PDP Manager's Memo

March 2024 Vol. 2

Brought to you by Dairy's Professional Development Organization®

Your Farm - Your Footprint

SHAPE YOUR FUTURE WITH YOUR FARM – YOUR FOOTPRINT. A first-of-its-kind, farmer-led sustainability initiative is now available to dairy producers across the country to know and easily understand the environmental footprint of your farm. The first step in making improvements is measuring a farm’s current carbon and methane emissions so you can make informed decisions and shape the future of your farm. The program was piloted with a dozen farmers in Wisconsin and now will expand to producers around the country. It features tools and support including a sustainability score that provides credit for current sustainability practices, a customized road map of recommendations for practical steps to better your score, peer-to-peer sharing of ideas and best practices, and cost-share grants to offset the expense of getting your environmental numbers and reports.

The first two sponsors to join with PDP are Nestlé, one of the world’s leading users of milk for its consumer food products, and Dairy’s Foundation, which supports education efforts to help dairy producers be proactive and prepared for the future.

Learn more and sign up today at www. pdpw.org/your-farm-your-footprint/

Opportunities to learn

Dairy’s Visible Voice

April 9, 16, 25

Madison, Kewaunee, River Falls, Wis.

BUILD AND REFINE COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS with Dairy’s Visible Voice® training program. Led by communication experts from MorganMyers, this training teaches you to effectively manage interactions with media, connect with consumers, enhance credibility, convey your sustainability story, and refine on-camera interview skills. Each one-day session is tailored to empower you to build and safeguard your brand while reinforcing the shared dairy brand we all uphold.

Sessions will be held on April 9 at Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin headquarters in Madison, April 16 at Pagels Ponderosa Dairy in Kewaunee, and April 25 at UWRF Mann Valley Farm in River Falls. To reserve your seat and obtain specific location addresses, call 800-947-7379.

Accelerate™

July, 24, 2024

Madison, Wis.

AGRICULTURE INTERNS, GET READY TO STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD with PDP Accelerate™. On July 24, 2024, interns in the agriculture sector will gather in Madison, Wisconsin for a one-day conference designed to build the skill sets needed to be successful in today's workforce. Trainer Michael Hoffman will help participants build knowledge and confidence to step up their game as they pursue careers in the agriculture industry. Make the right moves to stand out from the crowd by attending PDP Accelerate this summer. Learn more, download the program flyer and register here.

MAKE PLANS NOW FOR THE 2025 PDP BUSINESS CONFERENCE AND TRADE SHOW. The conference will be held March 12-13, 2025, and is moving to the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis.

If you want your business to have a presence amongst pre-qualified, active dairy producers, this is the place to be. Exhibit space in the Hall of Ideas Trade Show has been selling since mid-March, so act now to secure your booth(s).

“As a first-time attendee, I was impressed with how much square footage the event covered; there was a lot going on over those two days,” said Jeff Parisi, director of business development with Walbec Group. “I also enjoyed the educational part of it; I learned a lot from the seminars.”

For more information on the 2025 PDP Business Conference Trade Show, reserving exhibit space, and the 2025 exhibitor contract, click here.

For your dairy

MANAGE AND MONITOR DIETS FOR EFFECTIVE AMOUNTS OF FIBER. Fiber in the dairy cow diet plays an important role in rumen function and digestive health. While low-fiber diets can function if designed correctly, there are risks associated with feeding them without good management practices.

An article from UW Extension highlighted potential risks and visual signs of stress from low-fiber diets including:

• Reduced cud chewing

• Reduced intake or going off-feed

• Decreased rumination time

• Sore or tender feet, stiff gait

• Decreased milk production

• Loose and variable manure

Learn more in the full article.

ECONOMIC IMPACT OF NISIN AS TREATMENT FOR SUBCLINICAL MASTITIS was the focus of research published in the Journal of Dairy Science. As a naturally produced antimicrobial peptide with a Gram-positive spectrum, the use of nisin does obligate milk discard when used for treatment. A pathogen-specific stochastic simulation model was used to analyze various scenarios to treat subclinical mastitis during early lactation with a nisin-based intramammary treatment with nisin cure rates based on results in FDA approval submission. The researchers’ model results suggested that to maximize the probability of a positive economic impact of nisin treatment, dairy producers may target multiparous cows during periods when milk value is high. Read the full article here.

HOW DO PRODUCERS AND LANDOWNERS PERCEIVE THEIR FARM LAND’S physical liabilities? And how do they prioritize that vulnerability when making management decisions around conservation practices? The answers to those questions are critical to driving policy and education efforts, according to Dr. Margaret Kalcic, PhD, associate professor in the Department of UW-Madison Biological Systems Engineering, and graduate student Andrew Hillman. In a presentation on the Preview Stage at the 2024 PDP Business Conference, Kalcic and Hillman shared research from a farmer survey that found risk factors such as slope and soil type were viewed as important to management decisions. The researchers stated that the findings can inform conservation policy since adopting practices that mitigate nutrient losses on vulnerable land could produce outsized environmental benefits.

