Lifelong Learning

Lifelong Learning: Support, encourage the next generation

Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The future of the dairy industry depends on more than technology, genetics or markets. While all of these are critical, the true future of dairy lies in recruiting, educating and supporting the next generation of dairy producers, managers and innovators.

Lifelong Learning: Progress starts with identifying gaps

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

We hear it over and over again: The dairy industry is changing faster than ever. And it’s true. We’re all living it every day.

Lifelong Learning: Lifelong learning, fine-tuning make for a stronger dairy

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0500

In today’s dairy industry, producers are constantly evaluating new technologies, equipment and management practices to improve the productivity, efficiency and profitability of our businesses.

Lifelong Learning: Strategic innovation, continuous education central to dairy success

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

It’s easy in today’s dairy industry to feel like you’re falling behind. Keeping up with new advancements, practices and technologies could be a full-time job, not to mention training team members upon making a purchase decision and implementing the new system.

Lifelong Learning: Building a strong team pays dividends

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

A quick Google search will turn up dozens of quotes and plenty of advice about the importance of surrounding yourself with people who are positive and who will challenge and support you. Unlike a lot of other information you can find online, those pieces of advice are completely true.

Lifelong Learning: Nurture the seeds of greatness for continual growth

Wed, 07 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Another growing season is about to begin. For many of us, the sight of new plants emerging from the soil after a long winter instills within us a renewed hope.

Lifelong Learning: Lessons from Alan Koepke's legacy

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Alan Koepke’s life, legacy and career in dairy farming set the standard and serve as a testament to the impact of continuous education on personal growth, business success and community development.

Lifelong Learning: The best gifts last a lifetime

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 16:13:18 -0500

The holiday season is upon us once again, and it is both a magical and stressful time of year. While I look forward to Christmas traditions and creating new memories with loved ones, I also know there is a lot of work associated with the closing year transitioning to the next one.

Lifelong Learning: Education paves the way in preparing for historic decision

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0400

As dairy producers, we make dozens of decisions all day, every day. From products and protocols to capital investments and new hires, everything has an impact.

Lifelong Learning: Building skills for the farm and beyond

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0400

As dairy farmers, we have a unique way of life and a distinct responsibility to share the stories of our farm and industry with our communities.

Lifelong Learning: New initiative empowers dairy producers to understand and improve environmental footprint

Thu, 02 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

“Your Farm – Your Footprint” is a new initiative led by dairy farmers through Professional Dairy Producers (PDP) that empowers dairy producers to know and easily understand the environmental footprint of their farms.

Lifelong Learning: Changes can build stronger teams, farms and communities

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0500

“The only thing constant in life is change.” This quote is attributed to an ancient Greek philosopher, and I can’t think of a better way to describe today’s dairy industry.

Lifelong Learning: Continual learning fosters growth

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0500

As dairy farmers, we make large and small investments nearly every day on the farm. One of the most important – but often overlooked – is the investment we make in ourselves and our team members.

Lifelong Learning: Make the most of education investment

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0400

In fact, I’d say the dairy industry leads the way in many aspects of using measurement tools to make decisions. However, there is one area where we can learn from other industries: tracking our own learning and development.

Lifelong Learning: Building a dairy’s culture and opportunities for team members

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 18:14:09 -0400

As dairy farmers, we are always making decisions to make our farms more productive, efficient and sustainable.

Lifelong Learning: Lifelong learning plays critical role in being future ready

soleary@pdpw.org — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Countless tasks demand the attention of dairy producers – immediate and long term. It can be easy to overlook the role education plays in successfully managing a dairy business.

Lifelong Learning: Creating a culture of lifelong learning

Sat, 11 Feb 2023 16:13:23 -0500

We’ve seen a lot of headlines and news articles lately about trends and changes in the workforce. From the “quiet quitting” trend to tightening labor markets in nearly every industry to the transition back to the office after the COVID-19 pandemic, it is a new day in how we approach and work with our teams.

New PDPW research reveals how to be future-ready

Sat, 10 Dec 2022 07:36:33 -0500

To anticipate dairy’s future and identify how dairy producers can best prepare and position their farms for sustainable success, Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW) recently conducted a first-of-its kind, 360-degree view of the full dairy value chain’s perspective of the future.

Lifelong Learning: Include lifelong learning in the balancing act for successful dairying

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 14:42:32 -0500

When costs are rising or you are looking to invest every dollar into the business, it can seem difficult to choose to invest in training programs, but we have found it to be an investment in the future of ourselves, our team and our business.

Foundation Watch: Dairy's Foundation nurtures next generation, develops skills of current producers

soleary@pdpw.org — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 23:39:03 -0400

In today’s fast-changing dairy industry, continuing education has never been more important. However, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for the training and development needs of each member of the dairy team.

Commitment to learning allows dairy farms to thrive amid change

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 12:21:54 -0400

It seems that the one constant in our dairy farms and farming families is change. Whether it’s the changing roles of family members in an operation or the way technology and new research findings are continually modifying how we care for animals, land and water, keeping up with and managing through these changes requires a commitment to learning in all forms.

Lifelong Learning: Building connections leads to learning opportunities

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 12:32:48 -0400

We’ve heard in songs and sayings that “it only takes a spark” to light a fire, but sometimes it also takes several sparks a few different times to really get things going. At least, that was the case for our family farming business when it came to digging deep into the numbers and financials of our dairy and crop operation.

Pace of change makes lifelong learning essential

Fri, 07 Aug 2020 13:00:01 -0400

New technologies, new management practices, new evolving regulatory policies and ever-changing consumer trends mean that today’s dairy farmers must be more focused than ever before.