PDPW Manager's Memo

September 2021 Vol. 2

Brought to you by Dairy's Professional Development Organization®

Check out Nexus!

Nexus is a platform where companies with cutting-edge technologies connect with the dairy community's most innovative and pioneering farmers. This live event will occur during the PDPW Business Conference. During the event, top companies will have 15 minutes on stage to preview their product, idea or service. Then, the event's dairy farmer attendees will have five minutes to ask your company's representative questions about the product or service and its application in the dairy industry. An expert facilitator from Progressive Dairy magazine will moderate the session. In addition to stage time, media will have full access to your information.

Applications are due January 17, 2022; For details on how to apply, cost to enter and available rewards, go to www.pdpw.org/nexus.

Opportunities to learn

Value-Added Dairy Tours

Oct. 13-14

Kewaunee, Wis.

A DIVERSE RANGE OF VALUE-ADDED OPPORTUNITIES are available for today’s dairy farm operators, from on-farm processing and retail sales to methane digesters for renewable natural gas production. Hear firsthand from farmers about their experiences and tour their businesses on the 2021 Value-Added Dairy Tours. Bus transportation is provided and departs from Kewaunee, Wis., each day. Attend one or both days. Learn more and register here.

Calf Care Connection Workshop

Oct. 26, 27, 28

Oshkosh, Eau Claire, Fennimore, Wis.

TAKE CALF CARE TO THE NEXT LEVEL with presentations and panel discussions at the 2021 Calf Care Workshop. Presenters include Monica Cramer McConkey, Dr. Scott Earnest, DVM, and Dr. Scott Pertzborn, DVM with sessions focused on managing stress, wet calf protocols, pain alleviation and recordkeeping. The workshops will be taught in English with simultaneous Spanish translation for calf care managers, calf feeders and team members. Learn more and register here.

FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR DAIRY

Level One: Nov. 10-11 and Dec. 8-9

Level Two: Jan. 19-20, Feb. 9-10, and March 2-3

Level Three: March 23-24

KNOWING YOUR NUMBERS IS THE FIRST STEP in achieving the goals for your dairy operation. The 2021-22 series of PDPW Financial Literacy for Dairy® programming begins in November. The multi-level, multi-session financial-development program will provide a solid financial understanding and foundation for moving your business ahead. Space is limited per level and an online placement test is required to complete registration.

Thank you to the lending partners that have agreed to participate in the “Count on Us” program. Through this program, participating lenders will provide full or partial scholarships to program attendees. Learn more about the program, Count on Us partners, and registration information here.

Herd Management Workshop

Nov. 2, 3

Marshfield, Arlington, Wis.

SHARPEN COW-SIDE CARE SKILLS FOR YOUR ENTIRE TEAM with general and breakout sessions taught in English with simultaneous Spanish translation at the 2021 Herd Management Workshop. Dr. Ryan Pralle, Dr. Luiz Ferraretto and Chris St. Pierre will dive into key topics including transition cow care, feed and nutrition and essential elements of safety and emergency protocols. Learn more and register here .

In upcoming editions of Manager’s Memo, we’ll highlight PDPW Prime Exhibitors. These leading dairy-industry companies and service providers work hard to supply the needs of forward-thinking, innovative dairy producers with quality products, services and customer support.

Thank you, PDPW Prime Exhibitors. We appreciate your continued support!

Click here to view all PDPW Prime exhibitors

Vita Plus Corporation

We Energies

Wieser Concrete

Wisconsin Bank and Trust

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For your dairy

IMPACT OF LIMITING TMR AVAILABILITY FOR FIVE HOURS PER DAY was the focus of research published in JD Communications. Researchers divided eight second-lactation cows into four groups: 24 hour-access to TMR; removal of TMR access for five hours before evening milking and feeding; and adding ad libitum long-stem grass hay was to both protocols. Results showed that limiting availability of TMR changed the eating and rumination patterns, but availability of ad libitum hay made a difference in dry matter intake patterns. If cattle were fed very finely chopped diets, cows adjusted to the changes in feed availability and access to long hay. Read the full journal article here.

MAXIMIZE EFFICIENCY AND QUALTY WHEN FEEDING HAY. Whether you produce your own or purchase it, hay is an important part of operation minimizing waste will impact the bottom line. An article from University of Minnesota Extension recommends several practices to protect hay quality and minimize waste.

Store hay indoors, if possible. The outer six inches of a six-foot round bale contain 25% of the hay in the bale.
Plan ahead to feed outdoor stored hay first.
Limit access time to round bale feeders, as cattle remove but do not consume about 25% of each bale fed in a round bale feeder.
Limit feed in a bunk or on frozen ground.
Test hay quality so you can target nutritional goals more effectively by matching forages to animal requirements.

Learn more in the full article.

RUBBER-RING CASTRATION RESULTS IN MORE PAIN in preweaned dairy calves than surgical castration, according to research in the Journal of Dairy Science. Researchers compared 10 calves surgically castrated at 28 days using multimodal pain control with 11 calves castrated with rubber rings. The calves were observed for eight weeks, with those castrated by rubber ring gaining less weight and showing scrotal inflammation, reduced lying times and increased wound-directed behaviors. Read the full study here.

For your business mind

PDPW Podcast continues to bring education, inspiration and motivation. Continual growth is at the heart of success, and listening to podcasts is a great way to take advantage of drive time to consistently develop new perspectives. If you’re looking to become a better leader or are seeking business-related advice, tips and motivational talks, subscribe to PDPW Podcast Weekly. If you’ve missed some episodes, find them via your smart phone, tablet or browser at pdpw.org/podcast.

