Dairy Girl Network Announces Leading Impact Award Winner

Dairy Girl Network (DGN) awarded Pam Selz-Pralle, of Humbird, Wis., with the Leading Impact sponsored by Beck’s at the recent DGN Forward TogetHER biennial national conference in Prior Lake, Minn.

New this year, the DGN Leading Impact Award sponsored by Beck’s, honored a distinguished dairywoman with passionate involvement and leadership achievements positively impacting the dairy industry. Members of the Dairy Girl Network from across the country nominated a dairywoman in their life who they believe is impacting the industry right now. The pool of applicants was judged by an outside panel of anonymous industry professionals and producers.

“Dairywomen are moving the arrow forward contributing success to the dairy industry,” said DGN President and Founder Laura Daniels. “DGN’s awards are milestone achievements honoring women in dairy who are positively influencing dairy farming into the future.”

The DGN Leading Impact nominations exemplified passionate involvement and leadership achievements that have impacted the dairy industry. Candidates have impacted dairy farming and are leaders within the agricultural industry, and their communities and paved the way for youth and/or young adults.

Pam Selz-Pralle, Humbird, Wisc., was honored with the first DGN Leading Impact Award sponsored by Beck’s. Selz-Pralle mentors and models making better leaders to lead stronger dairy organizations, be leaders in their communities, and the voice of dairy farming. Her experience and leadership range from production agriculture to industry development to consumer advocacy. Yet, Selz-Pralle still manages to adventure into new projects while still keeping things going strong at home farming with her husband, Scott. They have been awarded Holstein USA Outstanding Younger Breeders,

Wisconsin Jaycee Outstanding Young Dairymen and bred the World Record Milk Cow. She was honored as a Wisconsin Master Agriculturalist, one of four women in its 45-year history to receive this award. On the farm, she instituted an uncommon calf feeding system of mob feeding, group pens, in a positive pressure ventilated barn. She has become a national spokesman for her program at major events and fields questions regularly from those touring her innovative, data-supported calf feeding program.

Selz-Pralle testifies and speaks directly to legislatures coordinated discussion forums for Wisconsin Farm Bureau and the American Dairy Coalition. She has served countless organizations impacting dairy through local, state, national, and international boards. She volunteers and speaks to consumers at farm-to-table events. She is a spokesman for Common Ground and has participated in national radio tours, national cooking shows hosted right from her calf barn, as well as in-person consumer connection events ranging from a Kansas City daycare moms’ event to regularly attending Wisconsin Dietetics annual meetings.

Selz-Pralle is a trainer in teaching other dairywomen how to tell their story. She’s also developing a “Speak up for Ag” 4-H training program to teach dairy and livestock kids not growing up on farms how to be our future farm storytellers. She has shared her successful “Dairy Day on The Farm” template with other farm women. Nearly 12,000 students follow her calves, podcasts, videos, and “Farmer Pam’s Moos” blog.

Dairy Girl Network partners with organizations valuing personal and professional development for dairywomen. DGN national partners supporting all women in dairy by enhancing lives and creating opportunities are Undeniably Dairy, Cargill, Dairy Farmers of America, Diamond V, The National Dairy FARM Program, Farm Credit Services of America, Land O’ Lakes, Merck Animal Health, Michael Best and Zoetis.

Dairy Girl Network connects all women of the dairy industry, encouraging ideas and camaraderie in an effort to achieve personal and professional development. Designed as a welcoming network of passionate women involved in dairy, relationships will grow through shared experience, support and inspiration.