The Millennial Ag Podcast

It’s spring. It’s mud. It’s snow. And that means calving in the beef industry is upon us. This week, Valene gives us a glimpse of calving season and its realities on her ranch.  As always at Millennial Ag, this peek into Valene’s life right now is real and raw. She talks about the challenges, excitement, chaos, heartbreak, and hope that this time of year brings to ranchers, and how to maintai...

Katharine is coming to you solo at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, California with her company, Peacock Technology. Joining her are Jason Hoogenhous, who shares his experience and insights about precision technology's potential for the dairy industry, and Darren Dyer, who is discussing how robotic applications are transforming dairy farms, and Willie Cuthbertson about the importance of building relat...

We are back with another episode with just the two of us, Katherine and Valene. We are catching up, sharing some life updates, and chatting about balancing personal life, professional life, and maintaining our sanity with all that is going on.  There are so many things that are out of our control. Whether it be one of your children being sick or the nonstop political updates on social media,...

In this week’s episode, we are joined by UK dairy consultant, James Hague, to dive into net zero in agriculture. With the search for solutions to climate challenges, we are hearing a lot of focus on reaching net zero in agriculture in the coming years. James is sharing key insights into carbon offsetting, rotational grazing for building soil carbon, and increasing farm productivity while reducing...

In today’s episode, we're talking with the hosts of the Unbiased Science Podcast, Dr. Jessica Steier and Dr. Sarah Scheinman, to dive deep into the hot topic of raw milk and its increasing popularity in the face of safety warnings. We're discussing the historical context of milk and pasteurization, milk safety and public health, the myths surrounding nutrition and raw milk, and potential public he...

In today's episode, we're discussing the significant changes in the political landscape following the recent election and what these changes mean for agriculture. We are excited to welcome back Tanner Beymer, Executive Director of Government Affairs at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Tanner is joining us to provide insight into the election results and how this political shift could imp...

In this week’s episode of Millennial Ag, Valene and Katharine dive into a thought-provoking conversation about the rapid evolution of politics over the last eight years and what agriculture can learn from it. The political landscape—whether you agree with it or not—has demonstrated an unprecedented ability to pivot, adapt, and evolve at lightning speed. Meanwhile, agriculture, often rooted in trad...

Episode Title: "Past Eradication: Dr. Barb Petersen on Embracing Endemic Bird Flu in Dairy Cows" In this eye-opening episode of Millennial Ag Podcast , we sit down with Dr. Barb Petersen, DVM, one of the pioneering veterinarians who first identified bird flu in dairy cows in Texas back in March 2024. Since that discovery, the virus has continued to spread, mutate, and raise serious concerns for bo...

In this extraordinary episode, Millennial Ag takes you across the pond to the lush pastures of England, marking our first-ever recording on foreign soil. We are honored to bring you the powerful story of Mike and Donna Bowe, second-generation dairy farmers whose journey is a testament to resilience, pride, and unshakable determination. We're joined by our first-ever guest co-host, Stuart MacLennan...

We're less than a week away from Christmas, and in amongst all the festivites and anticipation of rest and relaxation, we wanted to share a reminder for another important end-of-year tradition: end-of-year planning.  We welcome back Valene's dad, Bill Lickley this week. A former ag banker, Bill takes us through the usual necessary financial steps to wrap up a year well. All solid and timely advice...

Hard to believe, but the holidays are almost here! In this week's episode, Valene talks about how holidays impact beef markets. She gives us a good overview of how things generally work this time of year, but also weaves in some new developments in the industry.  Beef packers are announcing big layoffs over the next two to three months, and it's got Val wondering if the incoming administration's s...

In this episode, we’re joined by Lt. Governor Scott Bedke to explore the story behind Idaho’s groundbreaking water agreement. This historic deal brought together senior and junior water users, two groups with conflicting interests, to address one of the most pressing challenges facing the state. The journey was far from straightforward. Senior water users stood firm in their rights, while junior u...

