Today’s dairy teams are diverse and forward-thinking, making it a challenge to find training opportunities to meet everyone’s needs. The 2024 Business Conference presented by the Professional Dairy Producers will offer 54 sessions in the form of hands-on, breakout and specialty sessions, plus research previews, panel discussions, and time for networking and building connections with peers and suppliers.

Simultaneous translation for team members who prefer to learn in Spanish will be provided. Even 15- to 18-year-olds will find sessions designed specifically for them.

The 2024 PDP Business Conference will be held March 13-14 at the Kalahari Resorts in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., with two days of programming focused on “Driving Innovation.” The event also will include the Hall of Ideas equipment and trade show, the Preview Stage, and the Nexus stage.

“People learn in all different ways, and PDP’s Business Conference allows people to learn in whatever mode works best for them,” says Corey Hodorff, Eden, Wis., dairy producer and PDP board secretary. “No matter the learning style, this conference will have something for everyone.”

Learning sessions

Learning opportunities will include:

General sessions. All conference attendees will gather in one place to learn, celebrate and be inspired collectively. Michael Hoffman will take the stage first as the business conference master of ceremonies.

Opening speaker Brent Gleeson and closing speaker Bruce Vincent will bookend the event with inspirational messages to challenge attendees. A producer panel will highlight opportunities in sustainability, and geopolitical analyst Jacob Shapiro will identify geopolitical trends that will impact agriculture over the next five years.

Breakout and specialty sessions. Dozens of experts will lead 75- and 60-minute sessions to share the latest research and practices in animal care; food safety; business, financial and people management; business transition; and topics about protecting dairy’s social license.

Hands-on hub sessions. These sessions will provide interactive opportunities for attendees to improve their skills in newborn calf care and pain management. The 75-minute sessions will be presented twice each day of the conference. A special session on March 13 only will provide an opportunity to practice crisis communications skills for on-farm and industry-wide situations.

Producer panels. These panels will bring together forward-thinking dairy owners, operators and managers from across the country to share their experiences on issues regarding sustainability, multi-site dairy management, feed cost reduction and more.

Learning Lounge sessions. Eight sessions will provide 30-minute focused discussions on timely topics including energy assessment, breeding goals, data analysis, 2023 corn silage quality and more.

The Preview Stage. Located inside the Hall of Ideas, the Preview Stage will give attendees a sneak peek at research presently happening at universities and through the Dairy Innovation Hub. Attendees will hear directly from the faculty members and graduate students conducting the research.

Throughout the conference, there will be opportunities to connect and network with fellow dairy producers, industry leaders and vendors in the trade show and more.

Source: PDP