December 2020 Vol. 2
Brought to you by Dairy's Professional Development Organization®
CHANGES IN STORE FOR 2021 BUSINESS CONFERENCE! Discover new ideas and solutions at the 2021 PDPW Business Conference March 17-18, 2021, at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. The new venue has also prompted some changes to content; stay tuned for two daily youth sessions geared specifically for teens, aged 15 to 18. 

Producer-led committees have steered the program content and other features. As always, trade-show exhibitors and attendees alike can count on a world-class event to remember.

Click here for more information, and bookmark the site for the finalized agenda and flier.
Opportunities to learn
FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR DAIRY™
Level Two: Jan. 13-14, Feb. 10-11, and March 3-4
Level Three: March 24-25

START THE NEW YEAR WITH A NEW FOCUS ON FINANCIALS for your dairy business. Register today for Level 2 or 3 of PDPW's Financial Literacy for Dairy™ programming to take your financial management to the next level. Space is limited per level and requires a pre-assessment to complete registration.

NEW for you is the “Count on Us” program where lending partners provide full or partial scholarships to participants in the program. Learn more about the program, “Count on Us” and registration information here.
THE ENHANCED INTERNSHIP PROGRAM IS BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF DAIRY PROFESSIONALS through hands-on learning and on-farm experiences. The PDPW Enhanced Internship Program is where students who have a passion for learning and expanding their knowledge are connected with dairy farms that understand the value of sharing, teaching and helping others discover and grow.

PDPW is looking for dairy farms, like yours, with the desire to help young professionals grow their passion and skills within the dairy industry. If you are interested in hosting an intern on your farm, contact PDPW by calling 800-947-7379 or email [email protected].

If you are a student with a sincere interest in expanding your experience and knowledge within the dairy sector, then apply today at one of the approved farms here
For your dairy
TRAINING HEIFERS IN ROBOTIC MILKING SYSTEMS LEADS TO MORE MILKING VISITS and fewer times that farm employees had to fetch heifers to visit the milking system after they entered the milking herd, according to research published in the Journal of Dairy Science. Researchers analyzed two groups of heifers four weeks before calving, giving one group free access to a phantom milking robot similar to the system that was used after calving. The group with access to the phantom unit showed a higher milking frequency than the control group between days four and ten of their lactation. Read the news release or study abstract to learn more. 
IMPACT OF DIETARY PROTEIN AND AMINO ACID SUPPLEMENTS on production during the first few weeks of lactation was the focus of research at Ohio State University. The study compared three groups of cows with varying amounts of crude protein in the diet for the first 3-4 weeks of lactation. The control diet contained 17% crude protein. The second group received a diet of 20% crude protein, where the additional protein came mostly from treated soybean meal. The final group received a 20% crude protein diet, where additional protein came from a blend of soybean meal, treated canola meal, corn gluten meal, and rumen-protected amino acids. Both first-lactation and older animals consumed more dry matter during the first 25 days of lactation when fed the blended treatment compared to soybean meal treatment. Cows fed 20% crude protein in the fresh period increased energy corrected milk for all cows compared to the control. Read more here.
PRECISION FEEDING CAN HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT on the environment and the bottom line, according to an article from Penn State Extension. Changes in ration formulation over the last five to ten years has allowed Pennsylvania farms to reduce the amount of milk urea nitrogen to meet the recommended range. Dairy farms should also monitor the economics of precision feeding, including income over feed cost, to ensure the strategies implemented are profitable. Read more here
For your business mind
CALCULATE ACCURATE FAMILY LIVING EXPENSES so you can reflect the appropriate levels of withdrawals in farming budgets for the year. Reviewing actual expenses over several months is a great start to track and budget for home, family and personal expenses. Templates and forms from UW-Extension are available here.
GET A FRESH START BY CLEARING THE WORKSPACE CLUTTER. Is a more organized and productive office or workspace on your list of New Year’s Resolutions? Get started now with the following tips:
  • Purge what you don’t need
  • Give your stuff a home, with a clear address
  • Put a system in place
  • Sort and filter new mail and email
  • Limit personal items
  • Build organizing and decluttering into your daily plan
Learn more about each tip in the full article.
CULTURE OF INTEGRITY STARTS WITH LEADERSHIP EXAMPLES and building an organization around compliance. Gallup surveys have shown that 56% of workers in Europe and 66% in the U.S think corruption is widespread within businesses in their country, making it more critical than ever to follow the following tips to put integrity, ethics and compliance as priorities.
  • Reinforce values with clear messages and signals to the organization.
  • Highlight positive examples of integrity, ethics and compliance at every level of the company.
  • Establish a reporting system for issues related to integrity, ethics and compliance.
  • Communicate the behaviors that won't be tolerated and the consequences for misconduct.
Read more in the full article
The Dairy Signal
CAPTURE CRITICAL INSIGHTS FROM THE DAIRY SIGNAL. Featuring leading experts across dairy and ag industries, universities, government and fellow dairy farmers, The Dairy Signal™ shares insights and resources with producers and industry professionals in forever-changing times. Free educational sessions are live-streamed each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and available free here on the PDPW website. Recorded versions are also available for download.

