There’s no single rearing system that is best for successfully raising newborn calves into healthy, productive replacements. But consistency and attention to detail are required – not optional -- according to a producer panel hosted by the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW). Their comments recently were featured on PDPW’s recurring video podcast, The Dairy Signal.      

The three producers – two from Pennsylvania and one from Kansas – all emphasized that there was nothing “fancy” about their calf-raising programs. But following correct protocols and attending to every detail, every day, is critical.

The 2021 Value-Added Tours will be presented by the Professional Dairy Producers Oct. 13 and 14. The tours feature five farms with diverse approaches and value streams when it comes to retail sales, on-farm processing and capturing value from methane, manure or other byproducts.

Retail sales, on-farm processing and capturing value from methane, manure or other byproducts are a few of the ways that dairy farms are adding value streams to their operations. Understanding the options, markets, regulations and challenges for the diverse options available is the first step for producers as they evaluate opportunities.

A Wisconsin crop consultant says farmers noticed something unexpected in a cornfield with interseeded cover crops.

Matt Oehmichen with Short Lane Ag Supply in Colby, Wisconsin tells Brownfield the silage corn was planted in 60-inch rows with interseeded cover crops that could be grazed after the silage harvest in 2020.  He says in this case, there was better cover crop growth where the corn rows went north and south. “So then this year, we all paid particularly close attention and wouldn’t you know it, with the season that we had, you see a little bit more growth in that north and south.”

Five of the past six years have been financially challenging for dairy farmers, according to a trio of Wisconsin ag lenders. What was the best year moneywise for milk producers?

Sam Miller, managing director and group head of ag lending at BMO Harris Bank; Tim McTigue, senior vice president at Investors Community Bank; and Jim Moriarty, director of dairy lending and dairy consulting at Compeer Financial, agree that 2020 had its challenges, but it was a great year for dairy farmers when it came to income.

Ag economist Dan Basse, president of Ag Resource Co. in Chicago, is hopeful milk prices bottomed out in August and are headed back up through the end of the year and into 2022.

The Class III milk price dropped to $15.87 per cwt in August and is now climbing upward.

“A recovery is underway on strong export demand and curtailed milk production,” Basse said during a Professional Dairy Producers Dairy Signal webinar earlier this month. He believes Class III milk prices will stay in the range of $17 to $18.50 into 2022.

With the harvest season coming once again, it's time to remember all the steps you can take to keep yourself and others on the farm safe from the various hazards in agriculture.

Many of in the ag industry may fall into a routine where they tend to operate on autopilot, but that can be dangerous, said Cheryl Skjolaas on the Dairy Signal hosted by the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin. Skjolaas is a senior outreach specialist at the UW Center for Agricultural Safety and Health and has been working in ag safety for 30 years. Whether you've been in the industry for one year or fifty, we all need to take the precautions necessary to protect our health and safety and prevent accidents, she said.

A growing number of consumers are seeking the potential benefits of A2 milk to increase their dairy-product tolerance. Touted for its digestive advantages by people who would otherwise avoid consuming dairy, A2 milk continues to capture broad interest around the world.

In “A2A2: What’s in it for you?”, a recent episode of PDPW’s The Dairy Signal™, two dairy producers shared their experiences producing milk and cheese for the A2 market. The 60-minute segment also featured Dr. John Lucey, PhD, professor of food science at University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of Center for Dairy Research.

Professional Dairy Producers will host its annual 2021 ACE On-the-Farm Twilight meetings at four Wisconsin dairy farms in August.

Farms include Nehls Bros. Farm, Juneau, Aug. 23; Winch's Pine Grow Farms, Fennimore, Aug. 24; Fischer-Clark Dairy Farm, Hatley, Aug. 25; and Minglewood, Deer Park, Aug. 26.

 

About half of the 4,000 calves on Busse’s Barron Acres in northwestern Wisconsin are on milk in calf hutches, said Sherry Arnold.The operation is dedicated to raising calves from birth to five months for 13 dairies.

In the summer months the calves that are in hutches, as opposed to a weaning barn, are watched particularly closely for signs of heat stress. It’s important to keep heat stress from happening and to address it if it does happen, Arnold said during a June 29 Professional Dairy Producers Dairy Signal webinar.

Does your farm have a Facebook page? Maybe you’ve added Instagram, YouTube, or another social media channel to your business’s image. Whatever a farm’s preferred platform may be, advocating for agriculture online continues to become the norm as a growing number of community members and other consumers are interested in what’s happening on the farm and how their food is being produced.

Sharing our story is something dairy farmers are regularly called to do, and social media is an easy, effective way we can do that. But just as with all social media content, it’s important to present the best and most accurate information about agriculture. Online material has a long shelf-life, so not only does a thoughtful, informative post portray a good image of your farm now, it can also serve as a positive example of the industry for years to come.

To make the most of your farm’s social media account, there are a few considerations to keep in mind before you sign up. Kallie Coates, a freelance social media designer and marketer with agricultural experience, shared her top tips during a presentation at the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin Business Conference.

As we gather again with family and friends after COVID-19 lockdowns have been lifted, we are still somewhat constrained, according to Charlie Arnot, CEO of The Center for Food Integrity and president of Look East.

“There’s an enormous pent-up demand out there to get together and go out to eat at restaurants and celebrate, but there’s a lack of labor to supply kitchen and wait staff,” Arnot explained. “As we ramp up again, we are noticing a lack of labor across the entire food system, whether it’s a shortage of staff at restaurants or workers at meatpacking plants.”

Arnot spoke June 8 during a Professional Dairy Producers Dairy Signal webinar about food trends and concerns. He said COVID-19 has helped shape several new food trends.

With Wisconsin holding the distinction of "America's Dairyland," the task of becoming a licensed master cheesemaker is one of the most challenging processes in the nation's dairy industry. However, its graduates say the hard work is worth the value added to Wisconsin cheese.

