April 2020 Vol. 1
Brought to you by Dairy's Professional Development Organization ®
NEW! TIMELY INSIGHTS AND INFORMATION WITH THE DAIRY SIGNAL. Offering real-time, cutting-edge content from dairy’s leading financial and business experts, the Dairy Signal™ is a FREE resource for all producers, processors and industry leaders. Tune in for live-streamed episodes each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 12pm CT. Not able to tune in live? Click here to download recordings of each episode in video or audio format.
For your dairy
BOOKMARK THIS COLLECTION OF RESOURCES designed to help your dairy business navigate day-to-day operations through the circumstances brought on by COVID-19.
PROTECT EMPLOYEES by explaining the importance of protecting each other and themselves from the COVID-19 virus. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has created printable resources with handouts on COVID-19, how germs spread, and what to do if you feel sick. Resources are available in English, Spanish and several other languages. Work with your team to limit face-to-face meetings and implement virtual alternatives to communicate with farm staff through group texts, whiteboards, Facebook groups, tele-conferencing and web-conferencing services. In addition, ensure employees are cross-trained and can cover for other employees or managers in case of illness. 
Dairy currents
HIRING TEENAGE EMPLOYEES is often an important source of labor for farms during summer breaks, and many high school and college students are looking for employment sooner because of school closures due to COVID-19. UW Extension has provided an overview to ensure farms are providing a safe and healthy workplace as well as meeting legal regulations for teens aged 12-13, 14-15, and over 16. Additional resources are available from the U.S. Department of Labor.
GRAIN STAND-UP SAFETY WEEK PROVIDES PRODUCERS with tools to prevent “grain-bin deaths” that occur when grain is harvested too wet – a problem that is already presenting itself in 2020 because of the wet weather in 2019. Many of these deaths occur on farms rather than commercial storage facilities.

In conjunction with Alliance partners, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is promoting “Grain Handling Safety” the week of April 13-17, 2020. The Stand-UP promotion encourages farm managers to intentionally make time for dedicated conversations about safety – particularly as it pertains to the hazards of entering bins and silos, such as engulfment, entrapment, and the dangers of silo gas.

For checklists, videos, safety resources and other tools, visit this website.
Opportunities to learn
IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE … it’s brain science! Holly G. Green, CEO and managing director of The Human Factor, Inc. is partnering with PDPW to conduct the on-demand program Management Development Institute | Elite Manager series.
PDPW Prime Exhibitors are leading dairy-industry companies and service providers.

In upcoming editions, we’ll highlight several exhibitors.

Thank you, PDPW Prime Exhibitors. We appreciate your continued support!

To view PDPW Prime, click here .
Using the latest in neuroscience research, she’ll provide insights on how to think and act differently to develop a culture of excellence and stay focused on winning every day on the dairy. The program will include 12 interactive webinars, readings of selected management materials from global experts throughout the year and three peer learning laboratory sessions along with a number of other resources and learning opportunities. Learn more and register here . 
For your business mind
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM ONLINE PHISHING ATTEMPTS. Social distancing requirements are leading to more online shopping for both consumers and small businesses, which is also triggering an increase in online fraud and phishing attempts . Phishing attempts are made via email, telephone or text message by someone posing as a legitimate institution to lure recipients into providing sensitive data like banking and credit card details and passwords. Below are tips for protecting yourself against phishing attempts:
  1. Always verify the sender is who they say they are by hovering your mouse over the email address in the “from” field for that email message.
  2. Treat emails requesting personal or financial information with extreme caution.
  3.  Verify an email link is going to a legitimate website by hovering your mouse over the text of the hyperlink.
  4. Use caution when downloading email attachments. If you weren’t expecting a document from the sender, it’s best to not download it.
  5. Typos are a red flag. Phishing emails typically contain spelling errors, poor grammar, unattractive text layout and other signs of unprofessional correspondence.
  6. Prevent phishing and other cyberattacks by making sure your office machines have the most up-to-date security software installed.
  7. Click here to read more – including what to do if your account has been phished – in an article by Tobin Consulting.
The Dairy Signal summary
TUNE INTO THE DAIRY SIGNAL for the latest updates and insights from leading industry experts. Featured presenters discuss strategies for managing such topics as markets, financials, reducing surplus milk supplies, record-keeping and more. Live-streamed sessions will be offered for the next several weeks each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 12:00-1:00 12pm CT.

Developed by PDPW for dairy farmers, processors and other industry leaders, each Dairy Signal™ episode offers an opportunity for open Q&A and interaction with the speakers. All episodes are available for on-demand access after each live episode.

Content on The Dairy Signal will be updated as new information becomes available. The schedule for the next few weeks is as follows:

Tues., April 21; Weds., April 22 Thur.; April 23
Tues., April 28; Weds., April 29 Thur.; April 30

Click here to hear the livestreamed episodes from noon until 1 p.m. Central Time, or for access to the recorded sessions. Each episode will be available in video or podcast format.
Three days, six experts AND several management strategies were featured on last week’s episodes of The Dairy Signal™. Click here to download the full video or audio recordings. Here’s a summary:

Dr. Mark Stephenson, UW-Madison Director of Dairy Policy Analysis and Director of Wisconsin's Center for Dairy Profitability
  • Stay in close contact with lenders
  • Determine cash needs spring planting, feeding cows and other upcoming expenses
Chad Vincent, CEO of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin
  • An explanation of the contradiction between empty store shelves and limits on dairy-products while some milk is being dumped
Dr. David Kohl , owner of Homestead Creamery and Stoney Brook Farm in Wirtz, VA, and Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Finance and Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech
Jason Karszes , Senior Extension Associate with Cornell University and the PRO-DAIRY program
  • Document all losses, challenges and anything lenders might need to reference, particularly if you wish to apply for relief programs
  • If dumping milk is required, direct questions to the Wisconsin Farm Center (800-942-2474)
  • Work closely with your cooperative to understand what specific documentation and protocols are required if milk needs to be returned to the field
Dan Basse , Economist and president of AgResource Company
Jay Joy , founder of Milk Money LLC
  • Market-based insights and expectations for impacts across the food sector, livestock and dairy prices, and milk-price insurance programs
  • Expectations for foodservice trends, travel and other ways of doing business once the pandemic subsides
“It’s during our most difficult and challenging times when leadership and leaders are needed most. We need to stay together and united and be a resource for each other. The PDPW Board hopes you find The Dairy Signal a valuable tool.”
Podcast Weekly
Leaders are made for times like these
In a two-part series, Hank Wagner has been sharing messages of hope during a time when many feel anxious. He reminds us that we can grow and influence others even while we’re feeling challenged ourselves. A global pandemic has forced us to physically distance ourselves to prevent a virus from spreading but Hank Wagner helps us see there are other ways we can help people. Tune in to Hank Wagner as he sheds light on our abilities with a message of hope, strength, and opportunity. It’s important to behave like a leader during this times like these.

Listen to these podcasts and more by clicking here . You can also access them from pdpw.org, iTunes or Spotify.

Book Review
BOOK REVIEW: BUILDING RESILIENCY: HOW TO THRIVE IN TIMES OF CHANGE
Developing resiliency allows managers to not only survive during times of change, but to learn, grow and thrive during these times. This guidebook defines resiliency and shares nine developmental components that will help you create a sense of resiliency and increase ability to handle the unknown and view change as an opportunity for development. Check it out here . 

Quote

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things because we’re curious. And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
~Walt Disney

Thank you sponsors
Professional Dairy Producers
820 North Main St.
Juneau, WI 53039
800-947-7379