DGN is completing research on possible courses that we would like to offer to our membership to provide education and resources.
We are offering a free gift for the first 25 survey responses. Surveys can be submitted anonymously, but if you would like to be eligible for the free gift you will need to include your name and address at the end of the form.
Please take a moment to complete a brief survey regarding possible future courses:
Social Media: Sharing Trends and Tips
This webinar will be presented by Carrie Mess (Dairy Carrie), Dairy Farmer and Advocate, on Friday, June 11th, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. CST | 1:00 p.m. EST | 11:00 a.m. MST | 10:00 a.m. PST. This webinar is sponsored by Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.
Webinar Summary: Interested in sharing your message so that it is seen, heard and gains traction? Do you ever wonder why social media “changes things up?” What are the latest trends anticipated and how can you manage them? Join Carrie Mess (Dairy Carrie) and DGN Board Member as she shares key tips!
Speaker Bio: Carrie Mess is a dairy farmer, speaker, agvocate for agriculture and mom from Lake Mills, Wisconsin. Farming in partnership with her husband Patrick and his parents on their 100 cow dairy, For over 10 years Carrie has been sharing her story and connecting with those unfamiliar with agriculture via social media and her blog. Her efforts to be a part of the conversation on food and farming, sharing candid stories of her life and tackling tough subjects has led her to be selected as the 2014 Social Media Farmer of the Year and the 2017 Wisconsin Ag Women’s Summit Advocate of the Year. She serves on the VAS-Agsource Council and is a founding board member of the Dairy Girl Network.
Call in, watch online OR listen when you can! We record and hold all webinars for one month for members to watch when it suits them! You must still register by the deadline below to watch this webinar live or on your own time.
Dairy Girl Network recognizes the need for conversations and on-going awareness to behavioral health. During the month of May, DGN will bring forth three webinars in the form of a mini series in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month.
**Registration is FREE, open to the industry and all are welcome. One registration form gets you access to all three webinars! Register HERE!**
Title: Finding Balance During a Stressful Time (RECORDED)
Presented by: Becky Allen, Owner, Win the Day Productions
Summary: As life begins to resume, it seems our world is being turned back ‘on’ as quickly and it was turned ‘off’. With so much drastically changed in our lives over the last year, how do we re-engage with our demands, set boundaries and manage overwhelm? Tune in to discuss how to keep what we’ve learned, eliminate what no longer serves us and build a life we are proud to show up for.
Title: Meditation for the Everyday Woman (RECORDED)
Presented by: Ashley Machado MSW, PPSC
Summary: Meditation can be a great resource for self-care and can be tackled by everyone, even the busy dairywoman! Join us for a hands-on experience to learn about types of meditation, benefits and some implementation basics!
Topic: Tools to Help Children Cope with Changes Due to COVID-19 (RECORDED)
Presented by: Monica Kramer McConkey, LPC, Eyes on the Horizon Consulting
Summary: The pandemic has taken a toll on all of us, but our children have faced unique challenges. From fear related to the virus to online schooling, added screen time, isolation, and increased parental stress, the pandemic could have long-term effects on our kids’ mental health. Monica will help us identify those challenges, provide tools for helping kids cope, and teach us how to have age- and developmentally-appropriate conversations. Plan for an interactive webinar that will give hands-on skills to support your kids.
*Limited spots available – register early to reserve your spot in the live or recorded webinars. One registration form gives you access to all three webinars.*
Call in, watch online OR listen when you can! We record and hold all webinars so you can watch at a time that works for you!
Webinar hosting is brought to you by Zoetis. Dairy Girl Network Enhance offers resources to dairywomen without leaving the farm.
Get 2021 Started on the Right Foot: Alfalfa Stands and Alternative Forages
This webinar will be presented by Jeff Jackson, Alfalfa & Forage Specialist, CROPLAN by WinField United, on Friday, April 16th, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. CST | 1:00 p.m. EST | 11:00 a.m. MST | 10:00 a.m. PST. This webinar is sponsored by Land O’ Lakes/CROPLAN.