Master cheesemakers Pam Hodgson, of Sartori Cheese, and Chris Renard, of Renard's Cheese, as well as program coordinator Andy Johnson at the Center for Dairy Research, were guests on Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin's podcast "The Dairy Signal."

When the Colonial Pipeline, which transports over 100 million gallons of fuel each day along the East Coast, was shut down during a ransomware hack earlier this month, gas stations in some eastern states started running out of fuel and concerned residents began panic-buying.

The days-long interruption in fuel distribution caused significant localized disruptions. But the dairy industry, which had the potential to see secondary effects from the shutdown, emerged fairly unscathed according to Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at UW-Madison. Stephenson made the comment during a May 18 episode of Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin’s Dairy Signal. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lesson in the situation for dairy producers and processors.

Lameness is a costly problem for dairy farms that leads to reduced milk production, fertility challenges and higher cull rates. Dr. Gerard Cramer, DVM, DVSc, Associate Professor with the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine of the University of Minnesota, shared practical strategies for detecting, treating and managing hoof health issues in an episode of PDPW’s The Dairy Signal™.

During the episode entitled “Reducing Lameness in Dairy Cattle,” Dr. Cramer discussed several strategies producers can employ to enhance hoof health. Ensuring cows spend enough time lying down and promptly treating lame cows topped the list.

The next time you walk through your two-year-old pen, grab a pen and a sheet of paper and jot down the animals you think you’ll still be milking in the next few years. What do these animals look like? What traits do you like about them? Chances are they’re healthy, breed back and perform well in the parlor. But how do you make your entire herd look like this? How do you breed the perfect cow?

During the 2021 Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin Business Conference, three dairy genetic professionals spoke on how technology, consumer demands and personal preferences will affect breeding decisions today as well as in the years to come.

Human beings are complex, and that means our interactions are, too. A seemingly simple conversation with an employee about what’s going on in the barn, for example, could be successful or unsuccessful based on any number of things that have nothing to do with what’s happening in the barn. How many times have we snapped at, withdrawn from, or ignored a conversation because of one of the millions of other thoughts in the back of our minds that always seem more important?

Even a talented cheesemaker can only do so much with average-quality milk, according to Ben Shibler, cheese manager and head cheesemaker at Ponderosa Farmstead in Kewaunee.

They call it “the buddy system,” and with it, the calves couldn’t seem to happier.

Or at least that appears to be the case at McFarlandale Dairy in Watertown and Wagner Farms in Cecil.

 

Every day, 33 children in the U.S. are seriously injured on farms. 

Farms are a great place for kids to grow up, according to Marsha Salzwedel, youth ag safety specialist at Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation’s National Farm Medicine Center in Marshfield, Wis. Salzwedel and Cheryl Skjolaas, University of Wisconsin-Madison agricultural safety and health senior outreach specialist, spoke earlier this month during a Professional Dairy Producers webcast.

Salzwedel said growing up on a farm helps kids build character, and it instills them with a good work ethic. But she said there are also downsides to growing up on a farm.

Farmers need to model safe behaviors and check on employees. 

Cheryl Skjolaas, University of Wisconsin-Madison agricultural safety and health senior outreach specialist, wants farmers and their family members and employees to think safety this spring as you head out to do fieldwork and plant.

Skjolaas and Marsha Salzwedel, project scientist at Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation and National Farm Medicine Center in Marshfield, Wis., spoke about farm safety on April 13 during a Professional Dairy Producers webcast.

Currently, 63% of the U.S. is experiencing some level of drought. 

Although a lot can happen between now and July, Eric Snodgrass, principal atmospheric scientist for Nutrien Ag Solutions, said he is very concerned about widespread drought in the U.S. this summer.

“I rarely go out on a limb like this, but I am more concerned than normal about drought east of the Rockies,” he said. “A drought is already set for west of the Rockies.”

Snodgrass spoke about the climate and weather trends that will influence spring planting and affect the 2021 growing season during a Professional Dairy Producers webcast on April 14.

PDPW presentation highlights alternative farming initiatives. 

It is not uncommon for dairy farmers to diversify their operations or explore ways to create new revenue streams.

Some farmers make cheese or ice cream, bottle milk or bag composted manure on their farms. Others offer farm tours or add an additional livestock enterprise to the mix.

But the two eastern U.S. dairy farmers who presented an educational workshop on direct marketing at the recent Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin Business Conference found other ways to diversify their operations. And when they started their alternative enterprises, they jumped in with both feet.

Milk price won't reach $20 until more cows are culled. Corn prices are expected to climb to $6 per bushel and soybean meal as high as $470 per metric ton this year, according to agriculture economist Dan Basse, president of AgResource Co. of Chicago.

Rising feed margin pressure will persist throughout 2021, Basse told viewers on a Dairy Signal webcast on April 1 sponsored by Professional Dairy Producers. He advised dairy producers to think ahead on feed and forage needs.

 

The University of Wisconsin Dairy Innovation Hub is entering its second year after the state legislature passed a bill funding the research operation in 2019. 

The Hub is spread out between three University of Wisconsin campuses — Madison, Platteville, and River Falls — and receives $7.8 million annually for research projects aimed at improving dairy operations.

Ag economist Dan Basse, president of AgResource Co. in Chicago, believes 2021 will be a good year for farmers. He also says the U.S. economy will take off in the second quarter as life begins to return to normal after Americans receive COVID-19 vaccinations. In fact, Basse is predicting a big recovery in the world economy in 2021 as well.

“Farmers and bankers are getting more optimistic about 2021,” Basse said. “We are far more optimistic about the economy now than we were last spring.”

The spark that led to the creation of the Dairy Innovation Hub was kindled by farmers and others in the agriculture industry.

