January 2025 Vol. 1

Brought to you by Dairy's Professional Development Organization®

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

Jan. 7 - Technology Used in Grazing Heifers

Jan. 8 - Aspirin Use on Inflammation

Jan. 9 - 2025 Dairy Outlook

HOUSEHOLDS WITH GLP-1 USERS CUT GROCERY SPENDING by about 6% within six months of taking the medication, according to a research study. With nearly 15 million adults taking these medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy, it is changing the types of foods they consume, with the largest drop in purchases of calorie-dense processed foods like chips and baked goods. Researchers did see a modest increase in spending on items like fresh produce and yogurt. Learn more.

NEW RULES FOR “HEALTHY” LABELS ON FOOD PRODUCTS have been issued by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Manufacturers can use the healthy claim on food packages if contains a certain amount of nutrients from at least one of the food groups or subgroups (such as fruits, vegetables, fat-free dairy, and low-fat dairy) recommended by the FDA’s Dietary Guidelines. It must also adhere to specified limits for saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars. The new guidelines also allow eggs to now be labeled as “healthy.” Learn more in a Supermarket News article and the FDA website.

Opportunities to Learn

For Your Business

LEADERS WHO ADOPT A COACHING MINDSET can shift the focus in their organizations from simply providing answers to empowering their team members to grow and develop. Four ways to develop a coaching mindset are:

·        Be curious

·        Practice active listening

·        Ask open-ended questions

·        Let go of personal biases or expectations

Learn more about a coaching mindset and each of these strategies in the full Smartbrief article.

START THE NEW YEAR WITH BY TRACKING FARM HOUSEHOLD EXPENSES to provide better picture of a family’s overall spending and budgeting needs. In many cases, separate bank accounts for both farm business expenses and family household expenses can make this separation and tracking of costs easier, safeguard business funds from personal ones, allow farms to monitor farm spending more easily, and assist with recordkeeping of the farm’s finances. Tools and worksheets from UW-Extension are available here for tracking and estimating expenses on a monthly and annual basis.

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, including FARM ES (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management - Environmental Stewardship), Cool Farm Tool, and COMET (CarbOn Management & Emissions Tool).
• 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/.

PDP Podcast Weekly

Making a Better You - Michael Hoffman

What are you putting on your agenda this year to add to your bag of skill sets?

Michael Hoffman of Igniting Performance returns to the PDP Podcast to discuss three areas that can help us be more effective in all aspects of our life. Your head, heart and hands.

Premier Suppliers and Supporters

Thank you to the partners and premier suppliers who support your professional development organization. Dairy's Premier Suppliers are those who faithfully exhibit and support PDP's Business Conference and are trusted, leading providers of high-quality products, services and solutions essential to the dairy industry. See below to learn more about some of our feed and feed additive suppliers.

Interested in becoming a part of dairy's premier suppliers? Submit your trade show contract for the 2025 Hall of Ideas and Equipment Show at the PDP Business Conference, March 12-13, 2025.

"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."

- Michelangelo