PDP Manager's Memo

May 2024 Vol. 1

Brought to you by Dairy's Professional Development Organization®

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.

Identifying your farm’s carbon and greenhouse gas metrics is a critical first step, and with 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 get started today at www.pdpw.org/your-farm-your-footprint/.

Opportunities to Learn

2024 Hoof Management Workshop

June 20, 2024

Waunakee, Wis.

JOIN US AT ON-FARM, HANDS-ON HOOF CARE WORKSHOP focused on core concepts of managing a cow’s environment for optimal hoof health. The 2024 PDP Hoof Management Workshop will be held at Maier Farms in Waunakee, Wis., with sessions focused on stockmanship skills and animal handling, technical essentials of the footbath, treatment options and protocols for chronic lameness and continuous improvements to benefit animal wellbeing and the safety of your team. Session presenters will include Karl Burgi, Save Cows Network; Ashlynn Kirk, Humane Handling Institute at UW-River Falls; and Laura Solano, DVM, PhD, UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine.

Learn more and register here.

Accelerate™

July, 24, 2024

Madison, Wis.

HELP YOUR SUMMER INTERN STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD and excel in today’s workforce. Michael Hoffman will facilitate the one-day PDP Accelerate program designed for interns at all agricultural employers to build on the skills they’ve learned in their internships and give them a head start as they look for full time employment. The interactive session will combine hands-on learning, peer networking and interactive skill practice to ensure interns build the skills they need. Learn more about PDP Accelerate and register interns here or call 800-947-7379.

For Your Dairy

CALLING DAIRY INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS: COMPLETE CALF HEALTH SURVEY. Do you work in the dairy industry and help producers troubleshoot health issues with dairy calves? If so, Penn State Extension is eager for your input. Complete a 15-minute survey designed to glean stakeholder insights to identify the preweaned heifer management practices that are most concerning to producers whose calves struggle with a high prevalence of diarrhea, bovine respiratory disease, and/or umbilical infections. The survey is confidential and will be used to identify management areas that are common bottlenecks on the dairy.

Learn more and complete survey here.

PROVIDE SUFFICIENT WATER FOR DAIRY CALVES. When dairy calves are born, their body is made up of 70% water, making it a critical nutrient for rumen development, starter intake, weight gain and growth performance. An article from UW Extension provides key guidelines for making the most of water intake:

Calves typically require and consume about four times more water than dry matter intake.
Calves prefer warm water even in hot summer conditions.
Water provided at all times enhances starter intake and weight gain, especially for muscle and skeletal development during the first two months. Down the road, this yields associated benefits in milk yield during the first lactation.
Calves whose buckets were rinsed daily gained more pounds per day prior to weaning compared to calves with buckets rinsed weekly or rinsed every 14 days.

Learn more in the full article.

IS COOLING NECESSARY FOR ENTIRE DRY PERIOD? This question was the focus of research published in the Journal of Dairy Science. The study evaluated the effect of heat stress early, late and during the entire dry period based on performance in the subsequent lactation. Cows were randomly assigned to cooling via various methods, including shade, fans and soakers, or only shade during the dry period.

Heat stress during any time of the dry period decreased gestation length. Cooling measures taken during the early or late dry periods partially rescued milk yield only in the first three weeks of lactation, while cooling for the entire dry period increased milk yield up to 30 weeks into the lactation compared to other treatments. Read the full study here.

PDP Intern Named Alice in Dairyland

CONGRATULATIONS TO HALEI HEINZEL who was selected by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) as Wisconsin's 77th Alice in Dairyland. In this position, Heinzel will work for the contract year as a full-time communications professional for DATCP, educating the public about the importance of agriculture in Wisconsin. Heinzel served as an intern for PDP in 2023-24, coordinating the PDP Mentorship Program and other projects. She is a 2024 graduate of UW-Madison with a degree in Life Sciences Communication and has a wealth of internship and on-campus experience. We wish Halei the best in this exciting year! Read more here.

For Your Business Mind

INCLUDE EMPLOYEE REVIEWS AS A PART of your organization’s overall feedback and communication processes. Ongoing feedback should be provided throughout the year based on each employee’s goals, roles and responsibilities. Correspondingly, reviews should focus on how an employee’s performance relates to the organization’s mission and goals, not on a manager’s preference of how a job should be completed. Clearly outline to employees the evaluation process before, during and after their reviews to ensure transparency and a path to two-way dialogue. Learn more strategies in the full article from Ragan Communications.