“Really this was a request from grassroots dairy farmers,” said Shelly Mayer, executive director of Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin, dairy farmer and moderator of a farmer panel during the inaugural Dairy Innovation Hub Dairy Summit.

Research is often taken for granted but it’s critical to the decisions farmers make, says Katie Roth, who farms with her husband, T.J. Roth, and their business partners John and LuAnn Shea at Banner Ridge Farms near Platteville, Wisconsin. That’s why support of the University of Wisconsin-Dairy Innovation Hub is important.

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month.

The month brings a national spotlight to the disease, but a recent Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin webinar helped shine a more narrow beam on a population that has its own specific risks: dairy farmers and others in rural communities.

As you lie in bed at night, do you find yourself tossing and turning with the thoughts of what it might be like to open your own retail store on the farm? Do images of owning your own creamery, cheese shop or ice cream stand pop into your mind throughout the day? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sell your own products at the local farmers market? If so, you’re not alone. There are hundreds of other producers having the same thoughts, but it takes hard work and dedication to be one of the few to turn those thoughts into a reality.

In times of uncertainty, value-added products can add some stability for farmers.

As producers consider adding value to their dairy by diversifying into on-farm sales, Lolly Lesher, owner/partner in Way-Har Farms and Way-Har Farm Market in Bernville, Pennsylvania, recommended farmers consider several factors, including consumer preferences and the amount of time you are willing to spend on the business before jumping into a value-added enterprise.

Dairy farmers around Wisconsin are using innovative technology and management practices to help protect Wisconsin’s valuable water and natural resources.
Such was the topic at the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin Environmental Workshop at Miltrim Farms near Athens Sept. 24. PDPW partnered with the Wisconsin Towns Association.
The workshop featured discussion panels with dairy farmers to share ways they preserve and protect water and soil quality on their farms and information from conservation specialists.

New eating trends spark double-digit growth for butter, cheese 
Despite the many challenges of 2020 brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic, this year has seen dramatic growth in dairy product consumption. From specialty cheeses and single-serve snack size options to butter and milk, dairy categories are faring well at the supermarket. Consumer eating habits changed as a result of shutdowns. People began cooking more and eating the majority of their meals at home. Thus, more dairy found its way into shoppers’ carts, leading to a spike in butter, cheese, milk and other dairy products.

There's been a noticeable shift in what it looks like to go to a grocery store. Someone wiping down carts at the front of the store, markings on the floor detailing social distancing guidelines, a clear barrier between checkout clerks and customers.

The United States is falling behind its dairy competitors in both the European Union and New Zealand in enacting new, bilateral trade agreements, says Peter Vitaliano, chief economist for the National Milk Producers Federation.

Vitaliano spoke on a Dairy Signal podcast sponsored by the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin this week.

“We are behind the curve. Our competitors are going gang busters with bilateral agreements,” he says. “The U.S. has been very slow. [Our competitors] are so far ahead of us that the best we can do is get back to a level playing field.”

With USDA announcing its Coronavirus Financial Assistance Program (CFAP) payments for April through the end of year last week, a National Milk Producer Federation (NMPF) economist projects the totaled payments will add $1.40 to $1.50/cwt to milk checks in 2020. Smaller farms will receive this entire amount. Larger farms are of course subject to the $250,000 payment limits in each of the first and second round of CFAP payments.

Milk-feed margins could be stressed this fall and winter as both milk and feed remain highly volatile due to the COVID-19 pandemic, weather and export challenges, says Dan Basse, president of AgResources Company based in Chicago, Ill.

With increased volatility in dairy and feed markets this year, more dairy farmers are looking at ways to mitigate that risk and protect their milk-feed margins and bottom lines.

Before you do any hedging, though, you first need to know your cost of production. That’s a pretty basic concept, but it’s absolutely essential knowledge before you embark on any risk management plan, say Tim Swenson, a senior business consultant with Compeer Financial, and Chris Atten, Principal with Atten Babler Commodities.

Despite your best efforts to keep them healthy, young dairy calves can get sick. Unfortunately, they also can make you sick. And you can even make them sick.

Jeff Bender, DVM, MS, DACVPM shared his insights on zoonotic diseases in a recent edition of the “Dairy Signal,” produced by the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin. Bender works in both the veterinary and public health arenas as Co-Director of the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) based at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.

For nearly every dairy farmer, corn silage harvest season is one of the most important periods of the entire year. As more and more farms transition toward rations high in corn silage, it becomes even more critical.

My family and I rely on a team of professionals to help in planning for and managing our business, as well as making sure that animals are healthy and rations are balanced. When an animal is sick or we have a new challenge to overcome, we don’t hesitate to reach out to professionals in our industry to ask for help or advice.

Why should we treat building demand and marketing our products any differently? Dairy checkoff programs were created to provide a professional resource to advocate for our industry and build markets for our products, and I’d argue that those investments are even more important when times are tough and margins are tight.

During a recent Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin webinar, Dr. Theresa Ollivett, assistant professor at UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, and Dr. Jennifer Van Os, assistant professor and Extension specialist in animal welfare in the Department of Dairy Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, spoke on some of the specific animal welfare benefits of raising dairy calves in a group or paired system. 

Encouraging young children to plant a wet kiss on that adorable farm animal is just a bad idea, according to Dr. Jeff Bender, noting that many diseases can be transmitted from animals to human.

Dairy farmers in Wisconsin are again bringing local government officials and their neighbors together to solve problems.  Shelly Meyer with the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin tells Brownfield the Agricultural Community Engagement or ACE meetings each year are a partnership farmers have with the Wisconsin Towns Association and the Wisconsin Counties Association. 

For the past five months, most farm folks have been communicating and networking online thanks to social distancing precautions amid the coronavirus pandemic. In search of a bit of normalcy, PDPW held a Dairy Fest at two Wisconsin family farms – Marti Farms in Vesper and Vision Aire Farms in Eldorado – on Aug. 12 and 19.

