DAIRY NEWS – The volatile intersections of global politics, climate shifts and market upheavals are impacting today’s agricultural industries and dairy producers in unprecedented ways. The opening session of the 2025 Business Conference presented by the Professional Dairy Producers® (PDP) will bring together leading experts in each of these areas to provide strategies to those navigating dairy businesses through unpredictable times.
“No matter what else is going on in the dairy industry, the issues of global politics, market trends and weather patterns are always top-of-mind issues. Knowing what potentially lies ahead is key to success,” said John Haag, dairy producer from Dane, Wis., and president of PDP board of directors.
With the theme “Dialing It In,” the 2025 Business Conference will provide dairy producers with 50 sessions in several formats led by world-class researchers, experts, and fellow dairy producers. The conference will be held March 12-13, 2025, at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis., with simultaneous translation for attendees who prefer to learn in Spanish. There will also be two sessions for 15 to 18-year-olds to build leadership and communications skills.
The opening session on Wed., March 12, “The Three-Headed Beast: Geopolitics, markets and weather” will feature globally recognized experts presenting an in-depth look at the forces shaping agriculture and strategies to adapt and thrive despite volatility. Speakers will include Dan Basse, president of AgResource Company; Jacob Shapiro, partner and director of geopolitical analysis at Cognitive Investments; and Eric Snodgrass, principal atmospheric scientist for Conduit.
The “Dairy is the answer: are you ready for the question?” general session on Thurs., March 13 will feature director of sustainability and recycling at Nestle USA, Emily Johannes, director of the dairy program for The Nature Conservancy’s North America Agriculture Program, Alisha Staggs, and SVP, Markets at World Wildlife Fund, Jason Clay. The group will share how global food companies are working to achieve their individual pledges toward meeting worldwide environmental goals and initiatives and what role the dairy industry may contribute to these goals.
The 2025 Business Conference will feature expanded opportunities for networking and interaction with the industry’s premier dairy suppliers in the Hall of Ideas Trade Show. New technologies, insights and innovations touching myriad aspects of the dairy industry will be on display throughout the conference, and the Hall of Ideas will come alive Wednesday evening with an “Evening on the Square.” Reminiscent of Madison’s Capital Square, there will be live entertainment, a “taste of Wisconsin,” and can’t-miss food and beverages.
Register today by visiting the 2025 Business Conference website. Also available are the English-language flier, Spanish-language flier, information on exhibiting at the event, and details on lodging with discounted rates at several Madison area hotels if booked by February deadlines.
The 2025 PDP Business Conference offers accredited training through such providers as Dairy AdvanCE (DACE) American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists (ARPAS), Certified Crop Advisor (CCA), and Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (WVDL).
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.
Comments