I am proud to say I have been a Wisconsin Farm Bureau member for 15 years, and in those 15 years I have heard many times about using grassroots efforts to make a difference in policy. This past year, for the first time, there was something in our state policy I wanted changed. With a little research and help from fellow members, I was able to pull together people who thought the same as I did to pass a policy amendment changing the current state policy.

In 2015, nearly 600 attendees from nine different states and Canada were inspired and invigorated at the first-ever Dairy Strong conference. Here is what two participants had to say about their experiences:

On Jan. 12-14, hundreds of dairy producers from throughout Wisconsin, the Midwest and the nation will come to the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, overlooking Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin, for Dairy Strong – an exciting conference and trade show.

Pankratz Farms built a new calf facility that can raise heifer replacements for a future dairy herd of 400 cows. They currently have a 120-cow dairy herd.

Steve and Barb Pankratz were looking to the future of their central Wisconsin dairy farm when they set out to build a new calf facility aimed at positioning the dairy to continue with three active generations now, and the promise of a future for the fourth.

When it comes to dairy farming, routine is key. Everything happens at the same time every day, in the same order. Any variation can upset the cattle. And then no one is happy.

Fifth Quarter Fresh, a new, high-protein chocolate milk, helped high school football players improve their cognitive and motor function over the course of a season, even after experiencing concussions, a new preliminary University of Maryland study shows.