PDP Manager's Memo

September 2024 Vol. 1

Brought to you by Dairy's Professional Development Organization®

Headed to World Dairy Expo?

Visit us at our booth in the Exhibition Hall:

Booth EH4427.

With our sights on your success, Professional Dairy Producers® exists to share ideas, experiences and learning opportunities with dairy farmers and other professionals in our industry.

Opportunities to Learn

Federal Milk Marketing Orders Workshop

September 18

Madison, Wis., with livestream and recorded options

THREE FORMATS TO PARTICIPATE IN A CRITICAL CONVERSATION about the proposal for the largest changes to U.S. milk pricing regulations in over two decades. Join in-person, via livestream or access the recording of the one-day workshop on Wed., Sept. 18, where nine leading dairy policy and marketing experts will discuss the implications for dairy producers, cooperatives, processors, consumers and more. Speakers will include leading dairy economists from the University of Wisconsin and Cornell University and representatives from International Dairy Foods Association, National Milk Producers Federation, Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, California Milk Producers Council and more. Learn more here.

Stride™ Youth Leadership Conference

Sept. 21

Platteville, Wis.

BUILDING SKILLS AND CONFIDENCE FOR LEADERSHIP ROLES in their communities and farms is just one of the goals for students participating in the 2024 Stride Youth Leadership Conference. Register high school students ages 15 to 18 TODAY for this high-energy, interactive program. Stride is the must-attend event for young people exploring opportunities in the dairy industry and agriculture, featuring hands-on experiences including farm and campus tours, dairy foods lab and char lab as well as leadership development programs and career information. Learn more and register here.

Calf Care Connection®

Oct. 15, 16

Cleveland, Fennimore, Wis.

A HEALTHY HERD STARTS WITH HEALTHY CALVES. Make plans to attend the 2024 Calf Care Connection workshop to hear the latest research and management practices to protect calves from biosecurity risks, pneumonia and scours. Two repeating one-day sessions will be held in Cleveland, Wis., and Fennimore, Wis., with opportunities for the entire team to learn. All sessions will be simultaneously translated into Spanish. Learn more and register here.

PDP Business Management & Advanced Finance Workshop

October 30-31

Sun Prairie, Wis.

TAKE YOUR BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL ACUMEN to the next level at the Business Management & Advanced Finance Workshop. Through interactive case studies and class discussions, instructor Dick Wittman will cover core strategies and competencies to help your business succeed. Focus areas will include farm management proficiency, financial statements, cash flow budgeting, financial metrics and simulation, cost and managerial accounting, family business governance, and growth management. Learn more about the two-day course here.

Financial Literacy for Dairy®

Level One - Nov. 12-13 and Dec. 4-5

Level Two - Jan. 22-23, Feb. 5-6 and Feb. 26-27

Juneau, Wis.

THE ONLY FINANCIAL LITERACY PROGRAM DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR DAIRY will kick off 2024-25 sessions in November. PDP’s Financial Literacy for Dairy is a multi-level, multi-session program for dairy farmers, veterinarians, nutritionists and other agribusiness professionals with an understanding of financials and perspective to make better decisions for their business. Level One begins in November with a focus on goal setting, balance sheet principles, cash income statements and other core financial concepts. View the flyer and register here.

Dairy Managers Institute®

December 10-11

Juneau, Wis.

EQUIP YOUR MANAGERS TO BE EFFECTIVE TEAM LEADERS with skills, strategies and confidence developed at the PDP Dairy Managers Institute. The two-day intensive management-development program features three tiers of training designed to be completed in chronological order. Each tier is facilitated by leading experts on business coaching, leadership and financials, with simultaneous translation into Spanish for all sessions. Learn more and register here.

Your Farm Your Footprint

KNOW YOUR SCORE AND SHAPE YOUR FUTURE. Here at Professional Dairy Producers®, we believe dairy farmers should be in the driver’s seat when it comes to knowing and owning their farm’s environmental footprint score. That’s why Your Farm – Your Footprint™ was developed.

Participating in the initiative begins with a straightforward four-step process. Each participant’s Comprehensive Sustainability Assessment highlights valuable insights into their farm’s environmental impact with a report that identifies and celebrates current practices. That assessment includes the farm’s sustainability scores and explains how both carbon and methane emissions are calculated.

From there, a customized farm action plan is designed to determine actionable steps to elevate the farm’s sustainability score. Eocene Environmental Group is the independent entity tasked with collecting and analyzing data – all of which will remain confidential and solely owned by the dairy producer. This data will be aggregated for the purpose of facilitating peer group discussions.

Dairy's Foundation, Nestlé Global and Nestlé U.S. are inaugural sponsors and provide cost-share grants. To learn more and join the movement, click here.

For Your Dairy

WHERE DOES HAY FIT IN A CALF DIET? How and when to include hay in diets of pre- and post-weaned calves should be tailored to the management practices of each farm, with several considerations, according to an article from Penn State Extension. Providing hay can help prevent acidosis in diets where calves are receiving a pelleted starter. Research has also shown that calves with access to hay showed less pen-directed sucking during the weaning period, meaning they possibly redirected their oral behavior from sucking on pen fixtures or pen mates to spending time consuming hay. Read the full article for insights and considerations based on several research studies.

AVOID COMMON MISTAKES to keep cows comfortable and calm and workers safe when using crowd gates. Crowd gates can be an effective way to move cows to the parlor if used effectively, however overcrowding the holding area, careless use of the crowd gate, and workers entering the holding area to chase cows are common challenges. An article from UW-Extension shares best practices to minimize stress and discomfort for cows and recommends training for workers to understand how to use crowd gates. Learn more in the full article.

