PDPW Manager's Memo

December 2022 Vol. 2

Brought to you by Dairy's Professional Development Organization®

Opportunities to learn

Managers Academy for Dairy Professionals®

January 10-12, 2023

Savannah, Georgia

EXECUTIVE-LEVEL TRAINING, TOURS AND NETWORKING on tap at the 2023 Managers Academy for Dairy Professionals® in Savannah, Georgia, Jan. 10-12, 2023. It’s not too late to join the program featuring Dr. Allan Gray, Dr. David Kohl and Dr. Ed Seifried, facilitating programs to build resilience in this changing world and position yourself and your business to innovate, advance and prosper. The world-class three-day program is the perfect way for dairy owners and managers, CEOs, industry directors, processors, marketers and distributors to get the new year off to the right start. Click here to register today.

NEXUS®

Application Deadline: January 16, 2023

SHOWCASE YOUR NEW IDEAS AND TECHNOLOGIES TO FORWARD-THINKING FARMERS on the Nexus® stage at the 2023 PDPW Business Conference on March 15-16, 2023. Five finalists will receive 15 minutes of stage time and spend five minutes engaging in Q&A with farmers. Don’t miss the opportunity to introduce your products and receive valuable feedback. Click here to apply.

The application deadline is January 16, 2023.

PDPW CARBON CONFERENCE

January 31, 2023

Madison, Wis.

UNEARTH THE POTENTIAL OF CARBON for your farm, your bottom line and the dairy industry as a whole with information from the 2023 PDPW Carbon Conference. The one-day event will feature experts in measuring, managing, and marketing carbon credits and incentives to help you determine the right opportunities for your operation. They’ll provide updates on this fast-evolving marketplace and outline the potential and risks for farms of all sizes. Learn more and register here; click here to view the program flier.

Cornerstone Dairy Academy®

March 14-15, 2023

Wisconsin Dells, Wis.

ONE MONTH LEFT TO APPLY for the 2023 Cornerstone Dairy Academy held in conjunction with the PDPW Business Conference at Kalahari Resorts in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. Three pillars of training – Influential Leaders, Visionary Leaders, and Servant Leadership —are each tailored to meet the needs of today’s dairy producers and industry professionals to effectively communicate and collaborate. Applications are being accepted now for the 2023 program. View the flier here to learn more about the topics explored in each pillar. For more details and to apply before the January 31 deadline, click here.

PDPW Business Conference

March 15-16, 2023

Wisconsin Dells, Wis.

IS IT ON YOUR 2023 CALENDAR YET? Plans are being finalized for the 2023 PDPW Business Conference, set for March 15-16, 2023, at the Kalahari Resorts in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. Dairy’s premiere educational event will feature two days of education, networking and connecting with like-minded, forward-thinking dairy producers and leading experts to empower success in 2023 and beyond.

Detailed information on sessions, presenters, registration and more will be available in just a couple weeks. Meantime, keep watching pdpw.org for updates.

DAIRY WELLBEING WORKSHOP

February 21 and 22, 2023

Green Bay, Wis.

FIND A PATH TO BETTER PAIN MANAGEMENT for animals at every stage of their life cycle at the 2023 PDPW Dairy Wellbeing Workshop. Two repeating one-day programs will be held on Feb. 21 and 22 at Tundra Lodge Resort Waterpark and Conference Center in Green Bay, Wis. Learn how to assess animal welfare to make ethical decisions about animal care, understand and identify painful events throughout a cow’s life, and see for yourself how on-farm decisions impact cull-cow quality on a tour of American Foods Group.

Pre-registration is required; please call 800-947-7379 or email mail@pdpw.org to pre-register now. Watch pdpw.org for more details to come soon, including the full program flier and the link to register.

For your dairy

MITIGATING METHANE ON DAIRY FARMS is a hot topic as a strategy to help reduce greenhouse gas production in the agriculture sector. An article from Ohio State Extension shares tactics to reduce methane emissions and highlights ongoing research in this important area, including increasing productivity per animal, reformulating diets and adjusting forage systems. Research is also underway on a number of approaches that could change ruminal fermentation action, such as seaweed, essential oils and more. Read the full article for a summary of ongoing work and learnings to date.

SELECTIVE TREATMENT DELIVERS SIMILAR RESULTS as blanket treatment of clinical mastitis with antimicrobials, according to an article published in the Journal of Dairy Science. Researchers reviewed the results of 13 studies that compared treatment protocols and synthesized results. They found that a selective clinical-mastitis-treatment protocol can be adopted without adversely impacting bacteriological and clinical cure, somatic cell count, milk yield, and incidence of recurrence or culling. Read the full study here.

INTERPRETING MANURE ANALYSIS RESULTS ACCURATELY is key to correct and timely manure application. An article from Michigan State Extension highlights how nitrogen availability from applied manure is impacted by weather and soil conditions at application and how to adjust rates accordingly. The two parts of nitrogen – organic and ammonium – react differently in the soil once manure is applied. Read more here.

