Michigan Dairy Ambassador Program Gearing Up for 2021, Applications Due March 15.

Any Michigan high school and college students interested in dairy and/or pursuing a career in the dairy industry have until March 15 to apply for the 2021 Michigan Dairy Ambassador Scholarship and Leadership Program. The program offers dairy communication and leadership training to participants as well as opportunities to promote dairy in their community and throughout the state.

All applicants meeting baseline criteria will be invited to participate in several trainings and activities as part of the program. The program will conclude at the 2022 Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference (GLRDC). The 2021 Michigan Dairy Ambassadors will be equipped with the messaging and practice to effectively communicate with consumers in-person and online.

Participation throughout the year in trainings, virtual activities and dairy promotion will earn points with the opportunity to advance to the interview round. Applications, resume and participation along with an interview will be considered for scholarship recipient selections. Two scholarships will be awarded to the representatives, one to a junior winner and another to a senior winner.

The senior division is reserved for college students up to age 22, with the winner receiving a $1,500 scholarship. The junior division is limited to high school students in grades nine to 12, and the winner receives $1,000 that can be applied toward higher education or the purchase of a dairy animal within the upcoming year. Applicants are not required to have a dairy farm background, but they must plan to pursue a career related to the dairy industry. The scholarship program is funded through a benefit auction held at the annual Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference (GLRDC).

Students interested in applying for the 2021 Michigan Dairy Ambassador Scholarship and Leadership Program can download an application or contact Megghan Honke Seidel at 989-666-3773.

Applications must be submitted electronically to 1glrdc@gmail.com and will be accepted until March 15, 2021.

Great Lakes Dairy Exchange – New This Year

Kreeger Associates LLC in conjunction with the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference will be hosting the Great Lakes Dairy Exchange on Thursday Feb. 7 and 8 at the Bavarian Inn and Conference Center.

There are fresh heifers and cows and  bred and open heifers available. There will be a variety of Holsteins and Jerseys available.

  • You do not need to be present to bid, you can call your bids in ahead of time to any member of the team or you can request to be called by the team during the sessions. If you are the conference and can not attend one of the sessions you can turn in a bid sheet with one of the sale staff at any time and they will execute the order at the specified time and price you request.
  • Each lot will have an asking bid.
  • The asking bid may move up or down based on the volume of bidding on each lot.
  • When the asking bid is achieved for a lot then the auction for that particular lot is over and that lot is sold.
  • During each session anyone can place a bid on any lot in the sale.
  • All cattle are housed on sellers farms and sold in group lots. Delivery will occur after the sale and details are between the buyer and the seller.
  • Price updates will be posted at the conference and on www.kreegerdairy.com after each session.

The Exchange Times are:

  • Thursday Session #1: 12:30 -1 p.m.
  • Thursday Session #2: 3 -3:30 p.m.
  • Thursday Session #3: 5:30 -6 p.m.
  • Overnight Session: 9-9:30 p.m.
  • Friday Session #1: 10-10:30 a.m.
  • Friday Session #2: 12:30 – 1 p.m.

For more information contact Chad Kreeger at 517-294-3484.

Michigan Dairy Ambassador Program Application due date extended to Jan. 27, 2019

Students interested in applying for the 2019 Michigan Dairy Ambassador Scholarship and Leadership Program can download an application here.  or contact Megghan Honke Seidel at 517-884-7089. Applications must be submitted electronically to 1glrdc@gmail.com and will be accepted until Jan. 27, 2019.

This year’s event will take place in Frankenmuth, Michigan on February 7 – 9, 2019. For the conference schedule and registration information, visit www.glrdc.org or contact Megghan Honke Seidel.

GLRDC approved for 13.25 CE credits with Dairy AdvanCE

This training is offered in cooperation with Dairy AdvanCE and has been approved for up to 13.25 continuing education (CE) credits. Dairy AdvanCE is a continuing education accreditation provider for dairy producers and other dairy industry professionals. Learn more.

Dairy AdvanCE is open to the public – if you consider yourself professional farmers or industry professionals, then a Dairy AdvanCE subscription is for you.

  • Dairy farms, including owners, managers, and on-farm team members
  • Allied dairy industry, academia and scientists whom support and serve the dairy industry
  • Elected officials, legal and/or public service professionals that serve the dairy industry
  • Food system professionals in dairy processing, cheese making, distribution, marketers or corporate management in food brands throughout the value chain
  • Post-college or -high school students and new-to-the-industry professionals, looking to grow their skills

Dairy AdvanCE will meet you and your dairy team “where they’re at” and offer a myriad of trainings at various levels of advancement.

