Build Financial Confidence for More Profitable Dairy Decisions

Financial Literacy for Dairy® provides tools, hands-on practice to better understand business numbers.

Strong financial management starts with understanding what the numbers are indicating. Professional Dairy Producers® (PDP) developed Financial Literacy for Dairy® to empower dairy producers, veterinarians, nutritionists and other agribusiness professionals with the financial knowledge to more effectively evaluate business performance, identify opportunities and make sound decisions.

The multi-level, multi-session program is the only financial-literacy curriculum developed specifically for dairy farmers and takes a practical and personalized approach to financial management, helping participants move beyond simply reviewing financial statements to using them as a powerful management tool. Sessions for Level One begin November 11, 2026, with all program sessions to be held at Moraine Park Technical College in Beaver Dam, Wis.

Program facilitators are Dr. Kevin Bernhardt, PhD., professor of agribusiness at UW-Platteville and a UW-Extension farm management specialist, and David Coggins, senior financial leader and retired agriculture loan officer. Class size is limited to 30 participants to allow for question-and-answer time with presenters as well as networking opportunities between fellow attendees. Participants will complete an online assessment before the program to determine which level is the best fit for their experience and financial knowledge.

Level One provides four days of training over two sessions: Nov. 11-12 and Dec. 1-2, 2026. The sessions focus on core financial concepts, including understanding and constructing accurate financial statements.

Level Two provides six days of training over three sessions: Feb. 2-3, Feb. 17-18 and March 9-10, 2027. Building on the fundamentals, the program focuses on financial analysis, planning and budgeting to help participants apply financial information to business decisions.

“Attending Financial Literacy for Dairy helped me strengthen my financial skills and take home some great gold nuggets,” said dairy producer Monica Schwittay of Schwittay Farms near Peshtigo, Wis.

Dairy producers who participate in the program are encouraged to check with the lending partners involved in the “Count on Us” program, which provides attendees an opportunity for full or partial scholarships. Those partners recognize the value that comprehensive financial training provides to dairy producers and have committed to offering financial support to eligible registrants.

“Count on Us” partners include BMO, Citizens State Bank of Loyal, Compeer Financial, Dairy Business Consulting, Inc, Farmers & Merchants Union Bank, GreenStone Farm Credit Services, Nicolet Bank and Rabo AgriFinance.

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.