For your business mind

GET THE INSIDE SCOOP ON FARM LENDING by joining the conversation with two dairy lending professionals. In a recent episode of PDPW’s The Dairy Signal®, Jim Moriarty of Compeer Financial Services and Dave Coggins of Nicolet National Bank shared their perspectives on how dairy producers can strengthen relationships with lenders. They discussed bringing the lender into the loop early in the process when making significant business decisions, adding them to a team of key advisors, and keeping the flow of information timely and useful. They emphasized that a farm’s loan officer is responsible for representing the account at the loan committee, and wants to work with the producer to show the operation in the best light and build a strong case for its business success. Learn more by watching the full episode.

STARTING AND ENDING THE DAY READING A BOOK is a routine that can help your mindset and productivity, according to an article from Inc. magazine. Neuroscientists say that reading a book for 15 minutes in the morning provides calm and focus to start the day, while reading at night can reduce stress and improve sleep. Learn more here.

“LITTLE AND OFTEN” IS KEY TO EFFECTIVE CHANGE, especially in today’s fast-evolving world, according to an article in Chief Executive. While long-term planning is also important, impactful change can happen quickly when team members adopt a mindset to recognize opportunities for small adjustments, make those changes, then gather feedback and adjust course. Read the full article for more details.

The Dairy Signal

KEEP TUNING IN TO THE DAIRY SIGNAL. If you haven’t made a habit of it yet, now’s a great time to take advantage of the valuable information available to listeners of The Dairy Signal™. The three-times-weekly program continues to bring together leading experts across dairy and agricultural industries, universities, and government and regulatory associations for insights on the most pressing issues in today’s marketplace. The 60-minute sessions air every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with recorded episodes available for free at pdpw.org. Click here to find archived recordings of sessions.

Presenters and topics covered recently include:

December 20

Holiday entertaining season is here! Get the inside scoop on the butter board trend, ideas for creative charcuterie boards, and recommendations for both new and tried-and-true cheese pairings for gatherings of all sizes.

Tina Peterson, Director of Wisconsin Communications for Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin

December 21

Keeping the youngest members of your herd warm as winter temperatures drop is a top priority. Tune in and bring your questions for an interactive discussion on minimizing winter stress on calves and best practices during cold weather including calf jackets, bedding types, caloric intake and more.

Dr. Theresa Ollivett, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Large Animal), Assistant Professor in Food Animal Production Medicine section at UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine

December 22

With just a few days left in 2022, join in for a discussion on the latest updates in dairy exports, weather impact, market news and more. Also learn what impact those trends will have on your operation and the dairy industry in 2023. Episode presenter:

Ben Buckner, Grains Analyst, AgResource Company

December 27

Join in for an interactive discussion on navigating stress in today’s hectic world. Learn methods for handling and lowering stress, including the different types, causes and potential solutions for stressful situations. Episode presenter:

Monica McConkey, Rural Mental Health Counselor, Eyes on the Horizon Consulting

December 28

Milk production and other factors are impacted by heifer maturity, often described as the “Peter Pan problem,” referring to the cartoon character who fully matured. To offer insights on how to ensure heifers enter the milking string at the right time, this episode will take a look at whether heifers are given enough time to mature and if they should be fed more aggressively in early years.

Dr. Gavin Staley, Technical Services Specialist, Diamond V

December 29

Learn about a nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) trial in corn silage production that was completed during the 2022 growing season. Hear the results and insights for 2023 silage production.

Matthew Oehmichen, Co-Owner, Short Lane AG Supply LLC
Mike Redetzke, Owner and Operator, Peaceful Creek Acres, Colby, Wis.

Dairy currents

SETTING EXPECTATIONS FOR USING MOBILE DEVICES while on the farm can help ensure the health and safety of your employees. Mobile devices have become an important part of daily lives for communication and business tasks, but they can also be a risky distraction. Penn State researchers found that 88% of 143 youth that responded to a survey admitted to using such technology features as texting, watching videos, playing games or adjusting in-vehicle technology while operating farm equipment for work.

In addition, using phones without washing hands or having a protective cover on devices in situations in which employees are treating sick calves or working in the milking parlor can transmit pathogens and spread disease. Read the full article for best practices on mobile device use on dairy farms.

MORE RESEARCH IN FOOD VS FEED DEBATE. A new study from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations highlighted the essential role that animal production plays in many food systems in the world. Animal production not only provides a valuable source of calories and nutrients, but it also makes use of marginal lands and turns by-products into edible goods and contributing to crop productivity. It showed that 86% of livestock feed is not suitable for human consumption and that meat production requires less cereal production than generally reported. Read a summary or the full study.

WHAT ROLE DO FARMERS MEET IN COMPANIES’ ESG GOALS? A number of companies are setting voluntary ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) targets to meet growing pressure from consumers, regulators and investors to impact climate change. Agriculture has significant potential to adopt renewable energy and to capture, sequester and store carbon to prevent it from entering the atmosphere, and several companies are creating initiatives to incentivize regenerative practices on farms. Farmers who are using technology to make data-driven decisions can also use that technology to document the environmental impact of decisions. Learn more here.

Quote

“Resilience isn’t a single skill. It’s a variety of skills and coping mechanisms. To bounce back from bumps in the road as well as failures, focus on emphasizing the positive.” - Jean Chatzky