March 4, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Shelly Mayer

800-947-7379

mail@pdpw.org

Photo of scholarship recipients (caption below)

WROF logo

Wisconsin Rural Opportunities Foundation awards five scholarships for PDP Cornerstone Dairy Academy

DAIRY NEWS – Five students accepted into the 2026 PDP Cornerstone Dairy Academy earned a scholarship to the program from the Wisconsin Rural Opportunities Foundation (WROF). Recipients include Kaylee Ferfecki, Cecil, Wis.; Matthew Fischer, Owen, Wis.; Reagan Kime, Fitchburg, Wis.; Jared Manske, New London, Wis.; and Danielle Ware-Dreier, Brillion, Wis. All five scholarship recipients grew up on dairy farms and some currently assist in operations on their family farm.

Kaylee Ferfecki was involved in FFA, 4-H, dairy judging and dairy bowl and has long been interested in showing cattle. She attended Northeast Iowa Community College and completed two internships on large dairies, being exposed to different technologies in each position. Ferfecki is currently an assistant herd manager at a dairy farm.

Matthew Fischer serves as the president of the Clark County Dairy Promotion Committee board and is a board member on the Clark County Farm Bureau board. He was raised on and still plays an active role in his family’s registered Holstein and Jersey farm, in addition to serving as a traveling educational leadership consultant with Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity.

Reagan Kime grew up on her family’s dairy farm in northeast Iowa; she attended Iowa State University and was active in the Dairy Science Club, CALS Council and national dairy organizations while completing a degree in agricultural and rural policy. She has served in roles with Midwest Dairy, Iowa State Fair, World Food Prize Foundation and the Wisconsin Agri-Business Association.

Jared Manske graduated from UW-Platteville with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business with an emphasis on Agricultural Engineering and Technology, with a Minor in Animal Science. Currently, I am working alongside my parents, running and managing our family dairy farm, working for a local custom harvester, and managing my own custom harvesting business.

Danielle Ware-Dreier attended college for UW-Madison Farm & Industry Short Course and worked at BouMatic and DeLaval traveling the US. She has managed 3 large farms, owned and operated her own dairy farm. She currently manages 50 team members and loves to help build new team members.

“The Wisconsin Rural Opportunities Foundation is proud to support the five scholarship recipients to Professional Dairy Producers’ Cornerstone Dairy Academy with a goal of developing tomorrow’s dairy professionals and industry leaders” said Joan Behr, WROF president. “The program is focused on improving the communication and leadership skills of participants so they can be even more effective on their farms and in their communities.”

The Wisconsin Rural Opportunities Foundation is a non-profit organization that began in 1934 to purchase Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-guaranteed loans following the Great Depression to stimulate Wisconsin’s agricultural economy. Today, WROF invests in the education of people from rural Wisconsin so they can transform and improve the economic health and quality of life in their rural areas.

Presented by the Professional Dairy Producers (PDP), March 3-4 at Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis., Cornerstone Dairy Academy is a three-pillar leadership-development program designed to build the skills of dairy farmers and industry professionals who want to lead with purpose, character and integrity.

Professional Dairy Producers (PDP) is the nation's largest dairy producer-led organization of its kind, focusing on producer professionalism, stakeholder engagement and unified outreach to share ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.

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