Insights, Ideas and Inspiration Drive Innovation

The 2024 Business Conference presented by the Professional Dairy Producers (PDP) is just around the corner, with two days of programming designed to meet the needs of every member of a dairy farm team. Known as dairy’s premier educational event, the PDP Business Conference is scheduled for March 13-14, 2024, at the Kalahari Resorts in Wisconsin Dells, Wis.

Attendees can design their own conference experience by selecting learning sessions focused on their area of expertise and interest, including a number of sessions dedicated to building stronger teams.

“Having farmed with my family from a very young age, I’ve always been taught that taking care of our people is just as important as taking care of our animals and our land,” said Laura Raatz, dairy producer from Oconto Falls, Wis., and PDP board member. “One of the things I love about business conference is the variety of sessions there are to learn new strategies we can incorporate as soon as we get back to the farm.”

Nation's cattle numbers lowest since 1951. What does that mean for farmers and consumers?

Dairy farmers don’t always think of themselves as beef producers, but that is the case when their dairy cows “change careers.” Prices for those cull dairy cows are reaching high levels in the current market, based on supply and demand. In the recent cattle and calves report, the USDA said there are 87.2 million head – the lowest such estimate since 1951. And that drives greater demand for dairy’s cull cows.

The inventory of all U.S. beef cattle decreased two percent from a year ago and that decline follows a four percent decrease in the U.S. beef herd from 2022 to 2023. Contrasting with those numbers is the fact that the number of cattle on feed – being fed for the market – has increased two percent from year-ago levels. Experts say that this means there are plenty of cattle to supply the beef market without a dramatic increase in prices. For now, but that will likely change later this year.

Wisconsin Egg Production Surpasses Last 2 Years

Wisconsin egg production during January was 199 million eggs, up 15 percent from last year. This is according to the latest chickens and eggs report from USDA.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service also reports the average number of all layers on hand during January was 7.55 million, up 14 percent from last year. Eggs per 100 layers for January was 2,632, up 1 percent from a year ago.

U.S. egg production totaled 9.27 billion during January, up 2 percent from last year.

The total number of layers during January averaged 377 million, up slightly from last year. January egg production per 100 layers was 2,458 eggs, up 2 percent from January 2023.

Importance of Herd Health in Building Back the Herd

It’s no secret that the cow herd is at an all-time low. As producers start to build herds back, creating and maintaining a herd health plan will be immensely important. Biosecurity, bovine viral diarrhea (BVD), vaccination programs and developmental programming were all topics discussed at the 2024 NCBA National Convention in Orlando, Florida, earlier this year.

Building back the cow herd with biosecurity in mind

When you purchase a replacement female for your herd, are you thinking about biosecurity measures? Well, you might want to, said Dr. Brian Dorcey, DVM, of Farmer's Business Network. Common diseases biosecurity measures can help prevent include Johne’s disease, BVD, pinkeye, Salmonella Dublin and cryptosporidium, among others.

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Upcoming Events:

Present - March 26 - Wisconsin's Best Burger Contest

March 14 - Produ cing Quality Beef Workshop - Stratford Equity Livestock Sale Barn

March 19 - Business of Beef: What are Your Options?

March 21 - Marketing Beef: Begin with the End in Mind

March 26 - Veterinary Skills All Beginners Need

April 3 - WLIC 2024 Annual Member Meeting

April 2-3 - Badger Sheep Short Course

April 16-18 - Cheese Expo

April 22 - WFBF Earth Week: Carbon Research Perspectives

April 24 - WFBF Earth Week:

On Farm Carbon Perspectives

April 26 - WFBF Earth Week:

CPG Carbon Perspectives

WLIC Members

Being a small non-profit, WLIC relies on memberships and sponsorships to further academic programs and events to educate on livestock traceability, identification, and premises ID. We sincerely thank our Industry and Individual partners for their continuous support of WLIC.

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