DAIRY NEWS – The margin for error in today’s dairy industry is thinner than ever, and yet more than 70 percent of agricultural businesses lack a formal succession plan. Attendees of the 2026 Managers Academy for Dairy Professionals®, presented by Professional Dairy Producers® (PDP), will be challenged by experts to scrutinize legacy thinking, sharpen management infrastructure and develop actionable plans to lead their business beyond the next transition.
The 2026 Managers Academy will be held January 20-22, 2026, at the Marriott’s Hotel Rumbao in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The three-day program will be facilitated by Marissa Nehlsen, author and founder/CEO of an eight-figure, debt-free financial firm, and Dick Wittman, business consultant with Wittman Consulting. They’ll use real-world case studies and executive-level conversations to help attendees create governance, leadership and succession strategies they can apply to their businesses right away.
Key learnings will include:
- Understanding what it means to manage a professional business in today’s dairy industry – and the cost of falling short
- Pressure-testing business infrastructures to ensure continued growth and readiness for leadership changes
- Building a systems-based governance approach that’s scalable, flexible and customized to each business
- Aligning leadership teams around mission, vision and core values, eliminating bottlenecks caused by role confusion and indecision
- Shifting focus from estate planning to intentional transition planning and developing successors before the need becomes urgent
“Attending Managers Academy provides dairy business owners and executives the opportunity to learn from world-class trainers, their peers and leading industry executives, all with the goal of sustainable, strategic growth,” said JJ Pagel, Kewaunee, Wis., dairy producer and PDP board member. “Attendees will return home with a tailored multi-year action plan, ideas to navigate tough conversations and practical tools to handle business strain with proven strategies.”
In addition, a full day of out-of-industry tours will immerse attendees in the culture of Puerto Rico and introduce them to high-performing executives who’ve led organizations to successfully scale operations, develop talent and manage complexity. Tours will include on-site discussions with executives and behind-the-scenes glimpses of Hacienda Muñoz coffee farm and roaster, Finca Neo Jibairo certified agrotourism farm and Casa BACARDÍ, the world’s largest rum distillery.
Managers Academy is developed by PDP in collaboration with Progressive Dairy, Progressive Dairy Solutions and Rabo AgriFinance. Registration is open with limited space available; registration fee includes all sessions, training materials, meals, tours and travel to tour sites. Travel to the program and hotel are not included with registration. A block of discounted rooms is available at Marriott’s Hotel Rumbao when booked by Dec. 19, 2025, through the PDP website.
For more details and lodging information visit www.pdpw.org or contact PDP at 800-947-7379.
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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