North Carolina offering risk management courses

Jan 14, 2015

Various topics covered at the free sessions

By Diego Flammini, Farms.com

With Tuesday’s release of the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) Report, crop producers are more than likely debating whether to sell now, wait for the next WASDE report on February 10, or consider any other options that might be in front of them.

For farmers and producers in North Carolina, the N.C Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is providing a number of free risk-management classes for them to attend and learn about the intricacies involved in crop pricing, volatility and other topics.

Some of the specific topics being covered will include grain hedging, macro forces, spreading strategies, and price volatility.

All the courses will run from 10 a.m. until noon, are free of charge, and will take place:

January 26
Pitt County Extension Centre, Greenville, N.C.

January 28
Pasquotank County Extension Centre, Elizabeth City, N.C.

February 17
Northampton Cooperative Extension Centre, Jackson, N.C.

March 12
Union County Extension Centre, Monroe, N.C.

March 13
Carolina Farm Credit Administration Office, Statesville, N.C.

Moe Agostino, Chief Commodity Specialist with the Farms.com Risk Management department and his team also offer a variety of risk management programs suitable for crop and hog producers and are currently offering an eight-week free trial.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.