On March 12-13, more than 1,500 dairy farmers and allied industry professionals gathered in Madison for the 2014 Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW) Business Conference. Progressive Dairyman Editor Peggy Coffeen captured these photos at the event:

April signifies that a new busy season is approaching. Regardless of how intense the work gets on your dairy farm, keep these words of encouragement fueling your actions. Doug Stroh, who now works at MNP, created a list of 10 ways you can encourage the heart of your farm. Stroh has granted me permission to share this list because it has stood the test of time.

Do invasive plant species follow human activity into remote rangelands? If so, how far does that change extend?

Landmark Services Cooperative (LSC) introduces ProfitEDGE, a new program to help dairy producers be most profitable and efficient. It is a full-service approach to dairy production, with an LSC team of nutritionists and agronomists collaborating with industry partners to help dairy producers establish management and production goals and create timelines for achieving those goals.

Laura Gordon Cornerstone Specialist Visalia, California ABS Cornerstone

What is important to consumer?A survey was conducted of a sample of 1,950 consumers representative of the U.S. population. Respondents were asked to indicate relative value of 11 attributes of ground beef, beef steak, milk, and chicken breast. Freshness and safety ranked highest.

Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW) will offer a specialized training to help dairy farmers create a proactive communication plan with the use of social media strategy to increase reach and visibility. The training, part of the Dairy’s Visible Voice curriculum, will be held 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 10 at the PDPW headquarters in Juneau, Wisconsin.

In 2013, the Progressive Dairy Operators surveyed members about the labour required to operate their farm and the wages paid to employees. This is the same survey reported in terms of calf management in the March issue of Progressive Dairyman. Again, 154 farms replied to the survey.