-fed and certified organic helped him find a good market via the organic valley dairy cooperative.<\/p>\n
\u201cas i learned about value-added products in the class and that being a strong suit for your business, it was a no-brainer for me to pursue that,\u201d jaworski said.<\/p>\n
alber said that looking into niche products and markets is an important part of goal-setting because it helps students think through their business plans before they \u201cget in over their head.\u201d<\/p>\n
wsbdf and the collegiate farm bureau also work to spread awareness about agriculture and encourage students to enter the industry. while the dairy industry may not be very lucrative currently, according to jaworski, it is a cyclical business and there are ways for farmers to \u201cstay afloat.\u201d wendt added that there will always be demand for food and those who produce it. <\/p>\n
alber said that wsbdf knows how to prepare students to enter the changing industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cthey\u2019ve come to the right place\u2026 but you have to be innovative in a time like this and there is opportunity in crisis,\u201d alber said, \u201cas long as they have a plan.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
a university of wisconsin-madison program for beginning dairy and livestock farmers is teaching sustainable agricultural practices, which can both help students find an economic niche and benefit the environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9945,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4919,4900,5196],"tags":[112,206,4351,3431,591,221],"storyfest_categories":[],"class_list":["post-11612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-agriculture","category-green-living","category-past-storyfest","tag-agriculture","tag-education","tag-food-sovereignty","tag-organic-farming","tag-storyfest","tag-sustainable-agriculture"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
practicality and passion - planet forward<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n