Evaluation Results of the 1999 Farm Financial Conferences
Number of Farms represented: 111
Number of Evaluations turned
in: 76
Locations: Chesapeake,
Southampton, and Tappahannock
Workshops Dates: December 15, 16, and 22, 1999
1.
Meeting usefulness:
1 = 0% 2 = 0% 3 = 15% 4
= 37% 5 = 49%
2.
Quality of Speakers:
1 = 0% 2
= 0% 3 = 8% 4 = 43% 5 = 49%
3.
Quality of information:
1 = 0% 2
= 2% 3 = 11% 4 = 29% 5 = 58%
4.
Timeliness of information:
1 = 0% 2
= 1% 3 = 13% 4 = 37% 5 = 49%
5.
Meeting place:
1 =4% 2
= 14% 3 = 13% 4 = 33% 5 = 39%
Narrative questions:
6.
What did you find most
useful from the meeting?
·
32% - Resource
Book.
·
29% - Farm
Management segment.
·
28% - FSA
program segment.
·
27% - Information
timeliness and usefulness.
·
12% - Crop
Insurance segment.
·
12% - Conservation
Segment.
Other:
·
Crop
Insurance examples.
·
Thinking
of Tax management as a source of cash.
7.
What did you find the least
useful?
·
1
7% - Conservation programs and BMPs.
·
6% - Crop Insurance.
8.
What one thing would you
change (if any) as a result of tonight’s meeting?
·
36% - Make
a business plan and set goals.
·
33% - Explore
FSA programs further.
·
13% - Buy
Crop Insurance.
·
8% - Explore Conservation programs for
cash.
Comments:
“I
liked the Farm Business Management section.
It really got me to thinking that I run my farm like a ‘way of
life.’ I want to run my farm like a
business by developing a 5-year plan and also by taking advantage of all the
programs. I will be visiting all the
different agencies.”
“I
have changed my mind about CRP programs.
Before all this seemed so confusing.
I need to take advantage of more programs.”
“The
local FSA office can expect a visit from me.
I really have fallen down on the job of running my business. All the speakers were informative and helped
me to realize that there may be some help for me by piecing all the parts of
the puzzle together. Why must farming
be so complicated!”
“I
have struggled for a long time on the farm.
Things just seem more complicated.
The speakers did a great job of presenting the information tonight but
it makes me realize that there are so many things to manage when running a farm
and business. I will probably just sell
out. I’m tired of low prices and bad
weather. It just seems to me that
there’s lots of stress involved in trying to put together all these pieces.”
“It
would very useful to make this an annual meeting.”
“This
meeting was the best reason I’ve ever had for driving three hours. It provided very timely information and was
put together nicely into one resource book.”
“As
a result of this meeting, my wife and I decided not to sell the farm. We realized we aren’t doing anywhere near
what it takes to run a business. We
have been very encouraged. The Farm
Management agent can expect a call from us!
Thank you very much for this meeting!”
Other Observations:
·
Tappahannock
participants liked the crop insurance segments while participants in Southampton
and Chesapeake did not.
·
Participants’
verbal comments regarding Conservation programs indicated they did not think
they would ever qualify for those kinds of programs due to the competitive
nature of disbursements.
·
More
Education needs to be done in this area if there are indeed funds available in
the Southeast and Northeast districts of Virginia.
·
Several
participants indicated they would like to see this become an annual program due
to annual changes in the way farmers funds are affected (re: programs, taxes,
etc.).