Dairy farmers and allied industry representatives attending the 2019 Dairy Strong conference received a mix of inspiration and practical information during the fifth annual event, held Jan. 23-24 in Madison, Wisconsin.

Successfully managing a dairy farm requires utilizing both the head and the heart, dairy producers and representatives of allied industries were reminded during the Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW) 2019 Managers Academy, held Jan. 15-17 in Charleston, South Carolina.

Temperatures at World Ag Expo 2019 started out colder than usual, and skies that began clear progressively clouded over. The final day of the show was wet and blustery. During the drier parts of the show, Progressive Dairyman Editor Walt Cooley found the newest products that may be of interest to dairy producers. Below are his thoughts on what he found.

It has been said the greatest need of any person is to feel appreciated. With low milk prices and the decline of dairy farms, many farmers are left feeling underappreciated, but the Wisconsin-based restaurant chain Culver’s has been thanking farmers personally.

How did you get started in photography? I first started in photography while I was in college at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. I took one class and fell in love with it. However, I have another passion for design and marketing, and that’s what I followed first.

It’s easy to get off course in the volatile and ever-changing dynamics existing in today’s dairy industry. The 2019 Pennsylvania Dairy Summit program will offer encouragement and guidance to help dairy producers and industry leaders who attend this year’s conference, themed “Follow your compass.”

The dairy community is creative and innovative. Dairy Strong brings farmers and industry professionals from diverse management philosophies together to focus on what matters by providing content that is relevant, inspiring and entertaining.

Editor's note: This has been updated from its original posting. Digest Highlights Dairy-related programs suspended during government shutdown 2018 dairy cull cow slaughter nears 3 million Butter inventories see drawdown Canadian dairy farm grants available USDA advances bioengineered food disclosure standard Pfaff appointed Wisconsin ag secretary Illinois milk returns stay negative DairyAmerica lawsuit claim forms revised for Upper Midwest FMMO Global Dairy Trade index rise continues What’s in the mailbox?

For the second consecutive month, November 2018 U.S. milk production increased less than 1 percent from the same month a year earlier, as cow numbers continued to decline. With November’s estimate, U.S. milk production growth has now been under 1 percent in five of 11 months in 2018, according to USDA’s monthly Milk Production report, released Dec. 19.

Digest Highlights October fluid sales steady USDA-procured milk delivered to food banks Schumer critical of Defense milk procurement proposal Global Dairy Trade prices up again Tractor, combine sales resilient STATES: DFA to acquire Agropur facility in Minnesota Six dairy biomethane clusters approved in California Wisconsin farm groups to receive watershed grants Dairy Council of California revises nutrition education program Pennsylvania: CAFO reports due Jan. 1 Farm Credit East provides ‘grant’ resources POLICY: USDA Risk Management Agency offers multicounty crop insurance flexibility USDA offers rural broadband financial support