DAIRY NEWS – A strong financial foundation is key to success in today’s dairy industry. The Financial Literacy for Dairy® program, presented by Professional Dairy Producers® (PDP) is an elite multi-session financial development course created specifically for the unique needs and aspects of the dairy industry. The program is designed to give dairy farmers, veterinarians, nutritionists and other agribusiness professionals the understanding, tools and strategies to help them chart a course for financial success and make the most of interactions with their advisory teams.
“Headed into the Financial Literacy course, I regularly worked with our banker, accountant and a quarterly financial advisor. Now I’m able to have more productive conversations with those professionals,” said Sydney Flick, Jazzy Jerseys in Lodi, Wis.
All sessions of the multi-level course for the 2025-26 program year will be held at Pagel’s Ponderosa in Kewaunee, Wis. Participants will complete an online assessment at registration to determine which of the two course levels is best suited to them. The online assessment must be taken before November 10.
The program is facilitated by Dr. Kevin Bernhardt, PhD., professor of agribusiness at UW-Platteville and UW-Extension farm management specialist, and David Coggins, senior financial leader and retired agriculture loan officer. Level One provides four days of training in two separate sessions: Nov. 12-13, 2025, and Dec. 3-4, 2025, and Level Two sessions are scheduled in three separate trainings: Jan. 15-16, 2026; Feb. 4-5, 2026; and Mar. 10-11, 2026. The timing of sessions enables Level One participants to complete both levels in quick succession.
Level One courses focus on understanding and constructing accurate financial statements, which is the foundation for analysis and decision-making in dairy businesses. Participants will take a deep dive into models of financial management and goal setting, then learn the structure and principles of both the balance sheet and income statements and how to use both to measure financial health and profitability performance.
Participants in the Level Two course will use financial analysis, planning and budgeting to make informed decisions for their business. The focus will include discovering their financial story with ratio analysis, financial trends, cost of production and breakeven analysis, then budgeting and feasibility analysis and developing a dashboard of key performance indicators.
Dairy producers who participate in the program are encouraged to check with partners involved in the “Count on Us” program, which provides attendees an opportunity for full or partial scholarships into the Financial Literacy for Dairy program. These partners recognize the value that comprehensive financial training provides to dairy producers and have committed to offering financial support to eligible registrants. In such cases, attendees pay the training program fee to PDP upon registration, then consult with their “Count on Us” partners to determine the scholarship amount.
“Count on Us” partners include AgCountry Farm Credit Services, BMO, Bremer Bank, Citizens State Bank of Loyal, Compeer Financial, Dairy Business Consulting, Inc., Farmers & Merchants Union Bank, GreenStone Farm Credit Services, Nicolet Bank and Rabo AgriFinance.
For those preferring to secure lodging near Pagels Ponderosa, recommended hotels close to the training location include:
- Country Inn & Suites by Radisson; 850 Kepler Dr Suite A, Green Bay, Wis., 920-770-2683
- AmericInn by Wyndham; 2628 Manitowoc Road, Green Bay, Wis., 920-332-6640
- Comfort Suites; 1951 Bond St. Green Bay, Wis., 920-499-7449
- The River Hills Motel; 820 N Water St., Algoma, Wis, 920-487-3451
Registration information and more details are available at www.pdpw.org or by contacting PDP at 800-947-7379. Up to 32 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available from Dairy AdvanCE (DACE) for Level One and up to 48 DACE CEUs are available for Level Two.
Follow along digitally in advance of and during the event by following @dairyPDPW on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
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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