FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shelly Mayer
800-947-7379
mail@pdpw.org
 
October 28, 2025
 
Financial Literacy for Dairy flyer
Program logo
 
Invest in Personal Skills, Dairy Business Success With Financial Development Program
Full and partial scholarships available from valued “Count on Us” partners


DAIRY NEWS – Some of the most valuable investments in today’s dairy businesses are not represented in cows, equipment or technology. For many, investing time and resources to improve the skills and expertise of owners and team members is the more critical component to building a strong, sustainable business.
 
The Financial Literacy for Dairy® program, presented by Professional Dairy Producers^® (PDP), is designed to give dairy farmers, veterinarians, nutritionists and other agribusiness professionals a solid financial understanding, and resources to transcend their comfort zone with analysis tools and decision-making strategies.
 
Level One of the program provides four days of training in two separate sessions: Nov. 12-13, 2025, and Dec. 3-4, 2025. Level Two sessions are scheduled in three separate trainings: Jan. 15-16, 2026; Feb. 4-5, 2026; and Mar. 10-11, 2026. The timing of sessions enables Level One participants to complete levels one and two in succession.
 
“Whether you’re a farm manager or owner, progressing from a bookkeeping level to a true financial officer is valuable,” said Elsa Condon, Vice President–Ag Banking at Nicolet National Bank. “Having someone at the farm every day who understands the daily farm operations, and can also walk and talk the financials is a success factor.”
 
Several dairy industry partners have recognized the value of comprehensive financial training and participate in the “Count on Us” program to provide attendees full or partial scholarships into the Financial Literacy for Dairy program. “Count on Us” partners include AgCountry Farm Credit Services, BMO, Bremer Bank, Citizens State Bank of Loyal, Compeer Financial, Dairy Business Consulting, Inc., Farmers & Merchants Union Bank, GreenStone Farm Credit Services, Nicolet Bank and Rabo AgriFinance.
 
“Completing the Financial Literacy for Dairy program is a significant investment in time, program fees and travel costs, as well as ensuring responsibilities on the farm are covered during the program,” said Condon. “We believe it is an important investment in personal skills for the future of a farm and are willing to step up and share those costs with dairy producers.”
To redeem a “Count on Us” scholarship, attendees pay the training program fee to PDP upon registration, then consult with their “Count on Us” partners to determine the scholarship amount.
 
All sessions of the 2025-26 Financial Literacy for Dairy program will be held at Pagel’s Ponderosa in Kewaunee, Wis. Participants will complete an online assessment at registration to determine which of the two levels is best suited to them. The online assessment must be taken before November 10.
 
The program is facilitated by Dr. Kevin Bernhardt, PhD., professor of agribusiness at UW-Platteville and UW-Extension farm management specialist, and David Coggins, senior financial leader and retired agriculture loan officer.
 
Registration information and more details are available at www.pdpw.org or by contacting PDP at 800-947-7379. Up to 32 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available from Dairy AdvanCE (DACE) for Level One and up to 48 DACE CEUs are available for Level Two.
 
Follow along digitally in advance of and during the event by following @dairyPDPW on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
 
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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