STEVENS POINT - When Ken Feltz's children came back home from going to college a few years ago, he said it was time for a change of scenery on the farm.

When Ken Feltz's children came back home from going to college a few years ago, he said it was time for a change of scenery on the farm.

In a continued effort to encourage dialogue in rural communities, three Wisconsin dairy farm families will open their doors for an evening of conversation, tours and ice cream as part of the 2020 ACE On-the-Farm Twilight Meetings to be held August 25, 26, and 27, 2020, in Darlington, Stevens Point, and Eden, Wis.

If we’ve learned anything throughout 2020, it’s that in order to survive these crazy times, we have to learn how to adapt. This especially holds true for those who hold leadership positions on today’s agricultural operations.

Recently, dairy farmers have been faced with a new set of challenges that have many uncertain about the future of their products and industry.

"There's been extreme volatility," said Travis Marti a third generation dairy farmer. "The market has been up, the market has been down. There's been so many things that have effected the market especially with COVID."

Slinger - Dwight and Shelly Mayer, owners of Mayer Farms, are sharing their farm business experience with interns. 

DAIRY NEWS – Katy Schultz of Fox Lake, Wis. was elected president of the Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW) Board of Directors for the 2020-2021 year. Joining her on the executive committee are Janet Clark, Rosendale, Wis. – vice president; John Haag, Dane, Wis. – secretary and Jay Heeg, Colby, Wis. – treasurer.
 

The kitchen has become the place where a majority of meals are prepared. Will that trend continue?

Charlie Arnot, CEO of The Center for Food Integrity and president of Look East, spoke June 3 as part of the Professional Dairy Producers’ Dairy Signal webinar series about consumer food trends during COVID-19. 

Organizations are increasingly relying on data-driven approaches to change their current practices. Recognizing this trend, the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Life Sciences Communication requires that all undergraduate students understand the basics of science communication research methodology.

“Because we encounter data every day in our life, we need to know the best way to collect, analyze, and communicate data, no matter what field you are in,” says Kaiping Chen, assistant professor in the Department of Life Sciences Communication (LSC).

 

Chen teaches LSC 250: Research Methods in the Communication Industry, an undergraduate core curriculum course that teaches students the stages of different research processes, such as surveys and focus groups. Students also learn how to analyze and translate data into reports for expert and lay audiences as the class features a semester-long final project where students utilize the knowledge and skills they gained in a real-world setting.

Celebrate Wisconsin’s farmers with Emmy and Trifecta Dairy Farm in this Channel 3000 interview.

The Schultz family has been farming in Wisconsin since the 1900's.  The three Schultz siblings (Tri-Fecta Farms -- Kari, Nick & Katy) are proud to carry on a family tradition of caring for our people, animals and land. Now back at the farm full time, Katy serves as the on-farm manager for daily operations, including livestock and employees. The family's farm has 500 cows and 2,000 acres of corn, alfalfa, wheat, soybeans and peas. Katy and her daughter live in Fox Lake, Wis.  As of 2020, in addition to the dairy and crop farm, the siblings launched Tri-Fecta Farms Family Market to offer their friends, family, and community a trusted, local source for been.

Farmers now have more details about coronavirus relief aid packages from the federal government and state of Wisconsin. The United States Department of Agriculture announced on Tuesday that farmers could start applying for direct payments starting Tuesday, May 26. They can apply through their local Farm Service Agency office. The USDA is providing $16 billion in direct payments for farmers in the country in an attempt to soften losses caused by the coronavirus. “These payments will only cover a portion of that impact of farmers and ranchers, we have a limited pot of money unfortunately and we're making the best of what we can,” said Sandy Chalmers, Wisconsin FSA Director on a video call with dairy producers on Thursday. Chalmers spoke to dairy farmers on the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin program 'The Dairy Signal.' She told farmers the best thing they could do to accelerate their payments was visit farmers.gov and look ahead of time at application materials they would need.

Digital dermatitis, commonly known as hairy heel warts, is an incurable disease caused by an infectious organism called treponeme, a spiral-shaped bacterium commonly found on dairy operations. Clinical signs of this painful disease include raw, red, oval shaped lesions typically found on the back of the cow’s heel and they are prone to animals who consistently have wet, dirty feet.

Wisconsin’s Governor is almost ready to release details about the state’s direct payments to farmers using federal coronavirus relief money. Democrat Tony Evers says, “We are very, very close. I’d say within a day or two of announcing what that whole package will look like. Obviously, dairy and agriculture will be a priority.”

Evers says Wisconsin has received the 1.9 billion in federal CARES Act funding.  The Governor appeared on the Dairy Signal podcast hosted by the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin Tuesday, where he told producers he is still consulting with agriculture leaders before releasing details of the plan. “We did receive the one-point-nine billion dollars and we’re in the process of making decisions around how that will be distributed and most of it will be either used to distribute to agriculture and other businesses that are struggling, but also we have to pay for testing and the other things.”

Farmers have taken more than their fair share of the collective punishment meted out from the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Stay-at-home orders and social distancing orders forced restaurants, stores and schools to close, leading to farmers across the country finding themselves with a depleted market for their milk. That bleak reality was compounded this month as producers opened their April milk checks, wondering how they will cover expenses this month and beyond. Wisconsin dairy industry experts shared their insights this week on how Wisconsin's cheese industry has been impacted by the pandemic during PDPW's weekly educational webcast The Dairy Signal.

Mark Stephenson of UW-Madison Director of Dairy Policy Analysis and Director of Wisconsin's Center for Dairy Profitability says the U.S. dairy farms have experienced an estimated loss of $10 billion loss. He estimates Wisconsin dairy farmers absorbed a $2 billion loss in revenue since Jan. 1."We don't know what all the losses are going to be going forward from here," Stephenson said. On a positive note, Stephenson says U.S. dairy product prices have been competitive compared to world prices. "That's resulted in some export sales opportunities, so we're starting to move a bit of product that way," he said. 

