February 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.

Feb. 4 - Coaching Corner: Employees Who Don't Play Well

Feb. 5 - 2024 Silage Recap & 2025 Key Recommendations 

Feb. 6 - Market Update

Previously on The Dairy Signal

January 28

Tune in for an interactive conversation on designing and managing feed centers for success. Dr. Harner will review the feed pad, mixing center and commodity-feed area while factoring in herd size, future growth plans and geographic variations.

•  Dr. Joe Harner, PhD, Engineer, JGMIII ag engineering consulting firm

January 29

Hear about winter sanitation protocols, including cleaning and sanitizing calf housing and equipment and understanding how protocols may need to shift during freezing temperatures and winter weather.

• Dr. Noelle Noyes, DVM, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota

January 30

It’s no secret that dairy farming is hard work, especially during winter months. You can reduce risk and protect your long-term physical health by learning about skeletal structure and proper body mechanics. Learn how to quickly evaluate your shop or parlor, mitigate slip and fall risks and prevent injuries when working outdoors.

• Dr. Averi Lundebrek, Occupational Therapist, First Care Health Center

IMPACT OF HEALTH AND GROWTH ON DAIRY BEEF CALVES from the transport experience was the focus of research published in the Journal of Dairy Science. Researchers followed 175 bull calves from 5 commercial farms that were transported either 6, 12 or 16 hours at ages 2 days through 19 days. The calves were monitored daily for the first 14 days after arrival at the veal farm and weighed at 50 days. Calves transported for 16 hours had greater incidence of abnormal fecal scores compared with 6 hours in the 14 days after transport. Calves transported older than 7 days had reduced incidence of abnormal respiratory score and age of transport was positively associated with average daily gain, regardless of length of transport. Read the full article to learn more.

NAVIGATING THE BIRD FLU: LESSONS FROM THE FRONTLINES. A panel of veterinarians will share their stories of resilience from the H4N1 outbreak at the 2025 PDP Business Conference. They will provide insights on how producers managed through health, quarantines and recovery to protect operations and safeguard the future of their farms and the industry. Attend the Day One afternoon breakout sessions at 3:45 p.m. or 4:50 p.m. to hear from Dr. Maggie Baldwin, DVM, Dr. Tera Barnhardt, DVM, and Dr. Keith Poulsen, DVM.

Opportunities to Learn

PDP Dairy Wellbeing Workshop

Feb. 11 and Feb. 12

Green Bay, Wis.

EVERY DECISION ON A DAIRY FARM IMPACTS BOTH THE ANIMALS AND THE PEOPLE WHO CARE FOR THEM. The 2025 Dairy Wellbeing Workshop provides an eye-opening opportunity for every member of a dairy team to see the results of those decisions on cull-cow quality, and learn ways to manage their own physical and mental health in a high-demand field. The one-day workshop begins with a tour of American Foods Group facility and conversations with beef buyers, market experts and USDA meat inspectors about cull cow quality.

Following the tour, participants will hear from two highly-regarded speakers in a classroom setting. Monica Kramer McConkey will provide strategies to recognize compassion fatigue, build resilience and prevent burnout. Dr. Jan Shearer will share the signs and conditions that indicate euthanasia is the best option for an animal, a step-by-step process for the most humane methods of performing the procedure.

Learn more and register.

2025 Business Conference Corner

"Dial It In" for success

Join world class speakers, forward-thinking farmers and leading dairy suppliers at dairy's premiere educational event March 12-13 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis.

Visit the 2025 Business Conference website for a preview of 50 precision-focused sessions along with Preview Stage, Nexus Innovation Stage, and the Hall of Ideas Trade Show. And, check out discounted hotel rates at several Madison hotels. Learn more and register.

Geopolitics, markets and weather take center stage

Take a deep dive into the volatile forces shaping agriculture and hear strategies to adapt and thrive. The 2025 Business Conference Opening Session will feature Dan Basse, president of AgResource Company; Jacob Shapiro, partner and director of geopolitical analysis at Cognitive Investments; and Eric Snodgrass, principal atmospheric scientist for Conduit.

Dairy Currents

DAIRY SUPPLY CHAIN IMPACTS OF TRADE, LABOR AND FOOD AND NUTRITION PROGRAM POLICIES. A new Information Letter published by Dr. Chuck Nicholson, UW-Madison, examines the impacts on dairy supply chain outcomes of a selected set of policy options affecting trade, labor availability, and spending on food and nutrition programs. Analyses with a dynamic global dairy supply chain model indicate that these policy options—individually or in combination—will result in substantive decreases in farm milk prices, U.S. dairy farm profitability, the value of U.S. dairy product exports, the value of cheese sales, retail fluid milk prices and wholesale cheese prices. Compensatory payments to dairy farms will reduce the magnitude of reductions in farm income and the value of US dairy product exports but will not fully offset these effects. Read the full letter here on the Program on Dairy Markets and Policy website.

BE AWARE OF CARBON MONOXIDE DANGERS at home and on farms. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas released from incomplete combustion of fuels from man-made sources, such as vehicle engines, and from natural occurrences such as forest and brush fires. When inhaled, it prevents oxygen from attaching to blood or disrupts the release of oxycen already in the blood, which can severely affect organs that need oxygen the most, like brain and heart. Prevention includes:

• Proper ventilation when using carbon monoxide producing appliances.
• Never use cooking ovens or stovetops for home heating.
• Have all heating systems and chimneys inspected and serviced annually.
• Follow instructions and warnings for indoor heaters.
• Do not run engines in a building without proper ventilation.

Read more in Ag Workforce Journal.

WHOLE MILK FOR HEALTHY KIDS ACT was introduced by a bipartisan, bicameral group of U.S. congressional representative and senators. The bill would allow unflavored and flavored whole and reduced fat (2 percent) milk to be offered in school cafeterias. The act highlights health benefits and nutrients milk provides, including better bone health, lower blood pressure, and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease or Type 2 diabetes. The bill was introduced by U.S. representatives Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.) and Kim Schrier (D-Wash.) and Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kans.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), and John Fetterman (D-Pa.). Learn more in the Dairy Foods article.

Vote for 2025-26 PDP Board Members

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.

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

A Life Well Lived

Tom Thibodeau returns on the PDP Podcast to honor those in the life of farming; the lives of people who work the land. As we hear from Tom, farming is an act of servant leadership. It is a heritage and legacy that connects one generation to the next in an effort to feed the world.

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 animal health 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.

"We all have possibilities we don't know about. We can do things we don't even dream we can do."

- Dale Carnegie

Business Management & Advanced Finance Workshop

Oct 29-30, 2025

Managers Academy

Jan 20-21, 2026