Training Sessions
Presenters and topics by week, with a brief description of each day's episode topic and featured presenter(s):
Week 190: Healthy Eating, Feed Quality & Market Drivers: (watch now)
Tuesday, Jan. 2
Start the new year off with a fresh focus on your health. Tune in for a discussion of dietary and cardiovascular wellness and how to build healthy eating habits that will last all year long.
- Amy Mydral Miller, MS, RDN, FAND, Founder and President of Farmer’s Daughter Consulting
Bring your questions about 2023 feed quality and 2024 seed decisions to this interactive conversation. Dr. Goeser will review 2023 crop quality and discuss anti-nutritional factors that are showing up in Michigan and eastern U.S. dairies.
- Dr. John Goeser, PhD, Director of Nutritional Research & Innovation at Rock River Lab, Inc., and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Dairy Science Department at University of Wisconsin-Madison
Hear a 2024 outlook for dairy markets with a focus on the top 10 fundamentals market drivers that producers should be aware of and discuss the risk management considerations recommended for the year ahead.
- Will Babler, Principal, Atten Babler Commodities LLC
Week 189: Holiday Tips, Stress Management & Market News: (watch now)
Tuesday, Dec. 19
With the holidays upon us, tune in for tips for avoiding burnout so that you are able to enjoy the season with team members, family and friends.
- Michael Hoffman, President, Igniting Performance
Year-end can be one of the most stressful times in agriculture as you look back on this year and plan ahead for the next. Hear about mental health and managing stresses specific to agriculture. E
- Amanda Coorough, M.S.S.A., Regional Project Manager, Gret Lakes ROTA-RC, UW-Madison, Division of Extension
Join in the final market update episode of 2023 for a look back at key trends and a look ahead at what market, export, and weather events might impact your dairy business in 2024.
- Ben Buckner, Grains and Dairy Analyst, AgResource Company
Week 188: Transition Cow Diet, Weather Update & Holiday Pairings: (watch now)
Tuesday, Dec. 12
Hear about the different nutrients that are needed for a successful transition cow diet.
- Dana Tomlinson, PhD, Nutritionist, Global Technical Services, Zinpro IsoFerm
Tune in for a look back at the weather events and trends that shaped 2023 and learn about what might be in store for 2024.
- Andrew Pritchard, Senior Meteorologist, Atmospheric Sciences, Regional Atmospheric Scientist for Canada, Nutrien Ag Solutions
Impress your friends and family this holiday season with charcuterie boards featuring Wisconsin cheese! Watch this episode to learn about ways to pair your favorites and how to incorporate new cheeses into your holiday entertaining.
- Ashley Hagenow, 76th Alice in Dairyland
Week 187: Meat Quality, Sleep Habits and Market News: (watch now)
Tuesday, Dec. 5
Dairy producers are focused on producing the highest quality milk, but what can we do to deliver higher quality meat? Tune in for this discussion comparing meat quality of crosses as well as carcass waste and other strategies to improve the value and quality of meat from our dairy animals.
- Dr. Dale Woerner, Professor and Cargill Endowed Professor in Sustainable Meat Science, Davis College of Agriculture Sciences and Natural Resources, Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Texas Tech University
A good night’s sleep is essential to physical and mental health. Join the conversation to learn tips and tricks for a good night’s sleep and how to build your own beneficial sleep habits.
- Morgan Ekovich, Owner & Head Trainer of Get Fit with ME LLC
As you make plans for year-end and set goals for 2024, take time to learn about the export, weather, and market trends that will impact the industry and your farm.