“LIKABLE” PEOPLE BUILD CONNECTIONS more quickly. An article from Fast Company highlights six habits that can be strengthened to build your own likability in a variety of work and personal situations:

1. Be present.

2. Give and share credit.

3. Be authentic.

4. Be caring and empathetic.

5. Be good and active listeners.

6. Be effective communicators.

Learn more in the full article.

The Dairy Signal

CONNECT WITH EXPERTS, LEARN FROM PEERS. Three days a week, The Dairy Signal® connects you with leading experts across dairy and agricultural industries to researchers at universities, fellow producers and government agencies to bring updates on the trends and topics that will affect your dairy business. 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:

May 1

Learn about the instructional “Mooving Cows” game developed at UW-Madison to teach cow-handling skills and hear the latest in industry quality assurance programs (i.e., FARM Animal Care) expectations, public perception of handling practices. Dr. Van Os also shared plans for future educational tools.

Dr. Jennifer Van Os, Ph.D., assistant professor and extension specialist- animal welfare, UW-Madison

May 2

Manure represents a resource for crop production and soil but can create challenges to achieving water quality goals. While cover crops can provide solutions, there can be trade-offs with production. Join this interactive conversation to review research that can lead to overall benefits in Wisconsin.

Dr. Matt Ruark, PhD, professor and extension soil scientist, UW-Madison
Tanner Judd, graduate student, soil science, UW-Madison

May 7

Down cows present a special challenge to dairy producers. Learn how to move, handle and care for these animals with the safety and health of both cows and people as the top priority.

Dr. Kurt Vogel, PhD, Director, Humane Handling Institute, and Associate Professor, Animal Welfare and Behavior, University of Wisconsin-River Falls

May 8

As one of the largest expenses on the farm, making the most of feed inventories is key for milk production and the bottom line. Tune in for a discussion on how key feed management decisions affect dry matter intake.

Dr. Rick Grant, Trustee, William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute

May 9

As temperatures warm and the 2024 growing season gets underway, join the conversation on dairy market and export news, as well as the trends that could impact your farm through the rest of the year.

Ben Buckner, Chief Grains and Dairy Analyst, AgResource Company

May 14

Tune in for a panel discussion with two dairy producers who have participated in the Your Farm - Your Footprint initiative. Bring your questions and hear about their experiences with data collection, peer groups, and more.

JJ Pagel, CEO, Pagels Ponderosa Dairy, Kewaunee, Wis.
Mitch Breunig, Owner, Mystic Valley Dairy, Sauk City, Wis.

May 15

Part one of this two-part series focuses on preparing healthful snacks as an important way to keep our minds and bodies fueled throughout the day. Learn practical strategies for preparing well-balanced snacks and how to fit snack preparation into even the busiest schedules.

Morgan Ekovich, Owner & Head Trainer, Get Fit with ME LLC

Dairy Currents

CHEESE DEMAND IS DRIVING INVESTMENTS in U.S. dairy processing, according to article in Dairy Processing magazine. The world’s cheese market is expected to increase by $39.1 billion by 2027, driven by global demand and more availability of products in different forms. Cheese consumption reached nearly 42 pounds per person in the U.S. in 2022, up from 32.2 pounds in 2000 and 21.9 pounds in 1980. The article highlighted investments including the Hilmar facility in Kansas, Leprino Foods in Texas, as well as specialty cheese producers in Wisconsin. Read the full article to learn more.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT SUNGLASSES TO PROTECT EYES. As temperatures warm and we spend more time outside, protecting skin from the sun’s damaging rays becomes a priority. It’s important to remember that our eyes need protection, too.

When choosing sunglasses:

Choose sunglasses with a UV400 rating or “100% UV protection” on the label.
The darkness of the lens does not indicate UV protection. Many glasses with light-colored tints can offer necessary levels of UV protection.
Consider large, wraparound style frames
Even if you wear UV absorbing contact lenses, wear quality sunglasses that offer UV protection.
In addition to wearing sunglasses, wearing a wide-brim hat and sunscreen can help further protect from sun exposure.

Keep in mind that certain medication, including some antibiotics, can make a person more susceptible to the harmful effects of sun exposure. Learn more in this sun safety fact sheet from the FDA.

Book Review

CRUCIAL CONVERSATIONS: TOOLS FOR TALKING WHEN STAKES ARE HIGH. The third edition of this book was updated in 2021 to address new issues that have arisen with digital communications and today’s workplace. The classic book provides strategies for being persuasive rather than abrasive, steering a conversation back to a productive dialogue when others blow up or clam up, and mastering high-stakes conversations for business and personal relationships. Read more here.

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