According to Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW), the line-up for week 27 of The Dairy Signal™ will feature two new speakers, Matt Otto, Resource Conservationist & Special Initiatives Coordinator for the Natural Resources Conservation Services and Dennis Frame, owner of Timber Ridge Consulting.
Returning to The Dairy Signal are Brandon Scholz, President and CEO of the Wisconsin Grocers Association; Chad Vincent, CEO of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin; Gary Sipiorski, Business and Financial Consultant; and Dr. Kevin Bernhardt, Professor of Agribusiness at UW-Platteville School of Agriculture and Farm Management Specialist with UW-Extension and Center for Dairy Profitability.
Developed by fellow dairy farmers from the PDPW Board of Directors, The Dairy Signal is a weekly series of free educational episodes offering insights and resources for fellow dairy farmers and other food system professionals throughout the value chain. The episodes air live from 12:00-1:00 PM CT each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; recorded sessions are available later in the day.
Sandy Chalmers, State Executive Director for the Wisconsin Farm Service Agency (FSA), discussed the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) second round of assistance for agricultural producers through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 or CFAP 2. The application process is now open and will remain active until December 11, 2020. For more details visit the farmers.gov.
On Wednesday’s episode, Cheryl Skjolaas, Extension Agricultural Safety Specialist with the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, shared that over 1,700 crashes involving farm equipment and motor vehicles were recorded between 2010-2019, resulting in 29 fatalities and 834 injuries. She advises taking a good look at your farm machinery by checking the lights and safety markings, make sure road routes are clear and talk about a communications plan with your team before harvesting.
During Thursday’s episode, Dan Basse, Economist and President of AgResource Company, said the U.S. markets will remain volatile and he’s hopeful China will continue their efforts to buy more U.S. dairy products. He also mentioned the Trump administration is still working on a new COVID-19 package worth $2 trillion, and the Commodity Credit Corporation has been reauthorized for another $30 billion. Looking forward to 2021, the economist predicts less political interference and advised knowing your margins to react accordingly.
Each live session offers attendees the opportunity to engage in open Q&A and interact with the speakers through www.slido.com and entering the code #myPDPW.
Our dairy industry and lives are changing daily and our need for accurate business information is vital. Content on The Dairy Signal will be updated as new information becomes available.
Here is a look at the upcoming presenters and topics:
Tuesday, October 6
Topic: The Regional Conservation Partnership Program will award up to $360 million to locally driven, public-private partnerships that improve the nation’s water quality, combat drought, enhance soil health, support wildlife habitat and protect agricultural viability. Learn more details about this program. Episode presenters include:
· Matt Otto, Resource Conservationist & Special Initiatives Coordinator, Natural Resources Conservation Services
· Dennis Frame, owner of Timber Ridge Consulting
Wednesday, October 7
Topic: As grocery chains navigated their way through the summer months, get a glimpse of what consumers are looking for as we head into fall and winter and what challenges lie ahead. In addition, learn how dairy promotion efforts are continuing to build trust and partnerships that add value for dairy farmers. Episode presenters include:
· Brandon Scholz, President and CEO of the Wisconsin Grocers Association
· Chad Vincent, CEO of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin
Thursday, October 8
Topic: Learn how the balance sheet and income statements come together to generate useful key ratios such as working capital, debt to asset, return on assets and cost of production. Episode presenters include:
· Gary Sipiorski, Business and Financial Consultant
· Dr. Kevin Bernhardt, Professor of Agribusiness at UW-Platteville School of Agriculture and Farm Management Specialist with UW-Extension and Center for Dairy Profitability
All Dairy Signal episodes are free and open to the public, accessible through www.pdpw.org. For more information, contact PDPW at 800-947-7379 or by emailing [email protected]. Follow along digitally in advance of and during the sessions by following @dairyPDPW and using #TheDairySignal on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
