Webinar – Producer Groups: What Are These About, How Do They Work, And Why Can They Be So Successful?
Presenters:
Dr. Woody Lane
Livestock Nutritionist & Forage Specialist
Lane Livestock Services, Roseburg, Oregon
Dave Ollila
Extension Sheep Field Specialist
South Dakota State University, Rapid City, South Dakota
Host: Dr. Jay Parsons, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Description:
There is nothing else like them: producer groups. New Zealand, Australia, England, South America – shepherds in these areas regularly join and attend producer groups, often for many years. Why? Because producer groups work. Sheep producers and other farmers and ranchers meet on a regular basis, share knowledge and experience, gain up-to-date information from guest speakers and other resources, evaluate their own operations, try new techniques, improve productivity, and gain immeasurable knowledge to help their operations expand and be profitable.
How do these groups work and what are the results? This session will focus on the nuts and bolts of producer groups. We will discuss how groups are organized, what they do, how shepherds benefit from being members, how groups can be financed, and the critical role of the facilitator.
For the past 20 years, Woody Lane has organized and facilitated three successful producer groups in western Oregon, in more than 500 meetings. In addition, Dave Ollila will share his experiences working with a sheep producer group in western South Dakota.
This webinar is made possible with funding support from the Let’s Grow Committee of the American Sheep Industry Association.
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