The Wisconsin Dairy Products Association (WDPA) said its 2021 Dairy Symposium will be held July 12-13 at The Landmark Resort in Door County, Wis. The Dairy Symposium is a comprehensive program focusing on issues impacting all dairy processors. It will feature two solid days of value involving exceptional program speakers, entertaining social events, a golf outing and the opportunity to network with leading dairy executives in an upscale, resort setting.

Middleton, Wis.-based WDPA said this year’s Dairy Symposium will feature national-caliber speakers for all dairy interests. A partial listing of confirmed speakers includes:

• Heather Anfang, senior vice president, Land O Lakes Inc.
• Paul Ziemnisky, executive vice president, Dairy Management Inc.
• Kim Bassett, CEO, Bassett Mechanical.
• Special Agent Amanda Knutson, FBI

Representatives from leading dairy companies will be in attendance, WDPA said, providing opportunities to network and interact with business peers in a relaxed setting. Fun-filled social events include a Monday night reception and banquet, as well as a golf outing at one of Door County’s premiere golf courses.

The Dairy Symposium begins on Monday, July 12 with a golf outing at The Orchards Golf Club at Egg Harbor. The outing will use a scramble format to allow golfers of all abilities to have an enjoyable day. There will be a shotgun start at 10:00 a.m., WDPA noted, and lunch, drinks and prizes are included in the golf fee.

That evening, there will be a gala reception, followed by the President’s Award dinner banquet. The presentation of the 2020 and 2021 WDPA President’s Awards will be the highlight of this evening, WDPA said.

The next day begins with a breakfast and the WDPA annual meeting. Following that, the main educational program commences.

One featured session will be “Improved Operations for Dairy Plants – Now and in the Future.” Dairy plants are continually striving to improve their efficiencies and profits by embracing new technologies and improving their current equipment. Does your plant text you? Does it tell you when it’s anticipating a problem? Does it help you automatically calculate and visualize KPI’s to keep your teams on track?

Find out how older facilities are modernizing their data strategy to improve operations without massive investments in new equipment and automation. Another strategy for improving plant operations is through “pigging” systems, WDPA said, which recover product and reduce waste.

Speakers will include:

• Erica Maedke, senior director, Blimling & Associates.
• Thomas Filak, vice president, Dairy.com.
• Tod Galloway, vice president, Galloway Co.

Another session, WDPA said, is “How Can Dairy Win?” Dairy sales have been on a roller coaster ride the past decade, surging during last year’s COVID-19 pandemic. Last year brought a tremendous boost for dairy products, especially milk and butter.

How can dairy build on the consumer demand we witnessed during COVID? How can dairy continue to battle nondairy alternatives, which keep popping up in the retail aisles? The leading dairy promotion organization in the United States will provide their insights on this challenge. Paul Ziemnisky, executive vice president, Dairy Management Inc., will be the featured speaker.

Also on the agenda is an executive roundtable on dairy markets. A stellar panel of dairy executives will discuss today’s dairy markets, sharing their views on how national and global economies are affecting their companies and how they are dealing with current market challenges, WDPA said. A discussion of how these companies are maintaining their competitiveness and how they are positioning themselves for future growth will round out this thought-provoking session.

Participants will include:

• Heather Anfang, senior vice president, Land O Lakes Inc.
• Kim Bassett, CEO, Bassett Mechanical.
• And more.

The 2021 Dairy Symposium will conclude with a lunch and guest speaker, Special Agent Amanda Knutson, FBI, WDPA said.

To register for the 2021 Dairy Symposium, call 608-836-3336, email info@wdpa.net to obtain a registration brochure or go to www.wdpa.net. The deadline to secure a room at The Landmark Resort is June 2, 2021. The deadline to register for the Dairy Symposium is June 16, 2021.