Shellfish Aquaculture: Economics, Risks, and Insurance Reform - Cedar Key
Thursday, January 25, 2024 (10:00 AM - 2:30 PM) (EST)
Description
Attention all clam farmers (incl. sunray venus and blood arcs) -and interested Academia, NGOs, and politicians.
Come discuss the reality of shellfish aquaculture, production performance, economics, risk and insurance needs. Over the past year, several commercial farmers have worked with Marine Economist Brad Gentner to develop enterprise budget models for four species of clam production: Mercenaria, Mercenaria hybrids, Sunray venus, and blood arks. The second step of this project is grounding these detailed economic models with industry surveys including accessing production variability and increasing production risks to commercial clam aquaculture. Finally, many states would like to promote shellfish farming both for its environmental and economic benefits, yet many government officials and NGOs do not understand the production and financial stress these farms currently operate under. We will be holding three of these workshops, two in Florida (one at MOTE and one in Cedar Key) plus one at the National Shellfishieries Assoc. Conference, each will be critical in gaining enough data to ground the enterprise budgets, understand and quantify hazards to the industry, and to provide different risk mitigation strategies to insure against crop failure and reform industry insurance. We welcome attendance of all for the first half of the workshop- industry, academics, NGOs, government, etc. But we will be only including commercial industry members in the second half of each workshop. One farmer from each business will be compensated for their in-person attendance and contributions to our economic models. Lunch provided.
Free event but must rsvp:
About this Event
Over the past year, several commercial farmers have worked with Marine Economist Brad Gentner to develop enterprise budget models for four species of clam production: Merc. merc. Merc. hybrids, Sunray venus, and blood arks. The second step of this project is grounding these detailed economic models with industry surveys including accessing production variability and increasing production risks to commercial clam aquaculture. Finally, many states would like to promote shellfish farming both for its environmental and economic benefits, yet many government officials and NGOs do not understand the production and financial stress these farms currently operate. We will be holding three of these workshops, two in Florida (one at MOTE and one in Cedar Key) plus one at the National Shellfish Conference, each will be critical in gaining enough data to ground the enterprise budgets, understand and quantify hazards to the industry, and to provide different risk mitigation strategies to insure against crop failure and reform industry insurance.
We welcome attendance of all for the first half of the workshop- industry, academics, NGOs, government, etc. But we will be only including commercial industry members in the second half.
Agenda
10am- 11am:
- Intros. and announcements (Angela Collins, UF) - 10min
- Project overview (Nicole Kirchhoff, Live Advantage Bait and Tom McCrudden, Great Florida Shellfish) - 10min
- Current status of clam aquaculture in Florida (Tom McCrudden ) - 10min
- Realities of clam farming today (Tom McCrudden with other commercial industry members) - 10min
- What is Risk? (Brad Gentner, The Gentner Group, Economist) - 10min
- Potential for insurance speaker - 10 min/ or question time
Break11:15am-11:45am
Facilitated group discussion about risk and insurance- What is needed for the future of the industry?
11:45am - 12:15am
MOTE tour of depuration facility
12:15-12:45pm Lunch
12:45 dismissal of all non-industry participants
1:00-1:30pm
What are enterprise budgets? (Brad) -10min
Our enterprise budget drafts. (Brad) - 20min
1:30pm
Facilitated round table about enterprise budgets. What is left out? Any data look inaccurate?
1:45pm
Facilitated round table about risk. What are the risks to your business today?
2:00pm wrap-up and closing.
Requests to participate in one-on-one interviews with Brad.
2:15-2:30
snack and dismissal
One Farmer from each farm will obtain compensation for time and travel for in-person participation:
- Workshop participation compensation will be based on distance traveled: <1hr $50, 1-2hr $100, <2hr $150
- Subsequent economic interview compensation $50
*Note that this RSVP is for Thursday, January 25, for the workshop that will take place in Cedar Key at the UF/IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station. If you would rather attend the workshop in Sarasota at MOTE Aquaculture Park on January 23, please click here.
Images
552 1st St.
Cedar Key, FL 32625 United States