JUNEAU, Wis. — College students considering a career in the dairy industry or dairy production are encouraged to apply for the 2019 PDPW Mentor Program, brought to you by Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW). The program provides a unique opportunity for students to gain on-the-ground experience on leading dairy farms and network with farmers and industry professionals.
Applications are due by Nov. 17, 2019. Students’ applications are reviewed and matched with pre-selected mentor dairy host farms, based on interests and geographical location.
Once matched with a host farm, students will spend an entire day (8-to-10 hours) job shadowing their mentor, allowing them to learn about the host farm, technologies, cow-side animal care practices, business and financial management, and other management and leadership responsibilities. Students will then complete a one-page summary of their experience.
All students who complete the Mentor Program will receive a complimentary registration to the 2020 PDPW Business Conference, to be held March 18-19, 2020 in Madison, Wis. Students will connect with their mentor and meet network at the mentor breakfast, then attend professional development and educational sessions throughout the Business Conference.
“The dairy industry is changing constantly, and it is critical that dairy farmers adopt new technologies and management practices to be sustainable and productive,” said Shelly Mayer, Executive Director of PDPW. “The goals of the PDPW Mentor Program are to increase opportunities for students to experience a variety of dairy production systems, expand their professional network, and stimulate career planning with production agriculture as an option.”
An online application is available, or for a downloadable file or more information, visit www.pdpw.org, contact PDPW at 1-800-947-7379.
Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW) 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.
— PDPW
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