Wisconsin Professional Dairy Producers® Helps Local Farmers
In partnership with: Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Since 1992, Professional Dairy Producers ® (PDP) has been on a mission to help farmers succeed. In three decades, the nonprofit has not only accomplished that but also established itself as an industry leader by sharing ideas, resources and solutions.
Empowering With Resources
When the board of directors developed PDP’s strategic plan, they grounded it in education. “The first part of the strategic plan is educational programming, ranging from financial literacy and high-level executive and advanced business training to communications and leadership development, or executive management and beginning management training,” says Shelly Mayer, executive director of PDP.
“It’s our job to help recruit talent into our sector and be a broker of trust for stakeholders that have a direct or indirect impact on dairy. We also provide unified outreach and leadership on critical issues.”
One current critical issue is the role of dairy farmers in calculating carbon and cutting emissions.
“Every year, our carbon conference puts producers and allied industries in the same room,” says Brady Weiland, a fifth generation dairy farmer and the PDP board’s treasurer. “We talk about carbon and carbon footprints. Right now, we’re also doing the Your Farm – Your Footprint initiative to help producers and farmers understand it all.”
See more: Lake Family Farms Receives Wisconsin Leopold Conservation Award
Breaking Down Barriers
These PDP resources are vital for farmers.
“Information is power,” Mayer says. “We have a responsibility to our families, communities and customers. There’s value in staying abreast of how we can be better and do better – as people, partners and managers.”
“We live and breathe farming,” Weiland says. “We do the best we can until we know how to do better. Then we do better. That’s what PDP is all about. It’s staying on that cutting edge of how we do the best we can with the resources we’ve been given.”
Rosario Ibarra, general manager of Grotegut Dairy Farm in Newton, traces her career back to PDP resources she leveraged years ago.
“As a young student in Mexico, I was a recipient of PDP’s programs,” Ibarra says. “Thanks to a scholarship program, I was exposed to Wisconsin’s Dairy Industry.”
One thing that stood out to Ibarra was the participation of women.
“After I graduated in Mexico, I didn’t see opportunities to work on a farm because I’m a woman,” Ibarra says. “Every time I came to Wisconsin, I saw women performing at every level. The programs PDP offers are open to all. No gender barrier will stop you.” The addition of Spanish-language programming ensures a language barrier won’t either.
See more: Wisconsin’s Alice in Dairyland Program Has an Active History and Bright Future
Shaping an Unstoppable Future
Ibarra became an early participant in PDP’s Cornerstone Dairy Academy® – an elite development program for students and dairy professionals.
“PDP helped shape my future,” she says. “Thanks to the customized programs PDP has developed, we’re able to share new discoveries with every person on the farm.”
Those discoveries are also being passed down to the industry’s newest contributors.
See more: Agricultural Programs Offer a Range of Workforce Opportunities in Wisconsin
“We have PDP’s Stride® Youth Leadership Conference for high-school-age kids,” Weiland says. “It’s a one-day program about leadership designed to get the next generation involved and thinking about agriculture.”
“There’s such a huge need for those who find their place and their voice and bring their talents to dairy,” Mayer says. “I’m excited about their future because they will be unstoppable.”
Though Wisconsin has long been synonymous with dairy, PDP is proud to play a pivotal role in propelling America’s Dairyland forward.
“What PDP contributed was hope, leadership from dairy farmers, and essential tools like information, education, and resources,” Mayer says. “These elements enabled people to transform their aspirations into reality, benefiting the world. PDP continues to be a catalyst for change, innovation and hope, lighting the way for the future.”