POSITIVE ENERGY OF LEADERS CAN BOOST team’s performance. Leaders with a positive outlook can energize and uplift their teams and colleagues, leading to stronger resilience and performance. Attributes of positive leaders include:

Helping other people flourish without expecting a payback
Expressing gratitude and humility
Instilling confidence and self-efficacy in others
Listening actively and empathetically
Being trusting and trustworthy rather than hypocritical and skeptical
Motivating others to exceed performance standards rather than being satisfied with mediocrity

Read the full article to learn more about benefits of positive leadership.

HOW TRANSPARENT SHOULD YOU BE when communicating with your teams? The importance of being transparent in leadership and communications has been held up as a positive quality, but sometimes sharing too many details can be confusing and overwhelming. An article from Ragan Communications recommends communicating with targeted, strategic transparency by first asking yourself the following before sharing feedback:

Why are you sharing it?
What organizational or strategic goal does it serve?
Is it designed to elevate your team?

Read more in the full article.

The Dairy Signal

TUNE INTO THE DAIRY SIGNAL. Join leading experts across dairy and agricultural industries, government and regulatory associations and universities for insights on the most pressing issues in today’s marketplace. The educational sessions air every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with recorded versions available for free at pdpw.org. Click here to find archived recordings of sessions.

Presenters and topics covered recently include:

Sept. 21

Hear a summary of how the corn silage season is wrapping up and glean tips on how best to incorporate this year’s crop into your feeding program.

Dr. John Goeser, PhD, Director of Nutritional Research & Innovation at Rock River Lab, Inc., and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Dairy Science Department at UW-Madison
Dr. Luiz Ferraretto, Assistant Professor and Ruminant Nutrition Extension Specialist, Department of Animal and Dairy Science and Division of Extension, UW-Madison

Sept. 22

More and more producers are crossbreeding with beef and seeing an increase in profits, but it takes planning and strategic focus to meet the market’s needs.

Jerry Wulf, Manager and Partner, Riverview LLP Beef, Morris, Minn.
Kelli Retallick, President, Angus Genetics Incorporated

Sept. 23

Hear an update on the newest research and outreach funded by the Dairy Innovation Hub and their involvement with the upcoming Dairy Summit and Dairy Innovation Summit.

Dr. Tera Montgomery, Professor, Dairy and Animal Science and Campus Liaison Dairy Innovation Hub, UW-Platteville
Troy Runge, Professor and Department Chair, Biological Systems Engineering and Campus Liaison Dairy Innovation Hub, UW-Madison

Sept. 28

Dairy manure is a rich resource but requires detailed planning and management to avoid issues with water quality, spreading restrictions and more. Learn how one dairy producer takes advantage of getting the most out of his nutrient management plan.

Matthew Oehmichen, part owner of Short Lane Ag Supply
David Trimner, General Manager, Miltrim Farms, Inc., Athens, Wisc.

Sept. 29

The “Rising Stars – Graduate Research Showcase” features research on short- and long-term effects of prenatal and postnatal exposure to heat stress in dairy cattle. Learn how to identify heat-stressed animals to effectively provide heat-stress abatement, overcome production losses, and promote animal welfare in the face of rising global temperatures.

Bethany Dado-Senn, Graduate Research Assistant, Lactation Physiology, Department of Animal & Dairy Sciences, UW-Madison
Brittney Davidson, Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Animal & Dairy Sciences, UW-Madison
Jimena Laporta, Assistant Professor Lactation Physiology, Department of Animal & Dairy Sciences, UW-Madison

Sept. 30

Gain insight on the latest news and analysis of agricultural markets and trends that will impact dairy producers and ag industry in the bi-weekly update.

Dan Basse, Economist and President, AgResource Company

Dairy currents

UNDERSTAND WHICH RESPIRATOR IS RIGHT for the hazards and tasks on your farm. Dairy farms typically have three basic categories of respiratory hazards, including particulate contaminants, gases/vapors and oxygen-deficient atmospheres such as sealed silos and manure storage. An article from Penn State Extension shares an overview of air-purifying respirators and which are most appropriate for most common hazards. Understanding how to properly use, clean and maintain the respirator is critical to effectiveness. Read more here.

ENZYME CAN INHIBIT GROWTH OF LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES in dairy products, according to research published in the Journal of Dairy Science. Listeria is a significant pathogen of concern for dairy producers which can contaminate raw milk as well as products in a post-pasteurization environment. Cornell researchers used lactose oxidase, a microbial-based enzyme, to inhibit the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in both UHT skim milk and raw milk. Read an article from “Dairy Reporter” summarizing results here and the full study here.

400 MILLION CHILDREN A DAY EAT A MEAL AT SCHOOL, and milk and dairy products are a key part of that meal for many of them. A recent conference hosted by Institute of Food Technologists highlighted the role milk plays in school meal programs globally. School milk programs began in the 1940s in the U.S. and were adopted in Japan in 1949. Flavors and variations are different, including yogurt, plain whole milk, flavored milk, lactose-reduced milk and long-shelf-life milk. In India, students are served fortified and sweetened milk. Other options include sweet kheer (a pudding) and balamruthan (a mixture of wheat, split chickpea, milk powder, oil and sugar). Learn more here.

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