Planning for and executing a business transition can be one of the greatest challenges that dairy farm families face. While each situation is unique, there are a number of strategies and best management practices that can help families manage the process more successfully.
The Business Transition Workshop presented by the Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW) is a one-day workshop designed to provide the tools and resources for dairy farm families, owners, senior and junior owners and managers to effectively work together and plan for their farm’s future. The workshop will be held on Wed., Jan. 31 at the Glacier Canyon Lodge Conference Center, Wisconsin Dells, and will repeat on Thurs., Feb. 1, at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center, Green Bay, Wis., from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. both days.
The training will be led by Nicole Bettinger of The Family Business Consulting Group. She is a consultant specializing in communication, conflict resolution and training next-generation family business owners. Nicole’s roots in the family business field are deep. Her family owned a Wisconsin village grocery store for 95 years, and she was the fourth-generation owner. This firsthand experience allows Nicole to bring unique perspective to facilitating family meetings, educating families and aligning ownership in transitions. Nicole has also worked for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Family Business Center, supporting family businesses through services such as discussion forums, training programs and educational resources.
The workshop will provide participants with:
- Practical tips and strategies for working with family members, including starting tough conversations and identifying and resolving bottlenecks.
- Tools to establish their own transition plan and develop a family-employment policy to provide predictability and protection for owners and family members.
- Review of several real-world scenarios in a case study that includes common transition challenges, including the concerns of each generation involved, transition-plan development, family and non-family negotiations, and how to best motivate and engage future generations.
The PDPW Business Transition Workshop is an accredited training and offers up to 5.5 Dairy AdvanCE continuing education units (CEUs) for each day. To learn more or secure credits, visit www.dairyadvance.org.
To learn more about the PDPW Business Transition Workshop and to register, visit www.pdpw.org or contact PDPW at 1-800-947-7379.
Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW) 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
