While many people were focused on college basketball games and brackets during the month of March, another competition was generating excitement and raising funds to support innovative programs in the dairy industry. 

Dairy’s Foundation, the only public-held national foundation supporting dairy education and initiatives across the entire dairy industry food chain, hosted its own version of March Madness with the eighth annual Plant a Seed, Inspire a Dream campaign. The campaign featured two teams of dairy industry leaders in a friendly competition and raised a total of $51,655. Supporters could donate online through April 15 and in person at the 2025 Professional Dairy Producers (PDP) Business Conference, March 12-13.

The 2025 campaign featured two teams: the Moo-Lah Makers led by Brian Forrest, chair of Dairy’s Foundation board of directors; and the Udderly Unstoppable led by Pittsville, Wisconsin, dairy producer and PDP Board President Paul Lippert. The Moo-Lah Makers team consisted of Dairy’s Foundation board members and the Udderly Unstoppable team was made up of PDP board members.

“The dairy industry is built on a legacy of learning – continuing education for dairy producers, training for the next generation of leaders and sharing knowledge with consumers,” Forrest says. “This campaign is a fun way to generate excitement for the foundation and raise funds to support the vital work they do all year long.”

Instrumental to the campaign’s success were four industry heroes who participated in a big way. Pipping Concrete, AgCountry Farm Credit Services, Mullins Cheese and CP Feeds each pledged $10,000 to match donations. The donors were honored in a celebration March 12 during the 2025 PDP Business Conference at the Alliant Energy Center.

Four industry supporters of Dairy’s Foundation – recognized as “ Dairy’s Heroes” during the 2025 PDP business conference – were honored for their contributions to the foundation’s work in the dairy industry. Each of the four organizations pledged $10,000 to match donations. Pictured from left to right are Josh Mullins of Mullins Cheese, Mark Cullen of CP Feeds, and Dennis Pippen and Jake Theyerl of Pipping Concrete. Not pictured is Mark Groholski of AgCountry Farm Credit Services. Image courtesy of Professional Dairy Producers.

“AgCountry’s mission is to serve agriculture and rural America,” says Mark Groholski, RVP Retail Lending – North Central Wisconsin for AgCountry. “To achieve this, we must be a change-ready organization prepared to meet the needs of the farmers we are privileged to serve. Dairy producers face an ever-changing business world; to traverse this landscape successfully, they must be well informed and well connected with peers and industry experts. Dairy’s Foundation provides a platform for this to happen and is precisely the reason we feel it is critical to offer our support.”

For more than two decades, Dairy’s Foundation has been dedicated to raising funds and awarding grants for educational and sustainability initiatives across the country. The foundation provides financial support to programs that nurture the next generation of dairy leaders, develop the skills of current dairy producers and strengthen the bond of trust between consumers and producers. 

Feed product and service provider CP Feeds, based in Valders, Wisconsin, is another committed partner with a strong belief and history of supporting dairy producers, communities and the dairy industry.

“We believe in the mission of the Dairy’s Foundation, and I have experienced firsthand the impact the foundation has had on continuing to educate, promote and support the dairy industry,” says Mark Cullen, general manager of CP Feeds. “Dairy farmers are vital to our success at being able to provide good jobs for our employees and continue to invest in our communities.”

In the eight years the Plant a Seed campaign has run, whether the format has featured one team or several, there’s always been a focus on friendly competition to raise awareness about the foundation and programs it supports.

Pipping Concrete is another strong proponent of Dairy’s Foundation. Noting the importance of encouraging incoming generations to consider becoming an American dairy producer – particularly since the average age of U.S. dairy farmers is nearly 60 years old, Pipping Concrete vice president Dennis Pipping says, “We are excited to be a small part of the Plant A Seed campaign and I encourage others to do the same. I feel that the role of Dairy’s Foundation in supporting the dairy industry through grants and education is vital.”

Dairy’s Foundation has been instrumental in developing and implementing programs to meet the practical needs of current and future dairy professionals. Some examples include Financial Literacy for Dairy, Cornerstone Dairy Academy, Stride Youth Leadership Conference and more. The foundation also offers grants that provide organizations with the opportunity to request up to $10,000 for new initiatives serving the industry. Grant deadlines are May 1 and Dec. 1 each year.

A more recent role of significance for the foundation is as a founding sponsor of PDP’s Your Farm Your Footprint program, a first-of-its-kind initiative that allows dairy producers to confidentially learn their environmental footprint score and understand how it is calculated. With an objective of putting farmers in the driver’s seat to work with food companies and others interested in reducing the footprint of their supply chain, Your Farm Your Footprint offers dairy farmers grants up to $9,750 per farm and covering up to 2,500 acres – an opportunity available thanks to support from Dairy’s Foundation.

“Today’s consumers expect high standards for animal welfare practices and environmental stewardship, and those expectations will continue in the future,” says Josh Mullins, plant manager and co-owner of Mullins Cheese. “Mullins Cheese supports the Plant a Seed campaign because it’s a valuable resource that allows dairy producers of all sizes opportunities to network and participate in educational experiences. This is important for the next generation to be successful.”

Learn more about Dairy’s Foundation work and how to donate online.

The above update is provided by the Professional Dairy Producers Foundation (Dairy's Foundation), which raises funds nationwide and awards grants and sponsorships for educational programs and initiatives that benefit the U.S. dairy community. Dairy's Foundation is committed to uniting the dairy community on issues of common concern to achieve its vision of a professional, proactive and prepared dairy community. Dairy’s Foundation was established by PDP in 2002. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) entity.