PDPW believes that youth are the future of our industry and invests in them. PDPW currently facilitates the Enhanced Internship Program, Mentor Program and Youth Leadership Derby.

The PDPW Youth Leadership Derby is an annual two-day, fun-filled lock-in with hands-on labs, valuable, interactive workshops and unique tours. This conference allows students to explore all aspects of the dairy industry, and provides a positive learning environment for kids to meet and learn from each other.

The PDPW Mentor Program pairs college students with a dairy producers mentor. The student then spends at least one day at the mentor’s dairy business to learn one-on-one for this dairy producer. This program allows students to explore production agriculture as a career option and allows them to learn more about different operations and management styles. To recognize the students and mentors, PDPW sponsors each pair at the Annual Business Conference and they are honored at a special Mentor Program Breakfast.

The PDPW Enhanced Internship Program is in its fifth year. The goals of the program are to increase opportunities for exposure of students to modern dairy production systems and to stimulate career planning with production agriculture considered as an option. PDPW connects students with dairy producers looking for a summer intern. As a culmination of the internship program, PDPW will sponsor both the student and the producer at the next Annual Business Conference. Please contact PDPW at 800-947-7379 or email sorth@pdpw.org if you are interested in hosting an intern or hoping to find an on-farm summer internship.