- Dan Basse, President of AgResource Company
Week 186: Tax Prep, Cover Crop Fertility, Energy Conservation: (watch now)
Tuesday, Nov. 28
Tax time is typically not a dairy producer’s favorite time of year, but the process can be much easier with a clear and comprehensive recordkeeping system. Tune in to learn about the critical information for tax preparation and how to best work with a tax professional team. Episode presenter will be:
- Katie Wantoch, MBA, Farm Management Professor of Practice, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, Agriculture Institute
Hear the results of recent nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) research in cover crops and get an update on yield data for this harvest season. Episode presenter will be:
- Matthew Oehmichen, part owner of Short Lane Ag Supply
Understanding where your energy use is coming from and finding solutions to reduce usage leads to increased profitability. Our series on The Path to Smarter Energy continues with a conversation about the benefits and options for energy metering and energy conservation. Episode presenters will be:
- Mark Inkrott, Co-Founder and Partner, UpField Group
- Paul Walker, Strategic Segment Leader, EnTech Solutions
- Matt Zabel, Solutions Architect, Faith Technologies
Week 185: Colostrum Benefits & Dairy Market Update: (watch now)
Tuesday, Nov. 21
Go beyond the basics in this interactive discussion about colostrum, including what is in it and the factors that influence colostrum quality. Learn why feeding colostrum more than once can benefit newborn calves. Episode presenters will be:
- Dr. Sabine Mann, PhD., Associate Professor of Ambulatory and Production Medicine at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
- Trent Westhoff, PhD candidate, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
As 2023 winds down, tune in to hear about the news and trends that will influence dairy and ag markets for the rest of the year and into 2024, with a focus on how it will impact your farm or business. Episode presenter will be:
- Dan Basse, President of AgResource Company
Week 184: Profitability Tips, Feedback & Cost of Production: (watch now)
Tuesday, Nov. 14
Economic factors outside of agriculture impact agricultural profitability every year. Currently, there are many uncertainties that farmers face: inflation, interest rates, trade disruptions, technology innovations. These factors all have long term implications to the five strategic levers of profitability a farmer can pull to increase profitability for their farm. Episode presenter will be:
- Dr. Brady Brewer, PhD, Assistant Professor, Agricultural Economics Department, Purdue University
Learn the difference between “reinforcement” feedback that encourages continued positive behaviors and “redirection” feedback designed to improve performance and engagement, and how you can effectively use each with your team members. Episode presenter will be:
- Liz Griffith, Liz Griffith Family Consulting
Understanding cost of production is the foundation of effective dairy management. Hear the results of recent studies on cost of production, as well as ways to calculate cost of production and how it can be used to make management decisions. Episode presenters will be:
- Dr. Kevin Bernhardt, Professor of Agribusiness at UW-Platteville School of Agriculture and Farm Management Specialist with UW-Extension and Center for Dairy Profitability
- Dr. Charles Nicholson, Associate Professor, Department of Animal & Dairy Sciences and Agricultural & Applied Economics, UW-Madison
Week 183:Employee Management, Replacement Heifers, Market Update: (watch now)
Tuesday, Nov. 7
The more employees you add, the more complex employee challenges become. Tune in for an interactive discussion on strategies and tools for managing employees effectively.
- Tim Schaefer, CFP, Certified Family Business Advisor, Certified Professional Business Coach, Encore Consultants
Take a deep dive into the economics of raising heifers at home compared with a custom heifer raiser, focusing on the issues that factor in the decision-making process.
- Dr. Mike Overton, DVM, MPVM, Global Dairy Platform Lead, Zoetis Animal Health
As the holiday season and year’s end approach, we’ll take a look at the economic issues, export news and consumer trends likely to impact your dairy farm for the remainder of 2023 and into 2024. Tune in and bring your questions for our economic expert.
- Dan Basse, President, AgResource Company
Week 182: Energy Plans, Managing Hypocalcemia and Milk Checks: (watch now)
Tuesday, Oct. 31
Using energy as efficiently as possible not only reduces expenses on your farm, it also provides an opportunity to demonstrate sustainability and environmental stewardship to consumers, policymakers and others. Join in to learn about the process and benefits of developing a strategic energy plan for your farm.
- Mark Inkrott, Co-Founder and Partner of UpField Group
- Paul Walker, Strategic Segment Leader, EnTech Solutions
Tune in for an interactive discussion on practices to manage fresh cows to reduce the impact of hypocalcemia as they enter the milking herd.
- Dr. Luciano Caixeta, PhD, Associate Professor of Dairy Production Medicine, University of Minnesota
An increasing number of changes to line items on milk checks combined with price volatility is making dairy risk management even more challenging. Learn about the variables that impact pay prices, what factors you can control and key risk management decisions to make.
- Will Babler, Principal, Atten Babler Commodities LLC
Week 181: Soil Health, Cheese Promotion and Water Quality: (watch now)
Tuesday, Oct. 24
Join this interactive discussion to learn what’s new in soil-health and manure-use research as well as cover crops in dairy systems.
- Dr. Matt Ruark, PhD, Professor and Extension Soil Scientist, University of Wisconsin-Madison
As the holiday entertaining season nears, tune in for an update on the ways that Wisconsin cheese is being promoted around the U.S. and the globe all throughout the year.
- Chad Vincent, CEO of Dairy Famers of Wisconsin
- Mike Edge, Senior Marketing Director-East, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin
Test your water quality knowledge in this special “Fact or Fiction” episode focused on misconceptions of water quality impacts of practices, as well as cover crop management.
- Amber Radatz, Agricultural Water Quality Program Manager, UW-Madison Division of Extension
- Todd Schaumburg, Part Owner and Agronomist, Tilth Agronomy