Morning Ag Clips

FEATURED BY MORNING AG CLIPS: Milk production in Wisconsin during February 2024 totaled 2.56 billion pounds, up 4 percent from the previous February according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Milk Production report. However, adjusting production for the additional day due to the leap year causes February milk production to be up 1 percent on a per-day basis. Click here to read more.

For your business mind

IDENTIFYING AN OPERATION’S GOALS ARE KEY in making decisions to invest in new precision livestock farming technologies. An article from Penn State Extension outlines the basics behind machine-learning algorithms, artificial intelligence and other concepts that drive some of the newest products in the marketplace. These technologies offer several opportunities to monitor animal behaviors to make informed decisions about individual animal health. However, the authors recommend that any system must be scientifically validated, should align with each farm’s management protocols, and deliver information team members can understand and act on. Learn more in the full article.

ENCOURAGE GRIT AND GRACE AMONG YOUR TEAMS. Hard work and perseverance are characteristics that leaders encourage in their team members, but a Harvard Business Review article emphasizes the importance of nurturing grace – decency, respect and generosity – to build a strong culture and support cooperation. Research has shown that employees who feel emotions of gratitude, compassion and pride are most likely to be patient, committed to a job, and work well with others. Learn how to encourage these emotions here.

WHEN DOES STRATEGIC SLOWNESS PAY OFF? In today’s fast-paced world, there are situations in which pausing and taking a slower approach can deliver more thoughtful and focused solutions. An Inc.com article gives eight examples where strategic slowness may benefit:

Making big, irreversible decisions
Solving complicated problems
Doing creative work
Encouraging ethical actions
Mitigating biases and stereotypes
Reducing destructive friction
Connecting with customers
Enjoying the good things in life

Read the full article to learn more about each situation.

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 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:

March 19

Tune in for an update on the FARM program and what may be on the horizon that can impact individual dairy farms and the industry.

Emily Yeiser Stepp, Vice President, The National Dairy FARM Program

March 20

Learn about how phosphorous impacts water quality and explore how cover crops and other practices change water dynamics, the location and availability of phosphorous in different soil types.

Chelsea Zegler, Agriculture Water Quality Outreach Specialist, UW-Madison Extension
Dr. Jamie Patton, PhD, CPSS, Wisconsin State Soil Health Coordinator, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

March 21

Safety should always be a top priority on the farm. Join an interactive conversation on common farm hazards, how to correct those hazards and OSHA expectations for various situations.

Mary Bauer, CIH, CSP, Compliance Assistance Specialist, OSHA

March 26

With multiple generations working together in today’s farms and offices, understanding how to communicate effectively across those generations is key. Tune in for tips, strategies and insights.

Kristin Pronschinske, Business Consultant, NuVue

March 27

Set new managers up for success with a defined training program. Learn about the steps to creating a program to meet the needs of new managers and their teams.

Don Tyler, Founder of Tyler & Associates, Executive and Management Coach

March 28

As we wrap up the first quarter of 2024, hear about export patterns, and the weather and global trends that have affected dairy and ag markets. We’ll also learn more about what to look for as the growing season commences.

Ben Buckner, Chief Grains and Dairy Analyst at AgResource

Dairy currents

FDA GRANTS QUALIFIED HEALTH CLAIM FOR YOGURT that recognizes the potential link between regular consumption of yogurt and a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes. The petition was submitted by Danone North America, but all yogurt makers can use the claim. The approved claim states: "Eating yogurt regularly, at least 2 cups (three servings) per week, may reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes according to limited scientific evidence."

Learn more here.

CENTURY-OLD MILK POWDER FOUND TO BE SIMILAR IN COMPOSITION to today’s milk powders, according to analysis reported in the Journal of Dairy Science. Whole milk powder (WMP) manufactured in New Zealand in 1907 was sent to Antarctica from 1907 to 1909 with an expedition led by Ernest Shackelton. A sample of that powder was found in Shackleton’s Hut and compared with two modern spray-dried New Zealand WMP. Overall, the Shackleton WMP was “generally similar” with some differences in components and properties likely attributable to the manufacturing equipment and processes used at the time. Read more here.

CONGRATULATIONS TO LARSON ACRES on being named World Dairy Expo’s 2024 Dairy Producers of the Year. From Evansville, Wis., the team at Larson Acres, Inc., has been involved in PDP programs for several years, serving as tour hosts and participating in the PDP Mentor Program, in addition to sending several team members to educational programs throughout the year. Larson Acres will be honored during World Dairy Expo’s Recognition Awards Banquet, Weds., Oct. 4, at 7:00 p.m. in The Tanbark on the Expo grounds. Click here to read more.

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