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Private-Public Collaboration - Sounds Great, But Hard To Do! Example of Success: Regional Dairy Modernization Task Force

Kevin Bernhardt

Summary

The Regional Dairy Modernization Task Force is a three-state (Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois) collaborative effort between eighteen private and public entities to reduce the risk of making and implementing a modernization decision. The Task Force mission is to organize, coordinate, and leverage resources towards the end goals of:
- improving producers’ ability to achieve desired financial performance and/or other farm business and family goals including health, quality of life, and farm transition,
- increasing milk production in the region,
- adding cows in the region, and
- increasing economic activity in the region.
The Task Force accomplishes its goals through an overall strategy of targeting different dairy operation system types to both enhance drivers of change and reduce barriers including skills development, knowledge, social networks, entrepreneurial confidence, and support of the surrounding communities.

Since 2003, the Task Force has coordinated twenty-six events attended by 1,183 participants. Surveys from a recent event showed that of sixteen producers who modernized, seven stated that task force events were “very influential” in their decision to do so and seven more stated “somewhat influential.” Of twenty-two dairy industry professionals, nine stated that Task Force events were “very influential” in helping them help their clients and this group of nine had aided sixty-seven modernizations. Another twelve answered “somewhat influential” and accounted for 110 modernizations.

The focus of the presentation is how to manage, communicate with, coordinate, and fund a collaborative effort involving three states and 18 organizations towards a common goal.

Details

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