SOCIAL HOUSING FOR PRE-WEANED CALVES has longer impacts that can persist into adulthood, according to research published in the Journal of Dairy Science. Researchers compared two groups of 20 calves – one group in pair housing and one group in individual housing – until 9 weeks of age, then all were moved to identical pasture groups until 30 days before calving. When moved to a new free stall pen, heifers raised in pair housing were more active and accessed the feed bunk and stalls more readily. These effects were more apparent at high stocking density. Learn more in the full journal article.

For Your Business Mind

GOOD AND BAD HABITS IMPACT OUR EFFECTIVENESS in the workplace. Habits are the building blocks of behavior and have three components: the cure or trigger, the routine and the reward. A Purdue University article provides insights on identifying habits that are helping your performance and changing those that are holding you back. Changing habits requires consistent and purposeful effort. One technique is vision setting, which includes setting a series of achievable goals to build momentum. Read the full article to learn more.

“FOUR BUCKET” PROCESS CAN HELP MANAGERS AND TEAM MEMBERS. It can be overwhelming – especially for new managers – to determine and communicate what decisions should be delegated and what should be discussed together. A Forbes article outlines how decisions can be sorted into four buckets:

1. You decide

2. You decide and report

3. You recommend

4. You ask

Learn more about each category and how team members can take on increasing responsibility here.

WISE LEADERS WILL BE ESSENTIAL in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), according to an article from Inc.com. Discerning leaders with unique ways to communicate, collaborate and show compassion will stand out as many current job skills and tasks may be augmented by AI in coming years. Common traits of “wise” leaders include pattern recognition, self-reflection and presence, openness to dissent, comfort in the face of paradox, and lifelong curiosity. Read more about each here.

The Dairy Signal

TIMELY NEWS, THREE DAYS A WEEK. Don’t miss The Dairy Signal® to connect with leading experts across dairy and agricultural industries to researchers at universities and government agencies to bring updates on the trends and topics that will affect your dairy business. The 60-minute sessions air every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with recorded episodes available at www.pdpw.org. Click here to tune in to archived sessions.

Presenters and topics covered recently include:

September 3

Tune in for an interactive conversation about dairy cow performance when animals are fed high quality forages.

Dr. Luiz Ferraretto, assistant professor and ruminant nutrition extension specialist, University of Wisconsin-Madison

September 4

Colostrum is critical to health and development of newborn calves, hear about the results from new research on feeding colostrum.

Dr. Ryan Breuer, DVM, clinical assistant professor, Large Animal Internal Medicine, UW-Madison, School of Veterinary Medicine and diagnostic case and outreach coordinator, Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
Dr. Donald Sockett, DVM, MS, PhD, Diplomate ACVIM, veterinary microbiologist/epidemiologist, Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory

September 5

Join in to hear the latest export, weather and industry news that will impact dairy and agricultural markets as we move into fall harvest season.

Ben Buckner, chief grains and dairy analyst, AgResource Company

September 10

The approaching U.S. election is dominating the news, markets and even geopolitics. Hear about the potential impact of various election scenarios and revisit news stories that have been crowded out of the headlines by the election.

Jacob Shapiro, partner and director of geopolitical analysis, Cognitive Investments

September 11

Keeping up with dairy markets and relevant news is a tall order. Tune in for an update on both, a policy check-in, and a look at what’s ahead and options to help producers navigate these unpredictable times.

Leonard Polzin, dairy markets and policy outreach specialist, University of Wisconsin-Extension

September 12

Join in an important conversation on keeping employees and family members healthy, as the spotlight turns to an HPAI/avian flu update from an occupational health perspective. This episode will include the latest OSHA guidance.

Mary Bauer, CIH, CSP, compliance assistance specialist, OSHA
Kate McCoy, PhD, program manager, occupational health and safety surveillance program, Wisconsin Department of Health Services

Dairy Currents

DON’T LEARN SAFETY BY ACCIDENT is the theme of the 2024 National Farm Safety & Health Week, September 15-21. Agriculture remains one of the most dangerous sectors in the U.S. labor force. Take time during the week to share resources with your teams and families and review safety reminders for the busy fall season. Learn more and find communications materials about the week on the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety website.

UNDERSTANDING THE DAIRY MATRIX and how it affects nutrient bioavailability can help health professionals and consumers choose which dairy products are best for their individual needs. A Dairy Foods article highlights the range of benefits of dairy proteins and provides examples of unique fits. For example, ultrafiltered milks may be beneficial to elderly and cancer patients with decreased digestive capability because the whey and casein proteins are more bioavailable after ultrafiltration. Learn more here.

ADDING GRAINS TO ICE CREAMS, other “indulgent” items is a way for food companies to boost the nutritional profile of products, according to an Agriculture Dive article. Buckwheat, quinoa, farro or other flours with high fiber or protein content are also often positioned as sustainable because they can often be grown in harsher conditions or with less water. One example is using buckwheat flour to make the crumble added to ice cream, or adding these grains to granola bars or mixes. Read more here.

Book Review

UNBREAKABLE: BUILDING AND LEADING RESILIENT TEAMS. In today’s increasingly complex and volatile world, businesses and organizations of all sizes must rely on collaborative teams instead of individual employees to solve problems and address challenges. The authors highlight four team resources that are essential to any resilient team — team confidence, teamwork roadmaps, capacity to improvise, and psychological safety — and provide examples and practical strategies for managers to grow these resources in their own teams. Learn more here.

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