16th annual Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference slated for February in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The 16th annual Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference Feb. 8-10, 2018, at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, will shine the light on a variety of strategies producers can use to survive and thrive during one of the most critical periods in agriculture.

The United Dairy Industry of Michigan (UDIM) will host a session Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. to provide an overview of dairy promotion activities to dairy farmers who attend the conference or who live near the conference location. The informal meeting will provide an opportunity to share with dairy farmers how UDIM staff members work on their behalf to promote dairy across the state. It will give farmers an opportunity to ask questions about programs.

The conference kicks off Thursday, Feb. 8, with a pre-conference session in which Michigan producers and experts will examine the major drivers of the mailbox milk price and consider options that farmers have to influence or manage their milk check income.

Next, producers will hear from Gary Sipiorski of Vita Plus Inc. who will highlight the current status of the industry, and show producers where there is light and what they can do to guide their operations through the fog. Following the industry discussion, Mark Stephenson of the University of Wisconsin, will delve further into milk pricing and the challenges in the Midwest.

Then Nate Donnay, director of dairy market insight at INTL FCStone, will break down current global and local factors affecting milk prices and discuss what producers should expect in the next 12 to 24 months. He will also talk about the continued challenges and possible opportunities for the Great Lakes Region.

Late afternoon will feature Brandon Treichler, Select Milk Producers quality control veterinarian, explaining how labs test milk for quality parameters and how the results help identify opportunities to produce higher quality milk as well as basic troubleshooting strategies when bacteria counts rise. The focus will be on Lab Pasteurized Counts but other common bacteria counts will be discussed as well.

The afternoon will wrap up with Sipiorski, Stephenson, Donnay and Treichler offering an “All Things Milk Q and A” where producers can fire questions at the experts. The evening will feature an Exhibitor Showcase and the Great Lakes Commercial Heifer Extravaganza XIII Sale.

The conference continues Friday morning, Feb. 9, with Peter Hansen of the University of Florida who will decode the data and share strategies to help producers make the most profitable decisions for the future of their farms in regard to understanding the science of genomics. This session will be followed by a panel of producers from across the U.S. who will share their IVF strategies.

Kathryn Proudfoot of Ohio State University will explore how you can use dairy cow behavior to help you make better management and housing decisions at calving. She will discuss practical ways to allow dairy cows to seek the seclusion they look for as they prepare to give birth that will help you bust the bulk tank down the line.

The morning will wrap up with David Kohl, Virginia Tech professor emeritus, who will discuss how dairies can position themselves for success in the economic reset. This session will examine both the short-run and long-run economic and financial picture. What are the adjustments producers and lenders must make to position for success? Kohl will provide a new look at burn rate, not only on working capital, but also on core land equity, along with trends that will have an impact on the industry now and by 2030.

Friday afternoon, attendees will have the choice of three educational workshops to attend:

  • Lean Farming
    Susanne Pejstrup, Lean Farming Inc.
    Farmers will learn strategies in lean farming to help increase productivity. Pejstrup will explain how farmers can introduce standards, systematic work procedures and structure, and the culture of continuous improvement to improve the bottom line.
  • Labor Regulations and Legal Requirements
    Karl W. Butterer, Foster Swift Collins & Smith PC
    Labor policy, regulations and requirements are confusing and constantly changing. Attorney Butterer will share the latest changes in policy, and explain labor regulations and requirements that farmers need to know to ensure their operation is in compliance. Producers are encouraged to bring their questions to the session.
  • Robotics Producer Panel
    Producers who have installed robotic systems from Lely, DeLaval and GEA will share their experiences in a panel discussion. Hear their successes and stumbles from install to operation and their best management strategies to move their operations forward.

The Holstein Association will conduct their annual meeting on Saturday, Feb. 10, starting at 9 a.m.

Individual (adult), student and farm registration options are available. Registrations received by Jan. 21, 2018, will save you up to $25 per day. Online registration closes Feb. 4, 2018, at midnight. On-site registrations are subject to availability.

Visit www.glrdc.org to get the complete conference schedule or to register online. Participants can also register by phone by calling 517-884-7089.

