If you’ve been in the cattle business long enough, you’ve lived through more than one cycle that made you question your sanity. You’ve seen high interest rates, relentless drought, feed costs spike overnight and markets turn just when you thought you were positioned well.

The 2026 Professional Dairy Producers (PDP) Business Conference attracted dairy producers from 25 states and Canada to Madison, Wisconsin, March 4-5. With a theme of “Dairy’s Blueprint – Drafting Tomorrow’s Success,” the program featured refreshed perspectives and tools to equip attendees for success.

What the heck is a carbon credit? Nicki Nimlos, a doctoral student at the University of Wyoming, says that’s a question she’s heard often over the last couple of years. Around 2023, when Nimlos was beginning her Ph.D., carbon market programs were becoming more widely available to ranchers.

All producers aim to maintain the health of their herds. Because losses from sickness and death take a toll on cattle and producers alike, it can be helpful to periodically review farm biosecurity practices.

In 2021, Hornstead Dairy took a step toward smarter data-driven care by implementing smaXtec, a health monitoring system initially aimed to improve their reproduction program. What started as a tool for reproduction soon uncovered a hidden culprit.