DAIRY NEWS – Limited spaces remain for dairy professionals to have an exclusive, behind-the-scenes opportunity to tour a beef-processing plant and learn about important dairy wellbeing topics. The 2025 Dairy Wellbeing Workshop, presented by Professional Dairy Producers® (PDP) will be held in two repeating one-day installments and simultaneously translated into Spanish. The program is scheduled for Tue., Feb. 11, and Wed., Feb. 12, at the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay, Wis. Registration will begin at 8:00 a.m. with the program concluding at 3:45 p.m. each day.
In addition to touring American Food Groups processing plant from cooler to harvest floor, attendees will learn practical strategies for sensitive topics such as when and how to administer euthanasia, and how to address personal wellbeing in roles that can take a toll on physical and mental health.
Each day’s program will feature:
- A tour and panel discussion at American Foods Group where participants will interact with beef buyers, market experts and USDA meat inspectors to understand cull cow quality, the importance of carcass and body condition, and the attributes buyers and inspectors are looking for when they evaluate cattle and carcasses. A tour of the facility will trace the cull cow’s experience backwards from the cooler to the harvest floor, giving participants a behind-the-scenes view of the lasting effects of care and management practices at the farm level.
- Watch for that blind spot: understanding compassion fatigue,” presented by Monica Kramer McConkey, MA, LPC, rural mental health expert and owner of Eyes on the Horizon Consulting LLC. This presentation will help attendees detect the warning signs of compassion fatigue and better understand how it can impact personal lives and work performance. She’ll also share practical strategies to manage stress, build resilience and prevent burnout in today’s high-stress dairy field.
- “Euthanizing cattle – what you need to know,” presented by Dr. Jan Shearer, DVM, professor and extension veterinarian at Iowa State University. He will lead a discussion on the occasions that warrant euthanasia and provide clear, practical guidance on how to responsibly carry out the practice to ensure the wellbeing of both animals and team members performing the procedure.
Pre-registration is required for this program. To learn more, visit www.pdpw.org or contact PDP at 800-947-7379. The PDP Dairy Wellbeing Workshop is accredited for up to 5.25 Dairy AdvanCE and 5 ARPAS continuing education credits. FARM has also approved Dr. Shearer’s “Euthanizing cattle” session.
Follow along digitally in advance of and during the event by following PDP on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
Professional Dairy Producers (PDP) is the nation’s largest dairy producer-led organization of its kind, focusing on producer professionalism, stakeholder engagement and unified outreach to share ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.
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