Learn the latest in the dairy industry

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. – Dairy farmers looking to deepen their arsenal of knowledge, and network with peers from near and far, will not want to miss the 2023 PDPW Business Conference. The two-day event will take place March 15-16 at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells.
“If you have a stake in the conversation of the dairy industry, you need to be there,” said Cassandra Strupp, program manager at Professional Dairy Producers. “This is a chance to invest in yourself. The conference offers tools and information you can use to be better in your business and community.”

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Forty-seven speakers will light up this year’s 30th annual business conference, the theme of which is “Empowering Success.” The conference promises to bring together the brightest minds in dairy to produce a premier educational event.
“What kind of tools and motivation do you need to be successful today, tomorrow or a year from now?” Strupp said. “The PDPW Business Conference offers the skillsets, awareness and  education you can embody to be successful. Presenters come from both inside and outside of agriculture, which makes this event even more dynamic.”
This year’s conference will include sessions on water quality, carbon credits, business acuity, cover crops, udder health and much more. The conference caters to all types of learning styles – from longer listening sessions to hand-on hubs for those wanting to physically dive into a subject and learn a certain skillset.
The Nexus stage highlights product innovation, while the Learning Lounge offers practical information in 30-minute doses that dairy producers can apply to their farms. Attendees can also visit approximately 200 exhibitor booths in the Hall of Ideas.
“I don’t know how anyone could be bored,” Strupp said. “The conference has something for everyone. We strive to meet you where you’re at yet fill your cup at the same time.”
Enjoy a back-and-forth dialogue between Dan Basse and Jacob Shapiro as they talk markets and deglobalization and what that means for commodity products in a dueling piano-style platform. Their discussion of global politics and evolving markets will help dairy producers break down the effects this might have on their business.
The PDPW Business Conference will bring together university researchers and their graduate students to share current findings in mastitis control, lameness and more on the Preview Stage.
“This is going to be an exciting area as there are many interesting things coming out of research right now,” Strupp said. “Hear from those with boots on the ground to learn about their projects and ask questions directly. Engage with those on the leading edge of research and learn what they are finding that affects dairy producers today.”
For the second year in a row, attendees can explore the Innovation Lane. This hallway located outside of the trade show includes the Nexus stage where five companies will showcase cutting-edge technologies and research from the Dairy Innovation Hub.  
Michael Hoffman, the emcee of the event, will lead the youth sessions March 15. By building up the social skills of youth attendees, Hoffman empowers these young people with the tools they need to partake in regular sessions as a fellow peer the following day.
On March 16, Hoffman will help farmers learn how to fill those help wanted ads. Asking the right questions is important in attracting the right team members. Hoffman will have his audience rethinking their approach to writing job descriptions and evaluating qualities of potential candidates. In turn, attendees will discover foolproof strategies for attracting and retaining valuable employees.
Conference attendees can shift gears with Morgan Ekovich, a personal trainer, as she teaches farmers new stretching techniques and yoga poses. Ekovich will share simple methods for building endurance, strength and flexibility while protecting the body.
“I’m really excited about this session,” Strupp said. “Keeping your body toned so you can do what you need it to do is really important – whether that be stepping up into a large tractor, pushing a wheelbarrow of feed or doing other repetitive movements.”
All sessions will be translated live for attendees who prefer to learn in Spanish.  
“Simultaneous Spanish translation is an important element of the conference, and almost all programs include this feature,” Strupp said. “It does not slow down the caliber of the content and allows you to include more of your team. It doesn’t matter which language you learn in, just that we learn together.”
The conference is not all about business. On Wednesday evening, comedian K-von Moezzi will provide a welcome break of entertainment and laughter.  
“After you’ve taken in a whole day of intense learning, and you feel like your brain is ready to explode, this will be a time to just laugh,” Strupp said. “It won’t require any brain cells as we take the tempo down a notch and bring folks back together to decompress.”
The conference provides many opportunities for education and professional development.
“In addition to educational opportunities, the networking that happens at the business conference is invaluable,” Strupp said. “Here, you have the opportunity to engage with people from other states and countries and the ability to learn from someone else – someone who might have once been where you are now.”
More than 1,200 people visited the conference last year, with attendees hailing from more than 20 states as well as Canada, France, Germany, Spain and Egypt.
“With the year we’re in, there’s a need to be resilient and stay in the now but also be prepping and bracing for the future,” Strupp said. “The PDPW Business Conference will give you the skillsets you need to make informed decisions.”