January 2018 vol.2
Brought to you by Dairy's Professional Development Organization®
  
Opportunities to learn...

PREPARE, PRACTICE AND POSITION YOUR DAIRY FOR SUCCESS at the PDPW Effective Leadership Workshop set for Thurs., Feb 1 at Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy in Kewaunee county, and Friday, Feb. 2 at Boon Farms in Clark county. The session will focus on listening skills and how to effectively communicate and mitigate conflict while working with your farm team, family members and consumers.  Up to 7.0 Dairy AdvanCE credits are available for this training.  Click here for details on Kewaunee County and here for details on Clark County, or call 800-947-7379 to register.

HOW WILL CHANGING CONSUMER DEMANDS AFFECT YOUR DAIRY?  Attend the Dairy Wellbeing Workshop to hear from leading animal welfare and livestock management experts about how demands for more transparency regarding animal welfare and animal care practices will impact dairy production. The one-day workshop will be held Feb. 7 and repeated on Feb. 8. Both programs will be held in Green Bay, Wis. Participants will tour the American Foods Group slaughter and packaging plant and learn about the future of reviews and audits, assessments and humane euthanasia. Click here for more details or call 800-947-7379 to register. Continuing education units are available for ARPAS (up to 7), Dairy AdvanCE (up to 5.25) and School of Veterinary Medicine (up to 6.4).

BUILD CONFIDENCE IN YOUR DAIRY by creating and implementing a proactive communications plan. The PDPW Proactive Communications Workshop is part of the Dairy's Visible Voice series and will be held  on Thursday, Feb. 15 in Clark County and Friday, Feb. 16 in Kewaunee County.  The training, led by Renea Heinrich of MorganMyers and will help attendees prepare a plan for their dairies including the messages, activities, audiences, timing and expenses necessary to execute their plan - along with the metrics to evaluate those activities. Up to 7.0 Dairy AdvanCE credits are available for this training. Click here for details on the Clark county session and here for the Kewaunee county session; or call 800-947-7379 to register.

FACING CHANGE, CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITIES IN WISCONSIN will be the focus of the Agricultural Community Engagement® (ACE) regional meeting scheduled for February 20 in Stevens Point, Wis.  Community leaders, elected officials, conservation officials, and dairy and livestock producers will hear from an impressive slate of speakers including President Ray Cross of the UW System; Dr. Mark Stephenson of UW-Madison; Natalie Cotter, AEA Program Manager, WDATCP;  Valeah Foy, Department of Revenue; and dairy producers Melissa and Travis Marti and Alan and Stephanie Hughes. Learn more about the event co-hosted by PDPW, Wisconsin Counties Association and Wisconsin Towns Association here or register by calling 800-947-7379.

THE 2018 PDPW BUSINESS CONFERENCE BRINGS BEST-IN-CLASS EDUCATION to dairies of all size and management practice, and serves as your premier educational event. Set for Mar. 14-15 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis., we worked closely with your peers through producer committee to build comprehensive sessions that will enhance your personal and professional business, management and production skills. Choose from over 50 sessions that will address key challenges and obstacles for your dairy business, and matched with just over 40 experts in and out of industry that will help you achieve you're A-game. Keep your eye on the future - invest in yourself. It's your time to thrive. Learn more.

CHECK OUT DAIRY ADVANCE. This award-winning program created to help you find, track and report your Continuing Education (CEs) is garnering the attention and support of more education providers every week.  Find, track and report your continuing education credits with Dairy AdvanCE. Get more details at DairyAdvance.org .
For your dairy...

CAN RUMINATION TIME BE AN INDICATOR FOR FEED EFFICIENCY AND INTAKE? This question was the focus of researchers in a recent Journal of Dairy Science article. They studied 72 commercial dairy herds to determine if rumination time recorded by sensor systems could be an indicator of dry matter intake, which can only be tracked in small research settings. The objective was "to estimate genetic parameters for rumination time and the related traits of DMI in primiparous Holstein cows, and to compare genetic parameters of rumination data between a research herd and 72 commercial herds." The results showed that rumination time was not found to be a suitable indicator trait for feed intake and only a weak indicator of feed efficiency.  Learn more here .

