FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative welcomes dairy farmers to attend the cooperative’s Producer Discovery Workshop series as part of its 2023 Annual Meeting taking place on Feb. 10 at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center in Stevens Point, Wis.
‘Members Make the Difference’ is the cooperative’s 2023 Annual Meeting theme, which showcases the vital role cooperative members have in providing guidance for the cooperative’s programs and legislative priorities. With a full decade of advocacy and expansion of educational opportunities, FarmFirst can attribute its success to the membership’s values in grassroots leadership and industry expertise. Participating in the cooperative’s workshop series allows for members to ask industry experts questions that allow them to be more informed about programs and regulations that impact their farm.
The first Producer Discovery Workshop is ‘U.S. Dairy: Working Together to Collectively Impact Sustainability’ beginning at 1:15 p.m. with Jennifer Block, senior vice president of dairy community relations at the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy was created through the dairy farmer checkoff to address growing global sustainability issues and opportunities. The Innovation Center is aligned behind a framework of shared priorities, goals, work, and metrics that inspires new belief in dairy and positions U.S. dairy as a relevant and credible solution for a more sustainable future. Learn how the industry is working to build trust and increase dairy customer confidence through this industry-wide sustainability platform.
The second workshop ‘Legislative Update: Your Cooperative Voice Advocating for Agriculture’ begins at 2:45 p.m. and features Jennifer Wickman and David Larson from Cooperative Network. As the trusted voice for cooperatives and their members, Cooperative Network advocates in the state capitols of Wisconsin and Minnesota and has a long and successful history of lobbying on local and statewide agriculture issues. With State Budgets being the focus in 2023, farmers will want to attend this session for a glimpse of the lobbying priorities of Cooperative Network on the issues that will affect dairy farmers and their businesses.
“All dairy farmers are encouraged to join in and participate in the cooperative’s Producer Discovery Workshop series. The event is free to all dairy farmers, not just cooperative members. It is important to take the time to join the discussion, especially when it comes to sustainability initiatives and state policy issues,” says John Rettler, dairy farmer from Neosho and president of FarmFirst. “By engaging on these topics today, we can have better programs and policies for all dairy farmers tomorrow.”
There is no cost to attend, however attendees are asked to make reservations to ensure sufficient seating. Call Julie at 608-286-1909 by Feb. 7 to make a reservation. For more information about FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative’s 11th Annual Meeting and to learn more about the guest speakers, please visit https://www.farmfirstdairycooperative.com/.
