Attendees of the 2019 PDPW Business Conference, presented by Professional Dairy Producers®, will hear from the dairy industry’s leading experts in business management and economics, leadership skills and cow care and management, and all in one place at the industry’s premier educational event. The Conference will be held Mar. 13-14, 2019, at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis., and is packed with the latest in information, innovations and insights to help dairy farmers succeed.“The two-day investment at this year’s Conference will provide our nation’s dairy farmers, agribusiness leaders, and allied industries the actionable ideas and resources to take right back to the farm. They’ll sharpen and strengthen their business management, financial literacy, servant leadership, animal health, and team development skills to lead dairy to success,” said Shelly Mayer, Executive Director of PDPW and dairy farmer, Slinger, Wis.The 2019 Conference line-up features 62 sessions, matched with 50 prominent experts that will allow attendees to design a learning experience tailored to their needs and interests. A few sessions to highlight include:OUR COWS: Hear firsthand from top researchers and experts on the latest in cow-care and management.– Discover the innovations on robotic design, animal health and productivity from a team of international experts in the “Robotic Management,” Specialty Session, Wed., Mar. 13, presented by Dr. Nigel Cook, U-W School of Veterinary Medicine, with Jouni Pitkäranta and Dr. Virpi Kurkela of 4dBarn Consulting.– Dr. Sandra Godden from the University of Minnesota will share how to enhance performance and mitigate risks of group housing for youngest calves in the “Best Management Practices for Group Housed Pre-Weaned Calves” Breakout Session, Wed., Mar. 13.– In the “Herdsperson Hub” workshop, presented five times between Wed. and Thu., Mar. 13 and 14 in the Hands-On Hub, veterinarians from the Lodi Veterinary Care Team will guide participants through three stations to build skills in reproductive ultrasonography, observation and record-keeping systems for the fresh cow pen, and effectively running and interpreting on-farm milk quality tests.– Techniques to improve soil conditions to improve nutrient retention when spreading manure will be the focus of the “Get More Power Out of Your Poop” Learning Lounge session, presented Wed., Mar. 13 by Aaron Pape from UW Discovery Farms.OUR PEOPLE: Boosting leadership and management skills to build stronger teams:– Throughout the Conference, emcee Tom Thibodeau will reflect on the sessions with his trademark humor and passion, including his breakout session “Putting Leadership to Work” Specialty Session, Thu., Mar. 14, to share skills and word choices that will excel at both leading and managing your dairy’s team.– In his “Find Your Grit” keynote session, presented Wed., Mar. 13, former college football player Scott Burrows will share his story of overcoming challenges after he was paralyzed in a car accident at age 19.– “Stop Stressing and Get Your Mojo Back” Learning Lounge session, presented Thu., Mar. 14 by Dr. Josie Rudolphi from the National Farm Medicine Center will feature proven ways to minimize stress and recognize signs of chronic stress in others.OUR BUSINESS: Strengthening skills in strategic business strategy and finance.– Learn from Jason Karszes, PRO-DAIRY program at Cornell University, Thu., Mar. 14, on how top farms differentiated themselves over six years in the Dairy Fam Business Summary and Analysis Project in “The Top 20 % – what are they doing?” Specialty Session, and in his keynote “Investment Balance: Maximize your Business Potential,” to fully capture your full business potential.– Equip yourself with the tools you need to evaluate your business, improve management factors and work more effectively with lenders in the Wed., Mar. 13 Breakout Session “Business and Financial IQ,” presented by renowned economist Dr. David Kohl.– Dr. Becky Stewart-Gross of Building Bridges Seminars will share strategies and insights on conducting interactions that deliver positive results for everyone in her “I Win, You Win: Bridge-Building Negotiations” Breakout Session, Thu., Mar. 14.– Take a deep dive into the new dairy revenue protection policy, to determine what coverage is best for your farm in the “Dairy Revenue Protection IQ” Learning Lounge Session, presented by Lori Fetzer and Michelle Sell of Compeer Financial, Thu., Mar. 14.The 2019 PDPW Business Conference is an accredited training and offers up to 14.25 Dairy AdvanCE continuing education units (CEUs) for each day. To learn more or secure credits, visit www.DairyAdvance.org. Up to 15.9 CEU Credits are available to UW-School of Veterinary Medicine (UW-SVM) up to 10.5 CEU Credits are available to the American Registry of Professional Scientists (ARPAS) members. Up to 8.0 various CEU credits are available to Certified Crop Advisors (CCA) members.Check out the full session and speaker line-up in the 2019 agenda or downloading the conference app.
About Pam Jahnke
Getting up at 2 in the morning might shock some of her listeners, but for Pam Jahnke, it’s part of the business. Born in Northeastern Wisconsin, Pam Jahnke grew up in agriculture. Raised on her family’s 200-acre dairy farm, she learned the “farm work ethic” first hand.
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