Collaborative Ventures in Dairying

Descriptions

The Welsh dairy industry is mirroring the trend of the EU and developed world with dairy units which are fewer in number but larger in size. Currently there are circa 1979 (July 2010) dairy units in Wales and this number has traditionally reduced by 5.5% per annum. Historically cow numbers and milk output per cow have both increased at similar rates to the decline in herd numbers resulting in a stable milk output of circa 1.4 billion litres per annum. The above trend results in the amalgamation of smaller dairy units and land parcels into larger milking platforms with off lying support units. The role of such support units will vary from young stock rearing and dry cow units to fodder production, together with the increase in size and output of these dairy units.2.1Project Objectives There are two main objectives with this tender:1.To disseminate information regarding collaborative ventures to the wider dairy industry.2.To produce promotional literature on the different types of collaborative ventures.2.2Who is the Research forAll activities within this project are aimed to support Welsh dairy industry. Primarily the project will focus on Welsh dairy farmers, but not forgetting potential support partners from land owners not currently producing milk. The project will also include potential new entrants into the dairy industry.Therefore in summary the project will be open to anyone interested in working with/or becoming a dairy producer.Suggested Methodology, Outcomes and Project TimetableCollaborative Ventures delivery structure:•Hold 6 large recruiting meetings throughout the duration of the project.•Present at 6 key industry stakeholders meetings, highlighting the benefits of Collaborative Ventures.•Arrange 12 farm visits to practicing Collaborate Venture businesses•Deliver 18 workshops explaining in detail the mechanics of Collaborative ventures•Support the above activity with literature.Role of the Project Co-ordinator (Coleg Sir Gar Staff) a.Responsible for all project marketing b.Recruitment of interested partiesc.Raising general awareness of the topicd.Organising all meetings, visits, events etce.Collating information for the case studies factsheetsf.Collate feedback and refer farmer to Farming Connect Whole Farm Plan where necessary.Contractor/supplierA.To deliver 6 general awareness raising meetings in partnership with one practicing collaborate venture farmer e.g. Contract rearer •Output - 3 meetings a year Target audience at each meeting = 20-30B.Support project co-ordinator by presenting at 6 industry meetings (3 per year), to highlight the benefits of Collaborative Ventures and enthuse the industry to support farmers that are considering such options.•Examples of industry meetings include union meetings, agricultural colleges, YFC together with professionals involved in Banking, accounting and estates.•These meetings might be organised by the project co-ordinator, or be part of the ongoing meeting arranged by the e.g. unions.C.It is anticipated the contractors involvement within these meetings be no more than half a day per meeting. To identify and deliver 12 farm visits (6 per year) of successful examples of collaborative ventures. The contractor to deliver on farm meetings in partnership with host farmer.•It is anticipated that a proportion of these visits could be to the same farm.•Where applicable and subject to a combination of budgetary constraints and farmer requests, visit locations will be approved by the co-ordinator on a visit by visit basis. •It is anticipated the contractors involvement within these visits be no more than 1 day per visit.•Output - 6 visits a year Target attendance per visit = 8 Co-ordinator to be responsible for travel.D.Contractor to facilitate 18 workshops with prospective clients on collaborate ventures •Output- 9 Workshops a year Target attendance per workshop = 6 The contractor is to actively support in the recruiting of target audience. It is anticipated that there will be a proportion of progressive attendances from meetings, visits, workshops E.Expand update and redesign existing booklets previously provided by the DDC (appendix G) which include the following topics -•Contract rearing•Contract farming •Share farming•Contract / share milking •Partnerships F.Develop new booklets (2-4) on other potential ventures for Welsh dairy farmers, examples include:•Crop growing•Labour sharing•Farm business tenancies•Cow hire agreementsThe booklets should outline the structure and responsibilities of each partner within these agreements. This should include:•Detailed up to date information on the workings of the agreement (to include technical, managerial and financial workings)•Primary reasons for success and failure•Responsibilities of each party•To define reward in relation to responsibility and input All new and existing booklets need to show detailed information regarding:•Tax issues•Legal issues•Nutrient / animal health issues •Regulatory issuesInformation regarding these issues must be regularly updated (minimum annually) and highlight possible areas where contracts can vary depending on the situation and nature of the venture. Following the initial update of the booklets the successful contractor must be able to respond to external changes e.g. review of taxation laws in ‘budget’ and update the booklets accordingly. It is envisaged that these ongoing changes will be small in scale and it is anticipated that 1 update per year per booklet should be sufficient. Updates will be agreed by coordinator and contractor before commencement of work The booklets should be A5 in size and a minimum of 10 pages. Booklets should concisely explain the minimum requirements and benefits of each Collaborate Venture option.Where applicable booklets should refer to existing contract templates, e.g. Unions and Dairy Co. Contractors wishing to submit a tender must contact Dafydd Thomas via e-mail to receive a template booklet of the desired quality and format. Dafydd.thomas@colegsirgar.ac.uk. Please supply full name and postal address of the recipient. G.To assist in creating a series of 16 case study factsheets on examples of existing ventures. The project co-ordinator will:Collect all information including photographs Design and format factsheetsCo-ordinate translation and printing.The project contractor will:Recruit the case studiesVerify technical content of fact sheet.Timeframe for Case study FactsheetsAn Initial 8 ‘Case Study Factsheets’ to be finalised and ready for print and design by 1st of June 2011. The remaining 8 ‘Case Study Factsheets’ will be finalised by 1st of June 2012.