During the midst of a global pandemic, it is important to set our sights on the future, even when that uncertain future stirs up emotions of fear and anxiety. To conquer those fears, however, requires a special kind of courage. According to Tom Thibodeau, a professor of servant leadership at Viterbo University, it requires a courage uniquely disguised as grace under pressure. 

“Courage is grace under pressure,” Thibodeau says. “Courage recognizes the significant work of farmers, their families, farm communities and all who are engaged in feeding the world.”

Dairy farmers and allied-industry representatives with questions during the COVID-19 pandemic are encouraged to listen to the “Dairy Signal,” recently launched by the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin. The organization is featuring live-streamed sessions from noon to 1 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, focusing on the newest resources and strategies. A recording and podcast will be available for on-demand access after each live-streamed session.

The first Dairy Signal session featured moderator Shelly Mayer, executive director of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin, as well as Chad Vincent, CEO of the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, and Mark Stephenson, director of dairy-policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“Challenges from our past have prepared us for the present,” Mayer said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend up to $15.5 billion in the initial phase of its plan to bolster the nation's food supply against the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the news agency Reuters has reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter.  The initial plan will include direct payments to farmers and ranchers, along with other support measures, using a portion of the $23.5 billion approved by Congress to support agriculture in a coronavirus stimulus bill last month, according to the sources.

As Cassandra Strupp, program manager for the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW), watched the evening news on March 11, she knew she had a problem. The World Health Organization had officially designated COVID-19 to be a pandemic, and in response, the U.S. government announced additional flight restrictions. In just a week, more than 1,200 attendees were expected to attend PDPW’s annual two-day PDPW Business Conference in Madison, Wisconsin.

The next day, PDPW assembled a crisis team to discuss next steps, “but in all honesty,” Strupp told Convene, “canceling the meeting was not an option.” The education program and connections shared between attendees — who include dairy farmers, veterinarians, representatives from allied industries, and academics — are “the whole reason the association exists.”

Courage is contagious. It's grace under pressure. As the United States began shutting down and the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW) worked against time and a rapidly spreading virus moving across the country to bring the 2020 Business Conference "Focus"...

Seven of Wisconsin’s largest farm groups have asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use its extensive purchasing power to buy large amounts of dry milk, butter and cheese that normally would be going to restaurants and the food-service industry.

Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, Dairy Business Association, Cooperative Network, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Farmers Union say the current circumstances, far beyond their control, are beginning to result in farms having no place to accept their milk.

In fact, this week some large Wisconsin dairy operations have begun dumping milk because there is no buyer for it.

“With 80 percent of Americans under order to shelter in their homes, hundreds of thousands of restaurants, schools, and other food service outlets have closed or significantly reduced offerings, which means cheese and butter manufacturers have lost their largest market. While retail sales have increased in past weeks, they are now leveling, and orders are slowing. Dairy manufacturers and processors also have seen their export markets decimated,” the Wisconsin farm groups said in their letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.

MADISON, Wis. – The inability to treat an infectious disease, whether in humans or animals, is a scary thought. This becomes a reality when bacteria prove resistant to certain antibiotics.

Time: it’s a precious resource that is distributed equally to each of us daily. While less tangible than money, the principles of spending it are the same. How can you spend it most wisely, for the greatest gain, without wasting, squandering or blowing it?

Wisconsin dairyman Hank Wagner shared his thoughts on time management on a recent Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin podcast. In his message, he noted that while we are granted a new deposit of time every day, that “income stream” is not infinite for anyone. “We don’t know when our time on this earth will end, and none of us are guaranteed unlimited time,” shared Wagner. 

NEW HOLSTEIN (NBC26) - It's a passion, a love, and a drive to be a part of today's Wisconsin dairy industry. "We aren't growing dairy kids anymore and it's a challenge to teach some of those dairy ethics, like a strong work ethic and being fully engaged in what you’re doing,” said Deb Reinhart of Gold Star Dairy Farms L.L.C. “I can teach the skill, but I cannot teach that attitude.” Gold Star Dairy currently milks 500 cows. Deb and her husband David have been on the farm for 45 years, which they operate alongside their son Josh and Manuel Valenzuela.

It’s imperative for farmers to maximize time off the farm when operating dynamic, fast-paced businesses. Fortunately, the personal and professional development needed to sharpen one’s leadership and management skills in the dairy industry have been assembled at one venue over just two days.

Mitch Breunig, another dairy and crop farmer, said trade is equivalent to relationships among people. He said he believes the USMCA will set a strong foundation for results to trickle down over time.

“We need to look forward, and we need to build a thriving business because I have children,” Breunig said. “My friends have children. We want them to be able to come back to the dairy industry and build this industry for the future.”

"We've dealt with declining prices before, but it hasn't lasted this long before," Katy Schultz says as she walks through the barn at Tri-Fecta farms, the 400-cow dairy farm she owns with her two siblings just outside of Fox Lake. The US-China trade war added "insult to injury" during a difficult period for farmers, she says. "It was already not great times and not great prices." "I won't sugar coat that... We struggled. We struggled with everyone." In the weeks before the agreement was signed, people in her community had been talking about the possibilities of a new deal. For some, Mr Trump's promises gave them a "ray of hope" to hang on through difficult conditions.

With ever-tightening profit margins, two fourth generation Fond du Lac County dairies decided to take a calculated risk in revamping their feed management and storage systems.  For Vir-Clar Farms of Fond du Lac and Second Look Holsteins of Eden, that decision has paid off with improved efficiencies in monitoring feed costs, optimizing feed quality, and cost savings.

