PDP Manager's Memo

September 2025 Vol. 4

Brought to you by Dairy's Professional Development Organization^®

The Dairy Signal^®

Check out what's coming this week on The Dairy Signal. Tune in every Tuesday and Thursday live from noon to 1 p.m. CT, or catch previous episodes on demand here.

September 23 - 2025 Corn Silage Harvest: Expectations, Challenges and Feeding Strategies

Tune in for a conversation about the 2025 corn silage harvest following an unusual growing season with too much rain in some areas and not enough in others. John Goeser will share strategies on how to best manage and feed out this year’s crop.

John Goeser, Dairy Nutrition + Management Consultant, Progressive Dairy Solutions

September 25 - Dairy Outlook Quarter 3

As we near the end of the third quarter, hear an update on domestic and export dairy market conditions, price outlook, and futures market expectations. Bring your questions for this interactive conversation.

Leonard Polzin, Dairy Markets and Policy Outreach Specialist, UW-Extension

Access Now

Thank you to Dairy Management Inc. for their sponsorship of The Dairy Signal. Funded by America’s dairy farm families and dairy importers, the checkoff works to grow sales and build trust in dairy. Your dairy checkoff works through restaurant, retail and foodservice partners; youth outreach, research and product development and more. Connect and learn how we’re making every drop count at dairycheckoff.com.

Previously on The Dairy Signal

September 16

Hear from a banker’s perspective what is happening behind the scenes when a producer applies for a loan. Curtis Gerrits will highlight what gives the producer the best chance of approval and review key documents, guidelines and common mistakes.

Curtis Gerrits, Senior Dairy Lending Specialist, Compeer Financial

September 18

Fall is in the air! Tune in for a discussion on key market news and trends that will impact the dairy industry through harvest and the rest of 2025.

Ben Buckner, Chief Grains and Dairy Analyst at AgResource Company

Opportunities to Learn

CARBON, CROPS + COWS

October 14, 15, 2025

Van Dyne, Stratford, Wis.

EXCLUSIVE ON-FARM PROGRAM designed to provide hands-on experience with the tools and strategies shaping dairy’s sustainability future.

Work alongside experts to break down carbon markets and carbon intensity scores
Explore the FARM-ES portal to test on-farm practices and see real-time impacts
Review sample reports from leading carbon reporting tools and understand the data behind them
Hear from dairy producers engaged in the Your Farm – Your Footprint™ initiative
Tour a dairy to see sustainability practices in action

Learn more and register.

PDP BUSINESS MANAGEMENT & ADVANCED FINANCE WORKSHOP

October 29-30, 2025

Sun Prairie, Wis.

REGISTER TODAY to advance your business and financial acumen so your business can be ready for whatever the future holds. The two-day workshop is the perfect fit for forward-thinking dairy farmers, business owners, consultants and lenders who want to enhance their skills and learn strategies to manage finances and teams through even the most uncertain times.

Learn more and register.

FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR DAIRY

Kewaunee, Wis.

Level One -

Nov. 12-13, 2025

Dec. 3-4, 2025

Level Two -

Jan. 15-16, 2026

Feb. 4-5, 2026

Mar. 10-11, 2026

DEVELOPED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE DAIRY INDUSTRY, the program will provide participants with a solid understanding of core financial concepts and how to use them in a dairy business. Each day of the multi-session, multi-level program builds on each other, giving attendees the tools and confidence to manage in today’s fast-paced dairy industry.

Learn more and register.

CALF CARE CONNECTION®

October 22, 23, 2025

Arlington, Green Bay, Wis.

Learn more and register.

STRIDE™ YOUTH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Nov. 12, 2025

River Falls, Wis.

Learn more and register.

DAIRY WELLBEING WORKSHOP

Nov. 19, 20, 2025

Green Bay, Wis.

Learn more and register.

DAIRY MANAGERS INSTITUTE

Dec. 16-17, 2025

Green Bay, Wis.

Learn more and register.

MANAGERS ACADEMY FOR DAIRY PROFESSIONALS®

January 20-22, 2026

Puerto Rico

Learn more and register.

CORNERSTONE DAIRY ACADEMY®

March 3-4, 2026

Madison, Wis.

Applications due Jan. 15

Learn more and apply.

Dairy Currents

DEMAND FOR DAIRY ALTERNATIVES HAS SLOWED IN THE U.S. with the popularity of plant-based milk products like almond, soy, rice and cashew declining while dairy milk sales are increasing. A Dairy Foods article noted that plant-based milks were down 3.7% in dollars and .6% in volume for the year ending in July, while dairy milk was up 4.8% in dollars and flat in volume. Concerns about taste, texture and nutrition are behind the decline in plant-based milks, while the article notes that there are still areas of potential growth in other alternative dairy categories and with new plant-based options. Read more.

SAFEGUARDING THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE. The National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health & Safety published a new national action plan which provides a framework for protecting the health and safety of children living, working and visiting on agricultural operations, while still keeping them involved in agriculture. The framework provides an update to the 2012 action plan, noting that while tractors remain the most common sources of young deaths on the farm, the number of trauma cases involving skid steers, all-terrain vehicles and utility task vehicles is increasing. View the action plan to learn more.

Your Farm - Your Footprint

SUSTAINABILITY ISN'T JUST ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT — it’s about building a balanced, thriving farm. Your Farm - Your Footprint (YFYF) helps you integrate all three pillars of sustainability into your operation:

Economic: Strengthen your bottom line by optimizing resources and improving efficiency.
Social: Foster a positive impact on your community and ensure a thriving workplace for generations to come.
Environmental: Reduce your footprint, conserve resources, and protect the land that supports your success.

YFYF brings together the tools, data, and expertise to help you measure your progress and take action. By balancing these three pillars, your farm can grow stronger today while planning for tomorrow.

For Your Business Mind

LESSONS THAT STAND THE TEST OF TIME. While the methods of keeping records have changed over time from paper to desktop computers to mobile phones and apps, the team at Penn State Extension have found that some recommendations ring true no matter what the decade. Here are the top five:

Records must be maintained to be of service to the producer
Farm production management and financial management are linked, not separate issues
Control the controllables
Paying your bills doesn’t always equal financial stability
It is impossible to ignore the future

Read the full article for history and details on each recommendation.

TURN CONFLICT INTO A CATALYST FOR GROWTH. In any workplace, conflict will happen. Leaders who adopt a coaching mindset can prevent conflict from becoming a negative force, and instead turn tension into opportunities to connect and learn from each other. Steps to get started include:

Set clear ground rules for handling disagreements.
Encourage curiosity by asking, “What can we learn from this?”
Normalize feedback so it becomes a regular, constructive part of your culture.
Celebrate problem-solving just as much as hitting targets.
Invest in team development through workshops, retreats or shared learning experiences.

Learn more in the full article from Smart Brief.

Book Review

HOW WE CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY: THE 9 CHOICES OF EXTREMELY HAPPY PEOPLE - THEIR SECRETS, THEIR STORIES.

The authors share research on the science of happiness and an outline of nine choices that happy people consistently make. It also features self-assessment tools that can help readers find out might be holding them back from being happier. Learn more.