In a short and sweet episode to wrap up our election coverage, we discuss what we've been thinking about in the week since America cast its votes. What does a second Trump Administration mean for American agriculture? We dive into what we've been pondering, touching on economic and trade policy (what's going to happen with tarriffs?) immigration policy, right down to Cabinet and other appointments...

You knew it was coming...we had to talk US elections before the you-know-what hits the fan. We're delighted to welcome back Tanner Beymer, Executive Director of Government Affairs at the National Cattlemen's Association. Tanner joins us anytime there's a ballot in sniffing distance, and he doesn't disappoint in this episode. In fact, he more than delivers. He gives us an exellent overview of not j...

We are very excited for this week’s episode! The two of us were actually able to meet up in person to record an episode about one of Katherine’s favorite subjects: what’s going on in the dairy industry. Katherine just got back from the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin so we are diving into some of the important things that are lighting the dairy industry on fire right now.   It is such an exciting ti...

In today’s episode, we are discussing a critical issue the production animal agriculture industry is currently facing, the ballot initiative in Denver regarding a slaughter ban. Joining us today to share insight into what is going on with this initiative is J.P. Dunn of Protect The Harvest. Together, we are digging into what this initiative is, who is behind it, and why it is so critical that the...

This week, we have a very special guest joining us. Valene’s husband John is with us today for “Whiskey Hour.” John is a farmer and rancher and the co-owner of Midas the cow dog. Together we dive into the realities of farming in a challenging environment, particularly focusing on growing crops in the desert landscape, as well as the important role irrigation canals play into productive farmland. A...

In today’s episode, we are taking a look at using social media to engage with those outside of the Ag industry. Social media can be a great tool to foster understanding and relatability with those who may be removed from agriculture. Joining us to share all about using social media in the Ag industry is Tucker Brown of R.A. Brown Ranch. Tucker is sharing why he started utilizing social media, the...

In today’s episode, we are discussing corporate cowgirls and the importance of community for dairy women. We know that finding a supportive community to network and have important discussions with can be challenging within the dairy business as many dairy women live in rural areas. That’s why our guest, Bec Pfeffer and the Dairy Girl Network, are working to fill the evolving needs of women in the...

This week it is just us, Valene and Katharine, sharing our thoughts as we reflect back on our conversation with Barons author, Austin Frerick. The two of us still have questions after our interview with Austin and we are diving into those questions today. If you have not listened to episode 174 and episode 175 , we highly encourage you to do so before tuning into this episode.  We are committed to...

We are back with part two of our two-part episode with Austin Frerick. Today, we are continuing our candid conversation on systemic issues within the agriculture industry and how these issues impact small farmers and consumers. Together, we are discussing the monopoly of markets, the illusion of choices for consumers, the impact of agricultural policies, social media’s role in the food narrative,...

Today is part one of a two-part episode; we are discussing systemic issues in the agriculture industry and how robber barons are impacting the ag industry as a whole. We are joined by a very special guest, Austin Frerick, who tackles some important and little-discussed issues within the food and agriculture industry. Austin is an expert on agricultural and antitrust policy and recently published h...

Today, we are covering the challenges of finding balance within the agriculture lifestyle. We often hear about work-life balance and self-care, but prioritizing these things within a farming family can be difficult. That’s where our guest, Megan Blaser, comes in! Megan is a certified Health, Life, and Transformational Coach and she is joining us today to share some insight on the importance of eva...

This week, we host a guest very near and dear to our hearts. Katharine's dad John joins the podcast for what else? Politics. Katharine and John have ongoing conversations about politics, their observations, disagreements, and how their experiences are coloring what they're thinking. Despite the fact that John wishes Katharine would have a "more honorable hobby, like truck driving" (his words), it'...

We welcome Stuart MacLennan to the podcast this week. Stuart is CEO of Peacock Technology, and one of the most passionate and forward-thinking advocates for the adoption of advanced technology to drive agriculture headlong into sustainable, long-term success. Stuart touches on all the current pain points in agriculture - scarcity and rising costs of labor, soaring input costs, the pressure from ou...