PDP Manager's Memo

September 2025 Vol. 2

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 9 - Empathy & Awareness in the Workplace

It’s no secret that challenges and stresses in personal lives can impact our work performance, but how can co-workers and managers support team members without crossing professional boundaries? Tune in for a discussion on why empathy is important in the workplace and ways to recognize and support your team.

Don Tyler, Founder of Tyler & Associates, Executive and Management Coach

September 11 - Euthanasia's Impact on Human-Animal Relationships

Learn about recent research focused on the impact of euthanasia on human-animal relationships and best practices for handling situations when necessary.

Dr. Catie Cramer, PhD, Assistant Professor, Animal Sciences, Colorado State University

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 2

Tune in for an interactive discussion about managing pastures before winter weather arrives, including whether fall is the right time for spraying weeds, fertilizing, mowing and more.

Jason Cavadini, Grazing Outreach Specialist, University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension

September 4

Don’t miss the bi-weekly update with timely insights on exports, weather, markets and other news impacting commodity and dairy markets.

Ben Buckner, Chief Grains and Dairy Analyst, AgResource Company

Opportunities to Learn

CARBON, CROPS + COWS

October 14, 15, 2025

Van Dyne, Stratford, Wis.

ON-FARM FIELD DAY AND WORKSHOP that will put you in the driver’s seat to understand and measure your farm’s sustainability scores and capture value opportunities.

Each session will feature:

Workshops to understand carbon markets and carbon intensity scores
Use FARM-ES portal to test impact of on-farm practices
View sample reports from three reporting tools
Insights from dairy farmer participating in Your Farm - Your Footprint
Dairy tour to see sustainability practices in action

Learn more and register.

FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR DAIRY®

Level One -

Nov. 12-13, 2025

Dec. 3-4, 2025

Level Two -

Jan. 15-16, 2026

Feb. 4-5, 2026

Mar. 10-11, 2026

THE ONLY FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM DESIGNED specifically for the dairy industry will provide dairy farmers, veterinarians, nutritionists, and other agribusiness professionals a solid financial understanding and foundation and then stretch your thinking beyond current comfort zones.

The multi-level, multi-session financial development program will be taught by renowned dairy-financial experts David Coggins, agricultural business and financial consultant, and Dr. Kevin Bernhardt, Professor of Agribusiness at UW-Platteville.

Space is limited to 30 attendees per level and pre-assessment is required to complete registration.

Learn more and register.

CALF CARE CONNECTION®

October 22, 23, 2025

Arlington, Green Bay, Wis.

Learn more and register.

PDP BUSINESS MANAGEMENT & ADVANCED FINANCE WORKSHOP

October 29-30, 2025

Sun Prairie, 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.

MANAGERS ACADEMY FOR DAIRY PROFESSIONALS®

January 20-22, 2026

Puerto Rico

Learn more and register.

For Your Dairy

HPAI DAIRY HERD STATUS PROGRAM is a voluntary program from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service that offers dairy producers the option to monitor their herds via weekly bulk milk samples before moving them across state lines, without having to test each individual animal. This helps support ongoing HPAI testing to better understand the virus, reduce the risk of further spread, and meet movement restrictions. Learn more about the program and how to enroll on the USDA website.

HOW MUCH MUSCLE DO COWS LOSE DURING LACTATION and how does it impact performance? Researchers studied this question in a recent Journal of Dairy Science paper, stating that cows deplete 30 to 35% of their longissimus dorsi muscle reserves in early lactation and begin building muscle back in late lactation. High muscled cows used up more skeletal muscle reserves in early lactation, likely to support the greater milk production observed in early and mid-lactation compared with low muscled cows. However, milk production of higher muscled cows dropped in late lactation compared to low muscled cows. Learn more in the full study.

Your Farm - Your Footprint

YOUR FARM IS YOUR LIVELIHOOD,

and Your Farm – Your Footprint™, the ﬁrst-of-its-kind, farmer-led sustainability initiative that empowers dairy farmers to know and understand their environmental footprint, offers solutions to shape the future of your farm. Dairy’s Foundation is the initiative’s first sponsor, with Nestlé sponsoring in part.

Identifying your farm’s carbon and greenhouse gas metrics is a critical first step, and with Your Farm – Your Footprint, participants have access to:

Easy-to-understand reporting accompanied by technical consulting during which one of our experts personally reviews your farm’s report with you and offers customized improvement recommendations. Your data is protected and won’t be shared with anyone else without your consent.
Opportunity to test-drive three sustainability measurement platforms.
Ongoing practical learning and idea-sharing through a peer networking group specific to Your Farm – Your Footprint.

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

Dairy Currents

PLANS TO ADDRESS RURAL VETERINARY SHORTAGE was announced by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture that outlined five actions the agency will carry out. Actions include enhancing and streamlining veterinary grant programs, analyzing rural veterinary shortages to understand the need, recruiting and retaining USDA veterinarians, cataloguing federal resources available to veterinarians for starting a practice, and listening to stakeholders about the barriers to entry and increasing recruitment from rural areas. Learn more in the announcement.

SHARE SAFETY REMINDERS WITH YOUR TEAM this harvest season. With silage and grain harvest quickly approaching, many farms rely on temporary labor to help with seasonal work. Take time to train or reinforce the importance of safety practices with everyone on your team. As you prepare:

There should be an emergency plan in place for all farms.
Have all safety equipment in proper condition and ready to use, including safety glasses, hearing protection, high visibility clothing and respiratory masks/respirators.
Have ROPS (rollover protective structures) fitted on tractors.
Install Slow-Moving Vehicle (SMV) signs.
Keep all guards and shields in place. Check to make sure they are in working order.

Read more safety tips in the full article.

Foundation Focus: Floyd Sutton

Floyd Sutton brings both professional expertise and personal passion to his role on Dairy’s Foundation board. A native of Seneca, Wis., Floyd grew up on a diversified livestock farm and earned a degree in Animal Science from UW–Platteville. His career has centered on animal nutrition, first as a ruminant product manager and nutritionist for a national premix company, then joining Zinpro Corporation in 1998. He has held several sales and marketing roles, currently responsible for key account management duties with Purina Animal Nutrition and Nutra Blend.

Floyd joined Dairy’s Foundation board to give back to an industry that has provided so much to his family. He and his wife, Kim, live in Freeport, Ill., and raised two daughters, Allison and Emily. He has also served as an advisor to the PDP board of directors.

Through his board service, Floyd has seen firsthand how the Foundation invests in programs that are critical to a strong dairy community.

“Cornerstone Dairy Academy is one of the most impactful programs because it provides an opportunity for professionals in all areas of the dairy industry to work on the soft skills that are essential today,” he said. “The Foundation also provides a way to support the development of new programs that will benefit dairy producers and the industry, such as the Your Farm-Your Footprint sustainability initiative.”

He is excited about the future of the dairy industry, with strong consumer demand for dairy and beef products, as well as the opportunity to tell a positive environmental impact story. Livestock production is also an important piece in keeping rural communities viable and providing an opportunity for the next generation of producers.