February 2023 Vol. 2
Brought to you by Dairy's Professional Development Organization®
Opportunities to learn
2023 PDPW Business Conference
March 15-16
Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
JUST AROUND THE CORNER! MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND 2023 PDPW BUSINESS CONFERENCE. Dairy’s premier educational event is just a couple weeks away and everything is coming together to make this event the most impactful, empowering way for you and your team members to spend two days away from the farm to invest in your dairy business. Set your reminders for March 15 and 16 and plan to join us at the Kalahari Resorts in Wisconsin Dells. Check out the fliers in English and Spanish and register today. Walk-ins are welcome, too – but you’ll save money by registering in advance.
2023 PDPW BOARD VOTING
In-person voting at the 2023 Business Conference
VOTE FOR 2023 PDPW BOARD CANDIDATES. As an organization founded by dairy farmers, led by dairy farmers and serving dairy farmers, the election of the Board of Directors is critical to our organization’s success. Board members help plan and facilitate the development of programs that bring cutting-edge research, world-class training, peer-networking events and hands-on educational opportunities to the dairy industry.
 
Five candidates are on the ballot and three dairy producer members will be elected to seats on the 2023-24 PDPW Board of Directors. PDPW bylaws allow one vote per dairy farm membership.
 
The deadline for mailed ballots has passed, so ballots must now be cast in person at the 2023 PDPW Business Conference. View the ballot here
FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR DAIRY – LEVEL THREE
March 22-23, 2023
Juneau, Wis.
TAKE DAIRY FINANCIALS TO THE NEXT LEVEL during level three of PDPW Financial Literacy for Dairy®. Apply today for the March 22-23 session, to be held in Juneau, Wis., at PDPW headquarters. This level, facilitated by Dick Wittman of Wittman Consulting and TEPAP Ag Executive Program faculty, explores advanced concepts in several critical financial-management areas, including budgeting tools for planning, trend analysis and benchmarking, optimizing capital purchases, managing family business investments and more. Learn more, complete the online placement test and register here. Due to the nature of the course work, this session is limited to 30 participants and we must have a minimum of 24 to run the program.
Nexus® Stage
March 15-16
Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
NEW INNOVATIONS AND TECHNOLOGIES TO DRIVE THE FUTURE OF DAIRY. Five companies have been selected for the Nexus® stage presentations at the 2023 PDPW Business Conference. Each company will present their innovation twice during conference. After each 15-minute session, attendees will have five minutes to ask questions. All presentations will be professionally moderated. Here's the line-up:
 
Wednesday, March 15
2:30-2:50 pm  Arm & Hammer CERTILLUS™
2:55-3:15 pm  Glori Enterprises The FODD
3:20-3:40 pm  Nedap SmartFlow
3:45-4:05 pm  smaXtec TruDrinking
4:10-4:30 pm  Zinpro IsoFerm®
 
Thursday, March 16
8:45-9:05 am  Arm & Hammer CERTILLUS™
9:10-9:30 am  Glori Enterprises The FODD
9:35-9:55 am  Nedap SmartFlow
10:00-10:20 am smaXtec TruDrinking
10:25-10:45 am Zinpro IsoFerm
FUTURE OF SUCCESS YOUTH LEADERSHIP SESSIONS
On Wednesday, March 15, two sessions will be held specifically for teens ages 15 to 18 to equip them with the communication skills they’ll need in the future – but also so they can start using these skills right away by attending other sessions during Business Conference.
 
Michael Hoffman, our conference emcee, will bring his high-energy, interactive style to these sessions as facilitator. Not only will your teens learn a lot about themselves and communicating with others, they’ll have a blast. He’ll teach them critical concepts in the two Wednesday sessions and then encourage them to use those skills by engaging in sessions of their choice throughout the rest of conference.
 
If you’re a parent or teacher planning to attend conference, register your 15 to 18-year olds so they can partake in all that this conference holds for them.
 
Students attending Future of Success sessions receive a discounted rate. Click here to register teens (and yourself) today!
For your dairy
MAKING SENSE OUT OF AN ECONOMIC WHIRLWIND. In this day two keynote session, Dr. Ed Seifried, PhD, will bring his experience as a professor, economist, and consultant to multiple banking industry groups to break down the macro-economic indicators that will have the biggest impact on the dairy industry and your operation. His creative insights will help you create strategies to capitalize on downward and upward trends in our ever-changing economy. 
PRODUCER PERSPECTIVE ON COVER CROPS, FEED COSTS, VALUE ADDED SALES. Dairy producer panels will feature interactive discussions to give you new insights as you consider changes in your own operations. Hear from those with on-the-ground experience. Panel sessions include:
  • Day One Morning Specialty Session, “Dig into cover crops” Hear what has worked, what hasn’t and the real-world results for soil retention, water quality, nitrogen utilization and sprint forage from producers with cover crop experience. Amber Radatz will facilitate this producer panel that includes John Koepke, Derek Ducat, Duane Ducat and Adam Baumann.
  • Day One Afternoon Breakout Session, “Feeding out cost of production” Take a deep dive into calculating the cost of production with a heavy emphasis on forage value, feed ingredients and feed quality with producers David Trimner, Scott Brenner and Shawn Kemp in this panel discussion facilitated by Dr. Andrew Bohnhoff, DVM.
  • Day Two Afternoon Breakout Session, “More than a side hustle” Learn from dairy producers Ken Smith and John Rosenow about what it takes to launch, grow and maintain a successful value-added business. Facilitated by Katy Schultz. 
LEARN THE INS AND OUTS OF CARBON MARKET OPPORTUNITIES for dairy producers in the “Navigating carbon options with the experts” panel discussion, a Thursday morning specialty session. Experienced leaders will showcase examples such as lowering enteric methane from dairy cows, reducing nitrogen from fertilizer-management practices, and generating value from soil carbon sequestration and other regenerative ag practices. Panelists include Isaac Smith, Ryan Stockwell, and Nate Schuster, facilitated by Andy Skwor. 
For your business mind
FUTURE READY RESEARCH GAUGES INDUSTRY’S NEEDS. As the dairy industry continues to evolve, understanding the needs of dairy producers and our customers is more critical than ever. PDPW recently partnered with the highly esteemed Forward research group to determine how we can help dairy producers better anticipate the future so they can be proactive and prepared. The results of the study are based on conversations with the nation’s leading dairy food marketers, processors and dairy producers across the nation. The research focused on three questions:

