We're just two weeks away from the 2015 annual meeting!  Make plans to join us for a great meal, top notch speaker, and the chance to catch up with fellow dairy producers and industry partners.  

The 2015 annual meeting will be Monday, January 26, at the Prairie Winds Event Center, 908 8th St, Orange City.  Registrations will begin at 6:00 p.m. with dinner and business meeting at 6:30 pm.

The emcee and keynote speaker will be Mike Pearson, host of Iowa Public Television's Market to Market weekly television program.  

The event is free to all WIDA member farms and businesses.  Please RSVP to LeAnne at info@wiadairy.com or call/text 712-441-5308 by January 22.

The primary member for each farm or business should have received an election ballot along with their annual meeting invitation. Please mail back in the enclosed envelope by Jan. 20.  If you did not receive a ballot or invitation, please contact LeAnne at info@wiadairy.com or 712-441-5308.

The 12th Annual Midwest Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge will be hosted at Dordt College Feb 11-13.  Thank you to all the area farms and businesses who are hosting, supporting or volunteering at activities and events.  

More volunteers are needed for activities and events throughout the Challenge.  For details and opportunities, contact volunteer coordinator Tom Vander Heiden at tomvh@midwesternbioag.com or click here to visit the web site .

As part of WIDA's partner membership with Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW), WIDA producer members can receive PDPW member rates for World Class Webinars and other programs.  WIDA is also hosting lunch viewings of the sessions at the Sioux County Extension Office in Sioux City ... lunch included ... that are free and open to all members.  

The next session is on  Feb. 11 and will focus on the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, and how this federal statute can become an issue at the time of an OSHA inspection.  

All members are welcome to join the lunch viewing at noon on Feb. 11.  Just contact LeAnne in advance at 712-441-5308 (call or text) or info@wiadairy.com for an accurate lunch count.

The theme of the 2015 Ag Summit at Dordt College will be "Cultivating the Farming Legacy" and feature speakers including Malcolm De Kryger, David Krahling (moderator), Phil Kooima, Darin Dykstra, Joel De Jong, and Dale Vande Berg.  Click here for more details. 

Thanks to everyone who has renewed their membership and to several new members who have already joined for 2015.  Your membership and support has allowed WIDA to introduce new programs and provide a stronger voice for dairy producers this year, and we're looking forward to an even better 2015.  Read about 2014 accomplishments here, and download membership materials on our web site.

Tired of the Midwestern winter?  Join the Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation for a dairy focused trip to California March 5-10.  The trip will include tours of multiple dairies as well as sightseeing opportunities in Yosemite National Park and San Francisco.  WIDA will cover $100 of trip cost for our dairy producer members.  Click here for more details.