Webinar Summary: Is my current alfalfa stand “GOOD ENOUGH” or do we need to make some quick rotational decisions? Lets discuss how to evaluate them, talk about the “Watch Outs” of getting a new stand established and take a peek at getting the most out of our stands that are going to make it this year. If I do need to rotate and need some “SUMMER FEED”, lets understand some forages I should consider to fill the bunker.
Speaker Bio: Jeff grew up on a very diversified family farm in NW Iowa and attended South Dakota State University where he obtained a Bachelors in Animal Science and a Masters in Plant Science. This led him to an agronomy position at a local coop where he was the guy that “wore many hats” handling grain, mixing and delivering feed, mixing and applying chemical and fertilizer…to name a few. In 2005, an opportunity was seized to become a District Sales Manager for CROPLAN helping local coop members run their seed businesses. Pivotal career changes in 2010 put Jeff in a forage role at Land O Lakes as a full-time Alfalfa & Forage Specialist with CROPLAN by WinField United focusing on the I-29 Corridor to help dairies and growers make the biggest pile of high quality #COWCHOW as they could. He spends his time helping the coop seller, commercial hay grower, the dairy and everyone in-between with product selections, agronomic advice and technical support as a CSI (crop scene investigator). Adding to his duties, he become the National Forage Sorghum product lead for CROPLAN in 2016 to help all understand the uses of Warm Season Summer Annuals in their rotations. In his spare time, he loves to hunt, ATV, and attend music festivals with his friends and family if he is not running his sawmill and doing woodworking.
Call in, watch online OR listen when you can! We record and hold all webinars for one month for members to watch when it suits them! You must still register by the deadline below to watch this webinar live or on your own time.
Webex hosting and recording is brought to you by Zoetis.
Dairy Girl Network Enhance offers resources to dairywomen without leaving the farm.
Press Release: Dairy Girl Network Adds to Board of Directors
Dairy Girl Network, an organization offering programs and events supporting all women in dairy reaching across the nation, has welcomed a new board of director. Amy Dicke of Ohio recently joined the board which together with partners, Dairy Girl Network members gain valuable connections, resources and shared experiences while supporting and encouraging fellow dairywomen. As the 2020 year ended, DGN was able to provide dairywomen with opportunities through virtual events that included the 2020 Forward TogetHER national conference, monthly webinars and an online community of dairywomen.
Amy Dicke is a knowledgeable and skilled dairy producer who farms with her husband and son. Amy’s passions are family, which she and her husband feel fortunate to have raised five children, being part of an industry that produces a product providing essential benefits to others, and good stewardship of their land and livestock. Her educational background includes a B.S. in Dairy Science and a DVM from The Ohio State University.
Amy spent close to four decades practicing veterinary medicine, initially in a private mixed animal practice followed by a corporate technical services/scientific communication role. Her last five years have been exclusively dedicated to their dairy, during which robotic milking technology was installed. Amy’s primary responsibilities are managing the husbandry of the young stock, providing herd preventative, sick and emergency health care, performing the majority of the artificial insemination and handling the accounting and livestock records for the farm.
“Amy brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, along with a renewed perspective to our Dairy Girl Network Board of Directors. Her skills and expertise will assist in moving the mission of DGN forward and supporting dairywomen where they are,” comments Laura Daniels, founder and president of the Dairy Girl Network. “As DGN continues to grow and reaches more dairywomen each year through our education and personal growth programs we are excited with the opportunity to add a new leadership to the board of directors.”
The DGN Board of Directors is comprised of twelve voting members along with two advisory members. These individuals are elected representatives serving as dairy farmers and industry professionals. They oversee the overall execution of the organization’s mission. In building the organization and supporting dairywomen through connections, encouragement and inspiration, DGN is proud to continue to add to our board of directors with new leadership.
