Midwest Dairy recently hosted two farmer-focused webinars designed to strengthen farm visibility, communication, and crisis readiness. These educational sessions offered practical tools and guidance that farmers can use right away, helping build resilience across dairy operations of all sizes. Recordings of both webinars are available at www.midwestdairy.com/farmerwebinar.
Strengthening Your Digital Footprint
The first webinar, Owning Your Digital Footprint, focused on simple, effective steps farmers can take to establish and protect their online presence. Midwest Dairy shared why a strong digital footprint matters, especially as more consumers, community members, and potential partners turn to online search and social media for information about local farms.
The session covered how to build a basic farm website, claim and manage a Google Business profile, and use social media effectively. It also highlighted review sites farmers should monitor and offered practical tips for communicating clearly, responding to feedback, and sharing their farm story with confidence. The goal was to help farmers feel more in control of their online reputation and more comfortable engaging with their communities in digital spaces.
Practicing Crisis Drills to Strengthen On-Farm Readiness
The second webinar, From Plan to Practice: Running On-Farm Crisis Drills, built on Midwest Dairy’s previous crisis-planning workshop and guided farmers through the next step, putting their written plans into action.
Midwest Dairy emphasized why developing and practicing a crisis plan is essential and how low-stress “tabletop drills” can help farmers evaluate their preparedness. Tabletop drills are guided, scenario-based discussions that reveal strengths, uncover gaps, and build confidence across the farm team.
To support this work, Midwest Dairy introduced new farmer-friendly tools, including downloadable drill worksheets with pre-written scenarios, discussion questions, and reflection prompts.
All crisis-related webinar materials, including worksheets and a recording, are available at www.midwestdairy.com/crisis, making it easy for farmers to continue their learning and run their own drills independently.