The PDPW Financial Literacy for Dairy® Series is presented by Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW). The 2019-20 Series will bring together dairy farmers, veterinarians, nutritionists, and other agribusiness professionals and offer three levels of financial development training between November 2019 and March 2020, held at PDPW Headquarters, 820 N. Main St., Juneau, Wis.

The past few years have seen a whirlwind of economic, trade and regulatory policy issues that have impacted international markets and producers in the dairy industry. Understanding changing markets, regulations and consumer trends can make a world of difference when it comes to managing your business in these unpredictable times.

FOX LAKE, Wis. - Before siblings Kari Gribble, Nick Schultz and Katy Schultz could come home to work on the family farm, they had to get some form of education and spend time working off the farm.  Those were the stipulations their parents, Keven and Cheryl Schultz, of Fox Lake, Wis., set for....

A bright, energetic, positive light in the dairy industry will shine no longer with the death of Dean Strauss. Strauss, 48, died on Sept. 29, 2019.  In May, Strauss was one of three farmers in the nation honored for Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability. In July he experienced sudden cardiac arrest while driving home from a dairy meeting in St. Paul. Several months later, he died peacefully at the Sharon Richardson Community Hospice Center surrounded by his family, according to his obituary...

Mother Nature has been taking us for a ride this year. Many farmers experienced winter-killed alfalfa followed by heavy spring rains and late-planted corn. More wet weather in May and June further stretched forage inventories. Corn harvest for silage has been pushed into September for most producers, and an early frost is an unwelcome thought.

Though Wisconsin is again leading the nation in farm bankruptcies, some of those still farming say they’re determined to succeed.

Shelly Mayer, of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin, says it’s been a tough five years for dairy farmers. But she says there is a silver lining...

The Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin held a Water Matters farm tour field day June 25, visiting two farms in southwest Wisconsin to learn about what dairy farmers are doing to protect and improve water quality. 
    “In perspective, in America, while our waters are not perfect, we have done a good job of soil conservation and practices, but there is always room to be better,” said Shelly Mayer, PDPW executive director, of the importance of dairy farmers taking the initiative to improve groundwater quality. “Recognizing that water is life and water is food, that this is such a critical conversation.”
    Banner Ridge Farms and Kieler Farms, both of Platteville, Wis., hosted the event.
    In addition to tours...

The animal-welfare issue is moving fast – and will only move faster in the future.

Dr. Nigel Cook, veterinarian and chair of the Department of Medical Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine. likened it to a sleek bullet-train. He pointed to the current number of animal-activist organizations – as well as how animal-welfare-assurance programs have been developed to address animal-health and wellbeing standards.

Cook, and Jennifer Van Os, assistant professor of dairy science at UW-Madison, spoke at the Professional Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin’s annual business conference about what lies ahead for animal welfare.

Dr. Frank Mitloehner, a professor and air quality extension specialist in the Department of Animal Science at the University of California-Davis, isn’t afraid to speak up, particularly on Twitter where he writes under the handle @GHGGuru. He sees 2.5 million people visiting his Twitter account each ... 

Last year, Wisconsin lost 691 dairy farms, the most since 2011. Wisconsin also leads neighboring states in farm bankruptcies. Consecutive years of low milk prices, increasing operational costs and changes in trade policy are exerting pressure on dairy farmers and, by extension, the entire dairy industry. We are alarmed by these trends and want to see them reversed to the benefit of the entire state.

When walking into Lakeshore Technical College next to Wisconsin Farm Discovery Center, a group of students stood around a lifesize model of a cow with the middle of the back lifted out to reveal the cow's reproductive organs. Instructor Craig Lallensack directed students to pull the cow's tail to the left and insert their left arm into the back of the cow. From there he guided them as they learned the anatomy of the bovine reproductive tract.

During a weekend packed with learning about the dairy industry and building leadership skills, students ages 15 to 18 had an opportunity to dig into a number of integral career experiences. In addition to touring Lakeshore Technical College, Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center and LaClare Family Creamery and hearing from dairy professionals in a variety of careers, attendees also learned about the process of artificial insemination and had an opportunity to work with preserved bovine reproductive tracts and mammary glands as well as ...

The Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW) announce their 2019-20 PDPW Board of Directors and Executive Committee, re-electing incumbents Jay Heeg as President, Katy Schultz as Vice President and Dan Scheider as Secretary, and naming Janet Clark as new Treasurer of the Board.

Improving efficiencies on the farm and paying attention to small details was a common theme during the Professional Dairy Producers – PDPW Business Conference in Madison, Wis., on March 13-14, 2019.

World-renowned agricultural economist and former Virginia Tech professor David Kohl urged managers to commit to ...

Everyone experiences stress, the type of tension that accelerates our bodies into fight or flight mode. Stress can also be energizing and motivating, pushing us to accomplish tasks. But how do you know when stress morphs into something else: distress?

“Distress means prolonged periods of stress that your body can’t recover from,” Dr. Josie Rudolphi said during a session at the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin’s recent Business Conference. “This type of stress with no relief, these chronic periods, can be extremely ...

What separates the top 20 percent of dairy farms from the remainder of their peers? 

Jason Karszes, senior Extension associate with the PRO-DAIRY program at Cornell University, shared insights he has gained from studying New York dairy farms with those in attendance at his presentation at the PDPW Business Conference March 13-14 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis. 

After two near-misses of his own, and learning the stories of other accidents and fatalities that occurred around silage piles, Dr. Keith Bolson, of Kansas State University, has become passionate about silage safety. 
    He urged producers and dairy workers to exercise caution during his presentation at the PDPW Business Conference March 13-14 in Madison, Wis.

Calfhood birth and death data provide tools for dairy producers. In the eyes of Dr. Franklyn Garry, DVM, keeping these records is key to successfully raising healthy, well-grown heifers. 

Dr. Garry shared his thoughts on tracking and using this information during a presentation at the PDPW Business Conference March 13-14 in Madison, Wis.
 