Amy joins our current DGN Board of Directors who include Laura Daniels, founder and president, of Wisconsin; Kristy Pagel, vice president, of Wisconsin; LuAnn Troxel, financial officer, of Indiana; Carrie Mess of Wisconsin; Michelle Philibeck of Wisconsin; Tami Smith of Pennsylvania; Michele Schilter of Washington; Mary Knigge of Washington DC; Connie Kuber of California; Rebecca Shaw of Pennsylvania; and Corinne Banker of New York. Advisors to the board include Leah Ziemba of Wisconsin and Dr. Kelly Reed of Washington. These individuals are advocates for advancing women within agriculture and are dedicated to the mission and vision of Dairy Girl Network
Fostering a Positive On-Farm Culture
This webinar will be a co-presented by Nicole Ayache, Senior Director, Sustainability Intiatives, NMPF and Jorge Delgado, Training, Talent Development and Retention Program for Dairy Works, Alltech, on Friday, March 19th, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. CST | 1:00 p.m. EST | 11:00 a.m. MST | 10:00 a.m. PST. This webinar is sponsored by the National Dairy FARM Program.
Webinar Summary: Join Nicole Ayache and Jorge Delgado to discover more about FARM Workforce Development and the importance of prioritizing a constructive on-farm culture. Ayache will provide an overview of FARM’s new program area: why it was added, how it was developed, and where dairy farmers can find programmatic support. Additionally, Jorge will share tips and best management practices for engaging, valuing and prioritizing the needs of dairy farm workers, focusing on non-native English speakers. This collaborative presentation is a joint initiative from these two organizations to promote on-farm employee-related best management practices.
Speaker Bios:
Nicole Ayache serves as Senior Director, Sustainability Initiatives at National Milk Producers Federation. She leads the FARM Environmental Stewardship and FARM Workforce Development program areas and focuses on developing tools and resources to help U.S. dairy farms improve their environmental and labor outcomes, which in turn provides important supply chain assurances. Nicole serves on the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America (ASHCA) Board of Directors and is also a member of the International Dairy Federation (IDF) Standing Committee on the Environment. Before joining NMPF, she worked as a consultant for the FARM program and for a variety of clients in the food and ag sector. She developed sustainability programs/reports, procurement policies and research studies for dairy cooperatives, environmental NGOs and protein processors. Her experience spans multiple industries and disciplines, giving her a broad perspective on sustainability – including consulting for pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies; working at an international environmental conservation non-profit; and, serving as an internal management consultant for a leading prosecutor’s office. Nicole holds a Master of Science in Agriculture, Food and Environment from Tufts University and Bachelor of Science in Biology from Yale University.
Jorge Delgado belongs to a family of dairy farmers and he is originally from Ecuador, South America. He received his B.S. in Agriculture and Dairy Science from E.A.R.T.H University in Costa Rica, then he returned to Ecuador where he worked with the Dairy Industry representing a genetic company doing consulting, sales and training until moving to the U.S. in 2002. Jorge then worked on multiply dairy farms as a herd manager for 10 years and joined Alltech as a Dairy Specialist in 2010 as part of the Alltech On Farm Program. In 2014, Jorge moved to Elanco to lead the Dairy Training Program focusing on empowering dairy workers. In 2018 Jorge moved back to Alltech and created the Alltech T2R Program (Training, Talent development and retention program) bringing his expertise to help dairy producers with people management practices, herd health, milk quality, calf management and protocols. Jorge lives with his family in Minneapolis, MN.
Call in, watch online OR listen when you can! We record and hold all webinars for one month for members to watch when it suits them! You must still register by the deadline below to watch this webinar live or on your own time.
Webex hosting and recording is brought to you by Zoetis.
Dairy Girl Network Enhance offers resources to dairywomen without leaving the farm.
What Does Your SCC Say About Your Management?
This webinar will be a panel discussion with Panel Discussion with Angela Kinney, DVM, Staff Veterinarian at Larson Acres Inc. and Dairy Field Technician at Agsource; Heidi Fischer, Manager/Owner at Fischer-Clark Dairy Farm, Inc.; and Jolynne Schroepfer, Dairy Facilitator, Sartori Cheese. on Friday, March 5th, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. CST | 1:00 p.m. EST | 11:00 a.m. MST | 10:00 a.m. PST. This webinar is sponsored by the National Mastitis Council.
Webinar Summary: What does your somatic cell count say about your management? Join us to learn the top factors for high quality milk and have a dynamic discussion with some women in the industry paving the way on this topic. Make sure to bring your questions to ask our technical expert and an award-winning producer.
