IDFA has completely redesigned this popular workshop to provide even more tools for dairy cost accountants. Attendees will still learn the solid cost accounting and route distribution analysis provided by previous workshops, but now will also gain knowledge on important strategic issues and efficiencies.

• Best Accounting Practices
• Tools for Career Development & Communications
• Ideas for Operational Efficiencies — Lean Manufacturing
• Strategic Planning Guidance
• Milk Pricing Basics for Accountants
• Accounting Benchmarks, and much more!

This workshop will help develop you as a cost accountant, expanding your knowledge of the industry and your role in it, and how you can apply this knowledge to advance not only your company, but your career. Learn how to do your job with efficiency, strategy and skill.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Day One — May 25, 2004
8:30am - 9:00am	Introduction & State of the Industry Important trends and events in the dairy industry and the effect on the industry and its accountants.
9:00am - 10:00am	Basic Milk Pricing for Cost Accountants In this session we'll review the basics of milk pricing regulations and how they apply to dairy cost accounting. You'll learn what Federal Milk Marketing Orders are, how milk prices are calculated, what products are in each class of milk, what milk components are and more. Case studies will help you retain this knowledge and learn how to apply it to your daily job. CASE STUDY #1 — Fluid Milk Costing CASE STUDY #2 — Monthly Milk Price Changes CASE STUDY #3 — Calculating Component Values CASE STUDY #4 — Calculating Class III and IV Prices
10:00am - 12:00pm	Applying Milk Pricing to Finished Product Costing Now that we've reviewed the basics, let's take a look at how you can use these tools to determine costs for cream, ice cream, cheese, condensed skim, etc. We'll also take a look at the costing and yields for nonfat dry milk powder and butter, and how additional processing (e.g., grating cheese) can affect your costs. CASE STUDY #5 - Ice Cream Costing CASE STUDY #6 - Cheese Costing
12:00pm - 1:00pm	Group Luncheon
1:00pm - 3:00pm	The Accountant's Role in Strategic Milk Pricing Considerations You, as a dairy cost accountant, can play an important role in strategic planning for your company. This session will give you the tools you need to start to further develop your role in corporate strategic decision-making. Some of the potential growth areas we will cover are: Paper Pooling Futures Markets and Risk Management Distribution Dynamics — Warehouse vs. Store Door Deliveries Regulated vs. Non-Regulated Plants
3:00pm - 5:00pm	Additional Costing Considerations —Analytical Costing of Purchased Products & Containers Input costs: freight, cold room, delivery, etc. Blow mold operations Single serve containers —Product Line Cost Analysis —Route Distribution Analysis and Profitability CASE STUDY #7: Delivery Costs — Route Accounting
Day Two — May 26, 2004
8:30am - 10:30am	Lean Manufacturing & Accounting The practice of lean manufacturing — breaking each production step down to its essentials to increase efficiency, is becoming increasingly popular in dairy plants. Learn how you can work this trend to your advantage by applying the same concepts to the accounting department. We'll also discuss how you can use lean manufacturing to more accurately demonstrate the cost of adding a new line to your plant, like drinkable yogurt or milk beverage processing.
10:30am - 12:00pm	Financial Statements and Reporting — A Communication Tool This session will review not only the basic financial statements that you should be reporting, but also how you can provide a dashboard view of the business to your colleagues. Learn how the accounting and finance department can redesign financial statements and reporting to more effectively communicate with management. Activity analysis Unit reporting Chart of accounts
12:00pm - 1:00pm	Group Luncheon
1:00pm - 2:00pm	Controlling Shrinkage in Your Plant Is the shrinkage in your plant in the desk or down the drain? We'll discuss how to determine the source of shrinkage, and then take steps to control it — in processing, accounting, distribution and sales and marketing.
2:00pm - 2:30pm	Developing Cost Centers Learn how to apply cost centers to each product your plant produces. We'll go over specific examples for cultured products, cheese, milk and ice cream.
2:30pm - 4:00pm	Dairy Plant Accounting Best Practices & Industry Benchmarks Here are the best practices you should follow in accounting for dollars, product pounds, butterfat, people and hours, and how you can measure your plant's efficiency against others'.
4:00pm - 4:30pm	Managing Milk Price Risk Get an overview of forward contracting and hedging, and how this applies to the accounting function.
4:30pm - 5:00pm	Legal Entities for Joint Ventures We'll finish our workshop with an overview of the different legal entities created by joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and the implications for accounting carried by each entity.

Workshop Leader:
Carl Herbein, CPA, is the CEO and Managing Partner of Herbein + Company, Inc., a 100-person CPA firm headquartered in Reading, PA. Carl is a practicing CPA and a nationally recognized authority on dairy plant cost accounting. Carl has visited and provided accounting consulting services to more than 175 dairy plant operations since 1976, and designed this annual workshop series for IDFA.

HOW TO REGISTER

The workshop is priced at $795 for members and $995 for nonmembers. To register:

• Click here to register
• Click here to download the registration form (.pdf)

  Send the form by fax (202/331-7820) or mail to IDFA.
  Mailing address: IDFA, 1250 H Street NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20005
  Attn: IDFA Registration

Questions regarding registration can be directed to Tanika Manning at (202) 220-3557, tmanning@idfa.org.

HOTEL AND TRAVEL INFORMATION

The Sofitel Chicago O'Hare is located at 5550 North River Road, Rosemont, IL, 60018. Please call the hotel directly at (847) 678-4488 to make your reservation. Refer to IDFA's Dairy Cost Accounting Workshop to receive the group rate of $149 single/double. A block of rooms is reserved until May 3, 2004. The rooms are available on first-come, first-serve basis, so please make your plans today.

EWA Travel in Washington, D.C., is the official travel agency for the Cultured Dairy Products Conference. Registrants are welcome to use EWA's services to arrange their travel to the workshop. United Airlines offers 10% off unrestricted fares and 5% off all other fares; all rules and restrictions apply. You may call the following toll-free numbers for reservations:

EWA Travel:	1-800-368-4055
United Airlines:	1-800-521-4041 (Tour Code: 514UY)