MONITORING DAILY BRUSH USAGE CAN BE AN INDICATOR OF LAMENESS , according to the results of one short communication article in the Journal of Dairy Science.  Researchers placed two grooming brushes in a barn - one close to feed bunks and one on the opposite side of the barn from the feed bunk. Cows that were lame and severely lame did not visit the brushes located away from the bunks. However, the results were not sufficient for detecting cows with mild lameness or uneven gait.  Read more here .
Dairy currents...

AMERICANS EXPECTED TO SET MEAT CONSUMPTION RECORD IN 2018. The USDA predicted earlier this month that the average American would eat a total of 222.2 pounds, or 10 ounces a day, of meat and poultry this year. In addition, the USDA predicts the demand for eggs will reach an all-time high in 2018 while dairy products are still growing in popularity. The increased demand is driven by interest in increasing protein consumption and lower price trends. Click here for full article in Food & Wine magazine. 

FARM VISITS MOVE NEEDLE WITH CONSUMER AUDIENCES , according to a research study published by Michigan State University researchers. Surveys were conducted with individuals as they left Breakfast on the Farm events at dairy farms in Michigan, Ohio and Vermont. Farm sizes ranged from 200 cows to 3,500 cows and the events included educational stations throughout the farm. In general, 95 percent of consumers left with a positive or very positive impression about animal housing and 91-96 percent have high or very high trust the dairy farmers will do the right things with regard to caring for their animals. Learn more in the full article here .

"JUST WALK OUT" TECHNOLOGY AT NEW AMAZON GO RETAIL STORE.  Amazon opened its first retail store that eliminates checkout lines. Customers scan an app on their smartphone when entering the store, then cameras and scanners automatically detect items a shopper picks up and bills them directly through the app. The store sells convenience store items, including milk and dairy products, as well as high-end, pre-packaged fresh foods.  Learn more here . 
For your business mind...

MAKE SIMPLE CHANGES FOR BIG PRODUCTIVITY GAINS. Instead of making - and likely breaking - grandiose resolutions each year, the author of a Fast Company article suggests making a series of small changes to reduce stress and improve productivity in the workplace and at home.  Here are a few ideas:
  • Delete an app you use at least once daily. Seriously. We all have that one app that steals time without adding value - try going without it for a few days.
  • Set a "get ready for bed" alarm.  Lost sleep can be a drag on productivity and many people find themselves staying up too late and paying for it the next day.
  • Keep water nearby. Staying hydrated helps you stay focused and energized. Keep a glass or refillable water bottle within arm's reach.
  Click here to read the full article with more tips and details.

FOCUS ON TOTAL POUNDS OF MILK, NOT AVERAGE MILK PER COW when analyzing your farm's cash flow and financial situation, according to an article from Penn State University Extension. Average milk per cow does not take into consideration cows that are in the dry herd. If cows in the milking herd have a strong per cow average, they still need to make up for the ones not currently producing. By assessing total milk produced and resulting revenue, farmers can better assess profitability. Click here for more information and details on developing a cash flow plan for the upcoming year using realistic cow numbers, production and milk price. 

GOOD NEWS OR BAD NEWS FIRST? If you have both types of feedback or news to deliver, author Daniel Pick says starting with the bad news is better. Research shows that 4 out of 5 people prefer to end a conversation or meeting on a positive note, so getting bad news out of the way first is preferable for most people. Read more here .
Words to live by...
 
"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure."
--- Colin Powell
Book Review...

MINI HABITS: SMALLER HABITS, BIGGER RESULTS MINI HABITS BOOK COVER      
Author Stephen Guise changed his fitness habits and launched a journey to better health with just one push-up a day. His book details how making one small positive change at a time can make a huge difference. He shares that when you start playing by your brain's rules and taking your human limitations seriously, you can achieve lasting change. Read more here .
A BIG Thank You...    
 
IT'S A NEW YEAR, WITH A NEW LINE-UP OF AGRIBUSINESS LEADERS supporting your professional development organization! As we walk into our 26th year as a producer-led group, we extend a heart-felt "Thank You!" to those that stand alongside our nation's dairy farmers.  T heir support allows PDPW to execute best-in-class producer training and has enabled us to become the go-to resource for unified outreach initiatives. 
 
See the full list of generous sponsors here.



Our Vision, Mission, Corporate and Event Sponsors  invest in and build a strong industry. If you interact with any of these companies, please thank them for supporting PDPW!   If you or a company you know is interested in participating as a sponsor, please contact ous at [email protected] or call 800-947-7379.