November 9, 2021
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shelly Mayer
800-947-7379
mail@pdpw.org
 
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PDPW Dairy Insights Summit to Focus on Issues, Opportunities Across Food System
Collaborative Discussions with Farmers, Industry and Food Professionals and Policymakers
 
DAIRY NEWS – The food system is one of the industries that was most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, from supply chain disruptions to volatile pricing and changing consumer demands. The 2021 PDPW Dairy Insights Summit presented by Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW) will feature collaborative discussions with stakeholders from multiple sectors of food and agriculture systems, including farmers, policymakers, and industry and food system professionals, regarding the lessons learned over the past 18 months and implications for the future. The summit will be held on from 9:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on Wed., Dec. 1, at the Sheraton Hotel in Madison, Wis.
Interactive presentations and panel discussions will focus on consumer trends that emerged from the pandemic, global connectivity and sustainability in milk production, and perspectives from the pork industry on the impact supply chain and processing capacity shifts have on both animals and humans.
“Supply chain, production and other issues during the pandemic put our food system in the spotlight and highlighted both the challenges and opportunities of working in a global food system and meeting consumer demands,” said Katy Schultz, Fox Lake, Wis., dairy producer and PDPW president. “We look forward to insightful presentations and open discussions across the food system at the 2021 PDPW Dairy Insights Summit to ensure a stronger future for farmers and consumers alike.”
Sessions will include the following interactive presentations and discussions led by experts from across the food chain:

• In “Just around the bend in consumer trends,” presented by Charlie Arnot, CEO of the Center for Food Integrity, Arnot will look to ongoing research and data analysis to help attendees better understand the food trends that emerged from the pandemic and which are here to stay. Backed by 30 years of experience in the food system, he’ll lead a discussion on the potential impacts and opportunities for the dairy industry.
• “Sustainable milk production, globally speaking panel discussion” will feature Dan Peerless, global sourcing lead for dairy, meat, poultry and eggs at Nestlé; Jay Waldvogel, senior vice president of strategy and global development for Dairy Farmers of America (DFA); and Mary Ledman, global dairy strategist with RaboResearch. They will share insights on the global nature of today’s dairy industry, including a production outlook from around the world and what sustainability looks like from a global standpoint.
• “Protecting welfare despite disruptions,” presented by Jeremy Marchant, PhD, research animal scientist with U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agriculture Research Service, will take a deep dive into the implications of a significant reduction in processing capacity on pig farmers, workers and animals during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He will share the key takeaways from an animal welfare perspective.
• “Agriculture: we’re all connected,” presented by Keri Retallick, executive vice president of the Wisconsin Pork Association, and Howard “AV” Roth, fifth-generation hog farmer and president of National Pork Producers Council, will analyze the breakdown of the supply chain, disruptions to market access and health implications to humans and hogs in 2020. Their perspectives will highlight opportunities for all sectors to focus on problem solving and addressing weak links in the supply chain.

 
Dairy’s Foundation (Professional Dairy Producers Foundation) is the event sponsor for the 2021 PDPW Dairy Insights Summit.
 
Learn more about the 2021 PDPW Dairy Insights Summit, including speaker information and available continuing-education units, and register your team by visiting www.pdpw.org or contacting PDPW at 800-947-7379. A special government rate is available for those in the legislative sector and government agencies. Follow along digitally in advance of and during the event by following @dairyPDPW and using #mypdpw on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW) 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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