GLRDC Joins PDPW Dairy AdanvCE to Offer CE’s to producers and industry representatives

Dairy AdvanCE Emerges as Go-To Resource for Professional Development in Dairy

More than 2,500 CE Credit-Hours Secured Since Online Management Tool Launched in March 2017

 

DAIRY NEWS – Dairy AdvanCE™, created by Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW), has emerged as the nation’s go-to-resource for finding, tracking and reporting continuing education in dairy.  Dairy farmers, farm employees, allied industry and college students are using this online continuing education (CE) management tool to demonstrate and prove their dedication to continuous improvement and lifelong learning.

 

Dairy professionals can readily access a listing of vetted trainings to further advance their personal and professional skill-sets.  Topic areas include financial, business, food safety and quality, animal care, agronomy, human resources, leadership, environmental stewardship, communications and beyond.

 

The idea of an online resource to find top-quality training and education offerings on one website is spot on,” said Darci Daniels, dairy farmer and owner of Garden Valley Genetics, Hixton, Wis.  “I can search for specific trainings or discover programs that I didn’t even know existed – and right from my phone.  I can also see how those that market and provide services to dairy farmers could benefit from Dairy AdvanCE.  Knowing that the industry person I am dealing with has a qualified base of knowledge, means better use of our time and more productive conversations about our farm.”

 

Dairy AdvanCE was introduced by Professional Dairy Producers – PDPW in March at the 2017 PDPW Business Conference in Madison, Wis., and has been widely adopted throughout the industry, with more than 300 active users from 24 states and reporting more than 2,500 CE credit-hours through 40+ executed accredited trainings.

 

At DairyAdvance.org, dairy professionals can find vetted, high-quality trainings from nine leading-edge founding educational providers, including:

  • 4 State Dairy Extension Group
  • Cornell University Dairy Management and PRO-DAIRY
  • Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference
  • Indiana Dairy Producers
  • National Mastitis Council
  • Professional Dairy Producers – PDPW
  • The Executive Program for Agricultural Producers (TEPAP)
  • University of Wisconsin Discovery Farms
  • Vita Plus

“From its inception, the goal of The Executive Program for Agricultural Producers (TEPAP) has been to help farms and agribusinesses become more professional in their management practices,” said Dr. J. Mark Welch, Associate Professor and Extension Economist at Texas A&M.  “We appreciate the opportunity to partner with Dairy AdvanCE, an organization whose aim it is to promote continuing education resources for the dairy industry.  Dairy AdvanCE makes it easier for producers to find targeted trainings that match their personal and professional needs and TEPAP is proud to be recognized as one of those educational opportunities.”

 

The online resource provides farmers and their on-farm team members the ability to easily track their CE credits and advancement toward their professional development goals. Users can also report their individual CE transcripts to officially demonstrate their commitment to continuous improvement to their employers, lenders, community boards, agents, and beyond, as needed, and at any time right from their mobile device or desktop computer.

 

“As a dairy owner, we make training a priority on our farm. Dairy AdvanCE helps us easily find the training we need, whether it is an online training video on standard operating procedure (SOP) we watch as a whole team or at an in-person event we attend off the farm,” said Steve Maddox, dairy farmer and owner of Maddox Dairy in Riverdale, Cali.  “The idea that our managers and employees can track their education in a transcript is useful to them and us.  It also helps in our hiring process to better assess a potential employee’s skill set and how to build on it.

 

While PDPW developed Dairy AdvanCE for farmers, anyone in the dairy industry can subscribe. This includes allied industry professionals such as veterinarians, nutritionists, technicians, field and sales representatives, as well as food system, legal and public service professionals.

 

“In order to serve our dairy farm customers, our team needs to stay on top of the latest research and management practices,” said Floyd Sutton, Key Account Manager, Zinpro Performance Minerals from of Freeport, Illinois.  “Dairy AdvanCE is a simple way to ensure our employees are continuing to access trainings and build their knowledge-base with high-quality, leading-edge production, communication and leadership focused educational programming.”

 

Dairy AdvanCE is free for dairy farmer owners, farm managers and on-farm team members. For all others, there is a $50 annual subscription fee. To learn more or subscribe to Dairy AdvanCE visit www.dairyadvance.org, email mail@dairyadvance.org, or call 800-947-7379.

 

Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW) is dairy’s professional organization. As the nation’s largest dairy producer-led, grassroots organization of its kind, it focuses on education, networking and professional development to share ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.