  • Where is the future of dairy going?
  • What does this mean for dairy farmers and their partners?
  • How can dairy best prepare or position if it is to be future-ready?
 
Everyone interviewed agreed that education is critical to a successful future. The research shows that the dairy community has some gaps to close to meet our customers’ and consumers’ expectations, but the results also show we are well-positioned to do so.
 
For more background on Future Ready™ objectives, findings and implications for future programming, watch this Dairy Signal episode from Jan. 19, 2023
DON’T OVERLOOK PEOPLE WHEN CONSIDERING WAYS TO BOOST PROFITS on today’s dairy operations. Finding ways to reward and recognize team members and keep them motivated can deliver benefits (or prevent losses) that are significant to the bottom line. An article from Penn State Extension highlights such benefits as flexible scheduling, positive feedback and recognizing outstanding performance as ways to keep teams functioning well. Another important consideration is not cutting corners that could increase costs on the farm. Learn more in the full article
The Dairy Signal
KEEP TUNING IN TO THE DAIRY SIGNAL. With a perpetually growing global audience, The Dairy Signal® continues to bring a wide array of valuable information to the dairy industry. From leading experts across dairy and agricultural industries to researchers at universities and government agencies, The Dairy Signal continues to bring insights on the most pressing issues in today’s marketplace. The 60-minute sessions air every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with recorded episodes available at www.pdpw.org. Click here to tune in to archived sessions.
 
Presenters and topics covered recently include:
 
With the first month of 2023 under our belts, learn about the economic, market and demand trends that will impact dairy markets this year. Tune in for the latest news and analysis in this economic update.
  • Ben Buckner, Chief Grains and Dairy Analyst, AgResource Company
 
With the 2023 growing season just around the corner, now’s the time to research best practices for managing risk with available crop insurance tools.
  • Aaron Gransee, Ag Insurance Team Lead, Nicolet National Bank
 
Stressful events can have multiple deleterious effects in dairy cattle. Learn more about how responses to stress can impact cows’ gut health and how using nutritional supplements can reduce negative effects.
  • Dr. Nicole Burdick Sanchez, PhD, Research Animal Scientist, Livestock Issues Research Unit, USDA-ARS
 
Tune in to hear a final analysis of the 2022 silage season and start a conversation about management practices and opportunities for the upcoming season. Start planning now to make the most of next year’s silage crop.
  • Dr. John Goeser, PhD, Director of Nutritional Research & Innovation, Rock River Lab, Inc., and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Dairy Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Todd Schaumburg, Part Owner and Agronomist, Tilth Agronomy
 
February is American Heart Month, so it’s fitting to wrap up the month with a discussion on lifestyle alterations to keep the heart healthy. Join in for practical tips and recommendations to share with employees and family members.
  • Jeffrey VanWormer, Ph.D., Research Scientist, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute
Dairy currents
TAPPING INTO MILK AND ITS COMPONENTS to develop specific high-value uses that can improve the health of certain high-risk human patient populations is the focus of research being conducted by Dr. Joe Pierre, PhD, and PhD student Karen Antunes. Their Preview Stage presentation, “Using dairy for personalized medicine and nutrition,” will share examples such as using milk to rebuild the intestinal microbiome after antibiotic use or customized clinical nutrition formulations to improve organ function and recovery in patients. See the presentation at 1pm on Wednesday at Business Conference.
BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS IN MILK COULD DELIVER PERSONALIZED NUTRITION. Dr. Gulustan Ozturk, PhD, will take to the Preview Stage Thursday afternoon with examples of current research using underutilized whey protein phospholipid concentrate and its potential in her “Developing bioguided processing for microbiome-centered therapeutic applications” presentation. 
FDA RELEASES DRAFT LABELING RECOMMENDATIONS for plant-based milk alternatives. The agency recommended that some plant-based alternatives also include nutrient statements that compare how it compares with milk based on the USDA’s criteria. For example, it could say “Contains lower amounts of Vitamin D and calcium than milk.” The draft recommendations were issued after the agency asked for input in 2018, and comments are being accepted on the draft guidance. Learn more in the FDA announcement and related news article.
Quote
“We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.”
- Peter Drucker 
Book review
CREDIBILITY: HOW LEADERS GAIN AND LOSE IT; WHY PEOPLE DEMAND IT. This classic book outlines the critical importance of credibility and why leaders must say what they mean and mean what they say as the first step in truly empowering team members. The book reveals six key disciplines that strengthen a leader’s capacity for developing and sustaining credibility, provides examples and case studies and includes research and data. Learn more here.
PDPW educational calendar
Financial Literacy®
Juneau, WI
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