PDP Manager's Memo

March 2026 Vol. 3

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

The Dairy Signal^®

Check out what's coming this week on The Dairy Signal!

Mar. 17 - Farm Building and Livestock Lease Negotiation: Steps and Tools

Tune in to learn about steps for negotiating lease agreements for farm buildings and livestock facilities, including important resources, tools and considerations.

Kelly Wilfert, Farm Law Outreach Specialist, UW-Madison

Mar. 19 - FSA Update

Hear the latest on Farm Service Agency programs, policies and deadlines, and learn how to use and stay informed of available resources. Director Chalmers will share information originally presented at the 2026 PDP Business Conference.

Sandy Chalmers, State Executive Director, USDA Wisconsin Farm Service Agency

Access Now

Tune in every Tuesday and Thursday live from noon to 1 p.m. CT, or catch previous episodes on demand here.

Previously on The Dairy Signal

March 10

Explore key findings from recent studies on manure spills and learn practical strategies to prevent, manage and mitigate risks on the farm.

Kevin Erb, CCA, Program Manager, Conservation Professional Training Program, UW-Madison

March 12

Discover easy ways to plan smarter, eat better and stay energized, even on your busiest days.

Morgan Ekovich, Health and Nutrition Coach, Founder, Get Fit with ME

Opportunities to Learn

PDP SMART DAIRY WORKSHOP

April 15, 16, 2026

Chippewa Falls, Manitowoc, Wis.

Don't miss this hands-on, real-world workshop led by industry experts Dr. Jeffrey Bewley and Miel Hostens. They will show attendees how to evaluate AI-enabled tools, integrate data from multiple sources and create actionable plans that improve performance and manage risk.

Space is limited at each session. Learn more and register today.

PDP Accelerate™

July 28, 2026

Madison, Wis.

Your student interns are the next generation of agricultural professionals. When you incorporate PDP Accelerate into their internship experience, you give them an advantage that extends beyond the day-to-day skills they’re acquiring while on your team. This intensive one-day program transforms college students into highly sought-after job candidates.

Learn more here.

For Your Business Mind

WE CAN’T ALL BE OLYMPIC ATHLETES, but a SmartBrief article highlights how continuous, real-time feedback like that provided by Olympic coaches can benefit all workplaces. Leaders can apply the same approach by coaching consistently, recognizing progress and creating systems that support improvement. The article highlights five coaching principles that help shape performance over time.

Ongoing coaching instead of end-of-year evaluations
Provide immediate feedback to clarify expectations
Recognize progress along the way
Build trust through consistent communication
Create systems that support continuous performance improvement

Learn more.

LABOR SHORTAGES ARE DRIVING INTEREST in robotic milking, but the financial decision is complex. A new AMS Transition Budgeter from UW-Madison Extension helps producers evaluate the trade-off between labor savings and new capital costs. The tool analyzes key factors such as milk yield changes, robot investment, maintenance and interest rates, while projecting long-term cash flow and breakeven labor costs to guide planning for automatic milking systems. Learn more.

2026 Business Conference Highlights

BOARD ELECTIONS. Board members Patty Dolph, Laura Raatz and JJ Pagel were re-elected to the 2026-27 PDP Board of Directors. The board will continue to guide and help shape programs that support dairy producers:

Heather Moore, Moore Family Farms
JJ Pagel, Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy, LLC
David Trimner, Miltrim Farms Inc.
Jake Hoewisch, Hoewisch Homestead Dairy
Brady Weiland, Weiland Dairy, LLC
Jordan Matthews, Rosy-Lane Holsteins LLC
Paul Lippert, Grass Ridge Farm
Patty Dolph, Dolph Dairy
Laura Raatz, Wagner Farms Inc.

THE FIRST ALAN KOEPKE MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP was awarded to Megan Mosgaller.

She is a student at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls who plans to pursue a career as a food animal veterinarian serving dairy producers.

THE 2026 DEAN STRAUSS LEADERSHIP AWARD was presented to Dan Natzke of Wayside Dairy LLC.

From building a fifth-generation dairy to serving his community, Dan’s leadership continues to make a lasting impact.

For Your Dairy

THE IMPACT OF CONTINUOUS ACTIVE VENTILATION in outdoor calf hutches during summer heat was reviewed in a recent Journal of Dairy Science article. Researchers followed 32 heifer calves housed in hutches with solar-powered fans compared with passive ventilation. Through day 28, active ventilation improved the internal microclimate of the hutch with lower ammonia, formaldehyde and airborne bacteria levels. However, growth and feed intake were similar between groups, and actively ventilated calves were slightly lighter later in the trial. Results suggest ventilation improves hutch microclimate and calf thermoregulation, though additional research is needed on long-term benefits. Learn more in the full study.

Your Farm - Your Footprint®

YOUR SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS MATTER

With Your Farm - Your Footprint (YFYF), you can measure the impact of your sustainability efforts, without having to share your data with anyone.

"Having our carbon score puts us ahead of the game. Now that we have this information, we can act on it — and that gives us a new data point to enhance our business."

David Trimner, Miltrim Farms, Inc.

Learn more and sign up today at www.pdpw.org/your-farm-your-footprint/.