 

Twelve dairy farmers and allied industry professionals graduated from the PDPW Cornerstone Dairy Academy™, presented by the Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW) this week after completion of three pillars of learning in the application-based professional development training program.

David Kohl, a professor emeritus in the Applied Economics Department at Virginia Tech spoke to over 1200 attendees at the 2019 PDPW Business Conference about things producers can manage to compete in today's dairy markets.

In a keynote address in which he listed seven habits of successful producers, Kohl said, "Farmers can’t control commodity prices, trade wars, tariffs or weather. But to be successful today, they need to “learn how to manage with focus and manage around the uncontrollables — manage what you can,”

He cautioned that ...

Eight percent, or nearly 700, of the state's dairy farmers left the business last year. A few thousand more farmers got out over the previous five years. Those still at it say being creative is one of the things they have to do to keep going.

There are still about 7,000 milk-cow herds in Wisconsin, many owned by people who say they have no intention of shutting down. Hundreds of farmers travelled to Madison this week for the annual business conference of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin, including ... 

Youth from 15 to 18 years old who want to discover their leadership abilities and explore potential careers will want to register for Youth Leadership Derby. It’s scheduled for April 6-7, 2019, at Kiel High School in Kiel, Wisconsin. Students attending the weekend lock-in will participate in hands-on labs, interactive learning sessions, tours and leadership activities.

In addition to touring the ...

Midwest Farm Weekly: PDPW Business Conference

Attendees of the 2019 PDPW Business Conference will have access to 62 educational sessions, 41 dynamic presenters, and six learning platforms. Held March 13-14, 2019, at the Alliant Energy Center, Madison, Wis. the annual event will include inspirational and business keynotes, information-rich breakout sessions, interactive workshops in the Hands-on Hub, quick-pace Learning Lounges, and breaking innovation from ... 

How cows eat and ruminate is just as important as the nutritional composition of the feed in front of them. Make the most of every minute at the bunk by understanding dairy cow behavior and incorporating that into daily herd management.

“We put a lot of effort into making good feed, but the value of feed is based on how the cow interacts with it,” Dr. Trevor DeVries, University of Guelph, said at the 2018 PDPW Herdsperson Conference held in November in Wisconsin.

Professor and Canada Research Chair in Dairy Cattle Behavior and welfare in the department of Animal Biosciences at the University of Guelph, Dr. DeVries was one of four presenters at the PDPW Herdsperson Conference, held at two Wisconsin locations in October and November, 2018... 
 

Dr. Richard Wallace joined two other calf care experts at a PDPW Calf Care Connection workshop held in Eau Claire, Fennimore and Chilton, Wis. in mid-November.

Wallace's session taught participants how to perform calf necropsies and explained why conducting them is important. Dr. Donald Sockett and Dr. Judd Heinrichs also spoke to attendees about Salmonella Heidelberg, cleaning and disinfecting facilities and equipment, and calf rumen development, respectively. 

The 2018 edition of PDPW Dairy Food & Policy Summit will bring together a dozen top speakers and allow for conversations between farmers, researchers, policy makers on relevant issues.

Featured presenters include:
Sheila Harsdorf, Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture,Trade and Consumer Protection
Matt McKnight, Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Dairy Export Council
Dan Basse, economist and President of AgResource Company
Linda Wenck, Principal at MorganMyers
Chad Vincent, ​Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin Chief Executive Officer
Bill Even, Chief Executive Officer of National Pork Board
Eric Cooley, Co-Director of the UW Discovery Farms Program and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources employees Mary Anne Lowndes and Mike Gilbertson
Emily Yeiser Stepp, Senior Director of the FARM Program
Chase DeCoite, Director of Beef Quality Assurance Program at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association 

The event is scheduled for Dec. 19-20 at the Sheraton Hotel in Madison, Wis. 

Dan Basse, president of Ag Resource Co., recently presented a webinar sponsored by PDPW that featured latest market trends and what they may mean for U.S. farmers. Basse also painted a picture of what global agriculture may look like in 2019.

According to Basse, a trade deal with China would give U.S. agriculture a much needed boost, but even without an updated pact with the overseas trading partner this weekend, ag economist Dan Basse is optimistic that 2019 will be a more favorable year for U.S. farmers.

Basse said trade sanctions and trade agreements have been major talking points for the past year. While U.S. farmers and manufacturers have been watching the retooling of the NAFTA agreement between its Mexican and Canadian trading partners, most have been watching ...

Managing a dairy farm requires a unique skill set to keep up with a complex business as well as changing technologies and management practices; managing the finances of a dairy farm is no different.  A new program designed specifically for dairy producers will provide tools today’s farmers need in a format that meets their busy schedules...

Dr. Donald Sockett, DVM, of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, spoke to participants during mid-November PDPW Calf Care Connection workshops in Eau Claire, Fennimore and Chilton, Wis. about the dangers of Salmonella Heidelberg for the dairy industry, and the importance of proper cleaning and disinfection.

Dr. Richard Wallace and Dr. Judd Heinrichs also taught attendees on calf necropsies and rumen development based on milk-feeding strategies. 
 

Farm-fresh milk, premium homemade ice cream and on-farm tours and events have put Sassy Cow Creamery on Dane County’s map of must-see attractions. Milk, ice cream, retail and agritourism are all part of the four four-pronged approach to value-added dairy farming used by the creamery near Columbus, Wis. 

Participants of Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin’s value-added dairy tour received a firsthand glimpse into Sassy Cow Creamery’s milk bottling and ice cream-making processes Oct. 23.

Opening its doors in April 2008, the creamery processes 6,000 gallons of milk per day and uses over one million pounds of milk per ...

