DAIRY NEWS – Five students accepted into the 2025 Professional Dairy Producers® (PDP) Cornerstone Dairy Academy® earned a scholarship to the program from the Wisconsin Rural Opportunities Foundation (WROF). Recipients include Will Cordes, Stratford, Wis.; Stacy Eberly, Monroe, Wis.; Regan Kramer, Ames, Iowa; Chelsea Scheider, De Pere, Wis.; and Max Schenkenberg, Poynette, Wis. Collectively, the students attended the Influential Leadership and Servant Leadership pillars of the Cornerstone program.
Cordes is the research program manager/supervisor for University of Wisconsin-Marshfield Ag Research Station, where he regularly interacts with USDA and UW researchers to ensure that research projects are on track and following protocols. Previously, he worked as a dairy nutritionist before returning to his family’s dairy farm, consulting and seed-corn business, then accepted the role at UW-Marshfield in 2015. His goal is to further develop skills in managing and communicating with people.
Eberle brings a range of dairy experiences to her work, including owning and operating a dairy farm and currently serving as landlord and mentor to a new dairy farmer. She has also served on local, state and national dairy and agriculture-related boards and looks forward to developing knowledgeable confidence by attending the Influential Leadership pillar.
Kramer is a senior majoring in agriculture studies and international agriculture at Iowa State University. She grew up on a family farm near Eastman, Wis., and is excited to further expand her knowledge of the dairy industry and make essential connections for a successful career by completing the Influential Leadership pillar.
Scheider owns Zirbel Dairy Farms with her husband and family, where she is responsible for human resources management and financial management of the operation. She is a graduate of UW-Platteville and participated in the Servant Leadership pillar of Cornerstone Dairy Academy.
Schenkenberg is the herdsman for Maier Farms LLC in Waunakee, Wis., and has attended Cornerstone Dairy Academy once before, completing the Servant Leadership pillar. His involvement in the dairy industry began by working at the UW-Madison campus dairy farm and serving for several years as an AI technician before his serving in his current role at Maier Farms. He participated in the Influential Leadership pillar.
“One of our goals at the Wisconsin Rural Opportunities Foundation is developing tomorrow’s dairy professionals and industry leaders,” said Dr. Jerry Gaska, DVM, WROF board member. “We are proud to support these five recipients with scholarships to Cornerstone Dairy Academy, particularly since that program is designed to equip attendees with the communication and leadership skills they need.”
The Wisconsin Rural Opportunities Foundation is a non-profit organization that began in 1934 to purchase Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-guaranteed loans following the Great Depression to stimulate Wisconsin’s agricultural economy. Today, WROF invests in the education of people from rural Wisconsin so they can transform and improve the economic health and quality of life in their rural areas.
Presented by the Professional Dairy Producers March 11-12 at Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis., Cornerstone Dairy Academy is a three-pillar leadership-development program designed to build the skills of dairy farmers and industry professionals who want to lead with purpose, character and integrity.
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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