Dairy Wellbeing Workshop to Feature Animal Care Strategies

Processing plant tour, animal-pain mitigation and welfare training also on tap.

Herd management decisions impact cow health and productivity throughout their lifetime as well as beef quality upon culling. The 2026 Dairy Wellbeing Workshop, presented by Professional Dairy Producers® (PDP), will feature a one-of-a-

Limited spaces remain for the two repeating sessions of Dairy Wellbeing Workshop on Wed., Nov. 18, and Thurs., Nov. 19, at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay, Wis. Each day’s program begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes at 3:45 p.m. Pre-registration is required; all sessions will feature simultaneous Spanish translation.

The workshop will begin with a tour of American Foods Group, during which participants will:

• Trace the cull cow’s experience from harvest floor to cooler.
• See the effects on cull-cow quality of on-farm animal and management practices.
• Hear from beef buyers, market experts and USDA meat inspectors about the importance of carcass and body condition.
• Observe firsthand how cattle and carcasses are evaluated.

Following the tour, two additional sessions will be held:

• Prevent the down cow: Protocols to improve outcomes, presented by Dr. Simon Peek, BVSc, PhD, DACVIM, MRCVS, clinical professor of large animal internal medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Peek will lead attendees through an exploration of a cow’s anatomy and physiological changes that occur when she becomes non-ambulatory. He’ll review practical strategies that can improve recovery, support animal welfare and help team members respond with confidence.
• Dr. Jennifer Walker, DVM, PhD, co-founder and chief animal welfare officer with Kinder Ground, will present Recognize pain: Better decisions for better care. This session will focus on identifying signs of pain associated with calving, lameness and injuries. Dr. Walker will review important considerations for available tools to manage pain and protocols to support long-term animal health and welfare.

Pre-registration is required for the workshop. Learn more and register at www.pdpw.org or by contacting PDP at 800-947-7379.

Dairy Wellbeing Workshop is accredited for up to 5.75 Dairy AdvanCE (DACE) continuing education credits and up to 5.0 ARPAS credits. 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.