There will not be an episode live-streamed Thursday, December 31, but new episodes will be presented Tuesday, January 5, Wednesday, January 6, and Thursday, January 7, 2021.

Presenters and topics covered recently include:
Hear how the COVID-19 pandemic has driven a fundamental reshaping of consumer shopping behavior and how that is affecting food service, grocery stores and the entire food chain in the short term, and what trends will have a lasting impact.
  • Charlie Arnot, CEO, Center for Food Integrity
 
Understand recent trends in coronavirus spread in Wisconsin and hear an update on vaccine development and distribution, as well as the latest resources for employers to keep employees safe and comply with appropriate state and federal reporting requirements.
  • Mary Bauer, compliance assistance specialist, of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Eau Claire Area
  • Dr. John R. Raymond, Sr., MD, president and CEO, Medical College of Wisconsin
 
Take a look at dairy and feed market outlooks for 2021 and hear about expectations for both record large milk production and record large demand, as well as less volatility in markets as COVID-19 vaccine distribution ramps up during the year.
  • Dan Basse, economist and president of AgResource Company

Take a look at the top nutritional trends in 2020 and hear about some of the hidden opportunities in nutrition management, feed costs and inventory management to take your dairy to the next level in 2021. 
  • Dr. John Goeser, Ph.D., director of nutritional research and innovation at Rock River Lab, Inc., and adjunct assistant professor in the dairy science department at University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Matt Akins, assistant scientist and extension dairy specialist at University of Wisconsin-Madison
 
Learn the latest research on optimizing the transition cow period for top milk production and reproductive performance.
  • Dr. Neil Michael, Manager of ruminant field technical services with Arm & Hammer

Dr. Fricke shares the latest regarding findings in optimizing fertility of sexed semen in lactating dairy cows and non-lactating dairy heifers.
  • Dr. Paul Fricke, Ph.D., Dairy Reproduction Specialist at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Dan Basse gives the final report in 2020 with the latest news and analysis of agricultural markets and trends as we close out this year and look ahead to 2021.
  • Dan Basse, economist and president of AgResource Company
Dairy currents
DRESS APPROPRIATELY FOR WINTER WEATHER to keep yourself and employees safe and to be as efficient as possible when working outdoors in cold temperatures. OSHA provides a list of winter weather safety guidelines and recommendations, including the following tips:
  • Wear at least three layers of loose-fitting clothing, including an inner layer of wool, silk or synthetic (polypropylene) to keep moisture away from the body; a middle layer of wool or synthetic to provide insulation even when wet; and an outer wind and rain protection layer that allows some ventilation to prevent overheating.
  • Tight clothing reduces blood circulation.
  • Knit mask to cover face and mouth (if needed)
  • A hat that will cover your ears to reduce the amount of body heat that escapes from your head.
  • Insulated gloves and insulated and waterproof boots
Read the full list of cold weather recommendations to keep you and your team safe during the winter months.
FOOD SERVICE AND FOOD RETAILERS SEE TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION AS CRITICAL to their business at a much higher rate than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to research from Panasonic. Survey results found that one in four respondents view their companies as “tech-forward early adopters,” up from one in eight a year ago. With agility and ability to adjust to consumer demands such as online ordering, contactless payment and pickup, technology has become critical to the success of the foodservice and retail industry throughout 2020. Read more here.
CHEESE, CHOCOLATE, COFFEE AND BURGERS were among the foods on the Kroger Co. top 10 trending foods in the 2020 list. Consumer trends included both comfort foods and dishes to recreate their favorite restaurant meals at home. The grocery chain predicts the following seven trends for 2021:
1. Futureproof foods with flavor and health, immunity or other benefits
2. Comfort foods
3. Ketotarian foods
4. Global flavors and restaurant favorites will hit home
5. Mushroom mania
6. For the planet, including products and packaging with environmental benefits
7. Fresh innovation
Read more about each of the trends here
Quote
“Choose to focus your time, energy and conversation around people who inspire you, support you and help you to grow you into your happiest, strongest, wisest self.”
~Karen Salmansohn

PDPW educational calendar
Financial Literacy for Dairy - Level 2
Juneau, WI

March 3-4
Financial Literacy for Dairy - Level 2
Juneau, WI
March 16-17
Cornerstone Dairy Academy
Wisconsin Dells, WI

March 17-18
Business Conference
Wisconsin Dells, WI
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