As more dairies seek ways to increase income, many are turning to value-added opportunities. On a recent Value-Added Dairy Tour hosted by PDPW, participants heard from producers who have successfully integrated these strategies alongside their dairy operations. Also sharing insights was Jim Gage, a value-added agriculture consultant, grant writer and business feasibility analyst who wrote a grant for the Craves in 2004. After the tour, he shared some of his expertise on value-added cheese manufacturing... 

Get a clearer picture of what’s happening around the globe and what’s ahead for U.S. dairy in an upcoming World Class Webinar, to be hosted by PDPW from noon to 1 pm CT Wednesday, November 21.

From slaughter projections, milk flows and powder storages to harvest reports, Basse will review how it all impacts domestic and global supplies – and ...

Dairy farm owners and managers looking for creative ways to expand their enterprises to offer value-added products may be interested in participating in a bus tour this month. The Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin is organizing the trip scheduled for October 23, which will make stops at Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese in Waterloo and Sassy Cow Creamery in Columbus.

Participants will hear a roundtable discussion with hosting dairy owners George Crave and James Baerwolf, who will join agricultural value-added business consultant Jim Gage as they share ...

The PDPW Mentorship Program exposes college and tech school students to possible dairy careers.

"It’s an opportunity for students to shadow a dairy farmer for eight hours and also attend the PDPW business conference," said Tracy Propst of PDPW.  “They will fill out an application... the application asks what they want to experience on a farm. Sometimes we’ll give them what they want, and other times ...

The Value-Added Dairy Tours will give dairy farmers and allied industry behind-the-scenes visits to two dairy farms that have successfully added processing and retail markets to their businesses.

The event will feature a roundtable discussion with the farm owners and value-added business consultant Jim Gage, who will bring perspective on crafting business plans for new value-added opportunities and help tour participants think about ...

Implementing on-farm processing or other value-added services to a dairy farm’s operation provides both challenges and diversified revenue opportunities. This tour will shed light on the full spectrum of financial, labor and marketing aspects critical to success.

In addition to touring Crave Brothers Farmstead Classics in Waterloo, Wis., attendees will hear the story of brothers James and Robert Baerwolf, the third generation to farm the Columbia County land their grandfather purchased in 1946. With a variety of milk and ice cream products available in their own farmstead creamery store and 75 retail locations in Wisconsin and Illinois, the Baerwolf families have 10 years of experience developing products to meet consumer needs.

The Crave Brothers have a different story of success. Participants will tour their cheese plant and on-farm bio-digester as they learn how the brothers have delivered milk from their farm through a direct pipeline to their cheese factory to produce popular products including mascarpone, rope string cheese, and ...

While career opportunities in the agricultural industry abound, fewer and fewer people have personal, on-farm experience. To counter this fact and equip non-farm professionals with practical, hands-on involvement, Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW) developed the Agricultural Professional Partnerships® program.

Through the APPs program, participants take in more than 20 hours of...

A series of 2018 PDPW ACE On-the-Farm Twilight Meetings held Aug. 27-31 and hosted by Wisconsin Towns Association, Wisconsin Counties Association and Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW) drew more than 600 attendees for tours of the hosting dairies, ice cream and facilitated discussion about issues important to rural communities, conservation groups, educators and agricultural producers. The four hosting dairies are located in different parts of the state, bringing a variety of talking points to each of the meetings ...

Dan and Steve Smits have made the news before for innovations they’ve implemented in their dairy. But, truth be told, they’d just as soon someone else be in the spotlight. The brothers, owners of Double S Dairy east of Markesan in Fond du Lac County, are quick to credit their committed team of employees and families for the successes they’ve collectively achieved. Taking excellent care of the animals is central to every employee’s work at the dairy.

“It’s our goal to create a quality product and give each animal the right kind of care,” Steve Smits said.

By opening the dairy’s doors to ...

Cows at Kellercrest Registered Holsteins are comfortable and productive. Inside the dairy’s office near Mt. Horeb are wall-to-wall plaques, pictures and honors showcasing breeding successes and more.

Kellercrest was formed in the late-1960s when Daniel and Jeanne Keller purchased two registered Holsteins. They then bought...

The Brey family has been farming on its northeastern Wisconsin dairy since the turn of the previous century. George Brey Sr. established the dairy in 1904. His grandson Bill Brey, with his wife Clarice Brey, raised five children on the farm. Their sons Tony and Jacob Brey in July 2016 became owners of Brey Cycle Farm, carrying on the family tradition.

While some founding principles remain, it’s an ongoing pursuit of innovation, sustainability and leadership that...

One could sum up the philosophy of Miltrim Farms in one word – growth. Owned by Tom and Lorene Mueller, and Kathy and Scott Trimner, Miltrim has seen growth on many levels since it was founded.

For Miltrim Farms, growth isn’t measured merely in numbers of cows, acres or buildings – though family members say they understand the importance of economies of scale. But more significantly they say they’re dedicated to growing strong partnerships to care for the water, soil and environment on their farm as well as growing relationships with team members and...

UW Discovery Farms and Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW) teamed up in their third annual Water Quality Tours to showcase innovations and practices that support sustainability. Nearly 60 participants, including local elected officials, community members, key stakeholders and company leaders attended the tour, which featured a stop at Sunburst Dairy, a 500-cow dairy owned by Brian, Yogi and Cory Brown near Belleville; the Verona City of Verona Public Works; and Wisconsin Brewing Company, all for the cause of learning collaborative strategies of best practices for water and soil quality and embracing the technologies that are most suitable for people, animals and the environment. 

Details on the day's agenda are found here...

Raising quality replacement stock requires upfront costs without immediate returns. This is one of many complex issues dairy farmers must consider when raising youngstock. “Youngstock management really comes down to heifer inventory and heifer management,” said Matt Akins, a University of Wisconsin-Madison dairy management specialist. 
    
Akins presented, “Youngstock management: Heifers eating into your profits?” during a Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin’s World Class Webinar Sept. 5.

There are four goals dairy farmers should keep in mind when...