The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is hosting a series of price risk management workshops throughout the state in January, February and March. The workshops for this area are scheduled for next week.

Though none of the workshops are scheduled in Bladen County, they will be held in three neighboring counties-Columbus, Sampson and Robeson. The workshops will be held from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The following are the scheduled dates and locations of the workshops in those counties.

Columbus County, Tuesday, January 18, at the Columbus Extension Office in Whiteville, (910)640-6605;

Sampson County, Thursday, January 20, Sampson Community College, Clinton, (910) 592-8081; and

Robeson County, Friday, January 21, Robeson County Agriculture Building, Lumberton, (910) 671-3276.

"One way farmers can reduce the risk of market fluctuations and improve their bottom line is to utilize futures and options in selling their commodities," said Agriculture Commissioner Britt Cobb. "These workshops will help farmers better understand how to use these essential marketing tools to their advantage. I would highly recommend farmers make plans to attend one of these workshops when they are in their area."

Topics covered during the workshops include Introduction to Grain Hedging, Basis Trading, Cost of Carry, Cotton Futures and Options Trading on Futures, Equities and Indices. The topics will emphasize the principles of options spreading strategies and using options to manage financial risk.

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