Speaker Bios:
Dr. Angela Kinney is originally from Brazil where she completed her DVM degree and in 2003 got her degree equivalency from the School of Veterinary Medicine at UW-Madison. She was in private practice for five years until the birth of her daughter, when she then became a full-time mom. In 2010 she joined Larson Acres Inc. (2400 milking cows) as a part time Staff Veterinarian and still holds that position. Her focus is on milk quality. Larson acres has a strong on-farm culture program that led to a decrease in 60% of the intramammary drug use with improved milk quality. In 2019, Larson Acres received the prestigious 100-100 award given to farms that have a production of 100lbs or above of milk a day per cow while keeping SCC at or below 100,000. In December of 2020 Dr. Kinney also joined Agsource as Dairy Field technician with an emphasis on consultation.
Heidi Fischer, her husband and his parents own and operate a 1,000 cow dairy and farm 2,500 acres. Heidi joined the dairy in 2015 and brings a marketing and project management background to her job. Heidi manages the calf and heifer portion of the dairy, as well as processes and protocols for the dairy part of the farm. She works closely with her veterinarian and nutritionist to ensure all protocols not only have the best interest of the animal in mind but are also efficient and easy to implement. Heidi believes that communication and teamwork are key to success.
Jolynne Schroepfer’s passion for the dairy industry has been developed over a lifetime. Growing up milking in the family tie-stall barn, it is there that she learned to listen to the needs of the dairy cow. After graduating from UW-Madison with a double major in Dairy Science and Agriculture Education, she and her husband Dave navigated back to central Wisconsin. At Sartori, Jolynne focuses on quality milk procurement with farms ranging 20 to 1000 cows. Sartori was recently recognized as having not one, but two farms recognized as platinum by the National Mastitis Council and the National Dairy Quality Award. Their sons, Mitch, Marcus and Tyler, are all Badgers at UW-Madison in the College of Agriculture and Life Science. Jolynne will be moderating this discussion.
Call in, watch online OR listen when you can! We record and hold all webinars for one month for members to watch when it suits them! You must still register by the deadline below to watch this webinar live or on your own time.
Webex hosting and recording is brought to you by Zoetis.
Dairy Girl Network Enhance offers resources to dairywomen without leaving the farm.
Will you be at the Central Plains Dairy Expo in Sioux Falls, SD on March 24th? Join Dairy Girl Network for an afternoon of camaraderie, fun and networking with other dairywomen!
Join other dairywomen for a quick recharge to talk about your lives involving dairy farming. The event is for all women involved with any part of dairy – whether as a calf feeder, dairy owner, marketing or sales consultant servicing dairy farms or cheese producers, veterinarian, researchers, etc. If there is a dairy cow involved in what you do, you’re invited!
Cost is $20.00 which includes lunch and a DGN special gift. Join us in the Fontenelle A Room at the Sheraton Sioux Falls in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on March 24th, 2021 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m
Advance registration is appreciated for this Dairy Girl Network event, but walk-ins are welcome. Register HERE.
Advance registration is appreciated for this Dairy Girl Network event, but not required. Please register HERE.
Will you be at the Nebraska State Dairy Association Annual Convention in Columbus, NE on March 18? Join Dairy Girl Network for networking with other dairywomen!
Join other dairywomen for a quick recharge to talk about your lives involving dairy farming. The event is for all women involved with any part of dairy – whether as a calf feeder, dairy owner, marketing or sales consultant servicing dairy farms or cheese producers, veterinarian, researchers, etc. If there is a dairy cow involved in what you do, you’re invited. Come learn more about the fast growing Dairy Girl Network and programs available to you!
This event is free and includes a DGN special gift. Join us at the Nebraska State Dairy Association Annual Convention in Columbus, Nebraska on March 18th from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Please pre-register by clicking HERE, but walk-ins are welcome!
This space will be located in the Ironwood Room during the conference on March 17 to 18, 2021.
This space offers comfortable and private nursing and pumping spaces, as well as just a quiet space for those with small children to rest and recharge.
If you are planning to attend the PDPW event, make sure to register HERE.
Dairy Girl Network 