Uplevel Dairy Podcast

Best of 2024: We are catching back up with some of our top guests from the past year, including Tim Abbott, who joined us back in Ep. 143: Sitting on the Showbox with Tim Abbott. We pull up a seat again today to hear how 2024 challenged him changed him, his greatest wins and the word he has chosen to live by in 2025. More from Tim Abbott: 165 | Showbox Stories with Tim Abbott, featuring Jim Ostrom...

We sit down with Manuel Soares, CEO of Milc Group, to discuss how applying manufacturing principles to dairy farming can identify and eliminate bottlenecks to improve revenue. Manuel highlights the importance of real-time data for making quick, informed decisions, and the need for an integrated system like ERP to connect all aspects of dairy operations. He emphasizes the role of accurate data, pro...

In this episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast's Young Leader Series, co-host Kiley Pagel leads a conversation with Emily McGowty from 2020 Consulting. Emily transitioned from an equine background to the dairy industry, where she focuses on financial consulting and building trust with dairy farm clients.  The conversatio  covers Emily's journey, the importance of trust and flexibility in her role in...

In this episode of the Uplevel Dairy podcast, Peggy Coffeen is back for a monthly market update with Curtis Bosma from HighGround Dairy.  This month they discuss the current state of dairy markets, including price volatility and the impacts of political headlines such as the bird flu on milk production in states like California versus expansion in others.  Curtis highlights butter and cheese marke...

Ted Jacoby III, CEO of TC Jacoby Inc., is back to talk about what he has learned over the past 35 years as the third-generation at the helm of his family’s St. Louis-based dairy marketing business.  In this episode, Ted shares his experiences as a leader of the  family dairy business, including: Succession Culture Leadership Communication Hear more from Ted Jacoby on Ep. 182: https://pod.link/1687...

Today we venture into the middle ground of what happens to milk when it leaves your dairy and before it lands on a restaurant table or store shelf.  And who better to share these insights than the third-generation leader of St. Louis-based dairy marketing company T.C. Jacoby, Ted Jacoby, III.  Ted discusses the significant milestones in dairy marketing over his 35 years in the business, from the a...

One thing I love about the dairy industry is that we are always looking for ways to improve on what we are already doing… And the McCartys are no different. In this episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, we are heading back to McCarty Family Farms to explore the significant role of genetic advancements in their dairy operations.  Ken McCarty shares insights on how the partnership with Zoetis and th...

Why do family farm transition plans stall before they are completed?  Today, we uncover two root reasons that hold families back from taking the next step with attorney Will McKinley, president of Menn Law in Appleton, Wisconsin. Will, who grew up on the farm fields of Illinois, has been spending his time in the field with well-known agriculture attorney George Twohig since the principal office of...

Tommy Oesch from Swiss Lane Farms in Michigan is back with us today, and we are going to hear about a transition he has personally made in the past 6 months. The transition from operations manager to full-time visionary for Swiss Lane Farms. And find out how that original vision has scaled from 7,000 cows to a 10,000 cow business model by 2032, and how Swiss Lane plans to get there. Listen to past...

In this special 3-part series, we are bringing you the Tanbark Talk held at World Dairy Expo, where we delved into the complexities of transitioning a farm to the next generation. Part 3: This discussion includes: Detailed Operating and Buy-Sell Agreements Addressing Housing Policies Compensation and Roles in Family Farms Involving Spouses and Significant Others Bringing in Non-Family Members Meet...

In this special 3-part series, we are bringing you the Tanbark Talk held at World Dairy Expo, where we delved into the complexities of transitioning a farm to the next generation. Part 2: This discussion includes: Buying out the senior generation while bringing in the junior generation Tax strategies Business planning Meet the Panelists: ·   Dennis, Jeni & Alan Oechscner , Oechsner Farms: This...

In this special 3-part series, we are bringing you the Tanbark Talk held at World Dairy Expo, where we delved into the complexities of transitioning a farm to the next generation. Part 1: This discussion includes: How and why the Oechscners started their 10-year plan to transition their farm to the seventh generation Building a transition team Defining roles in the business Assessing financial fea...

The good, the bad and the uncertain. That’s what you will be hearing about in the November monthly market update from Curtis Bosma with HighGround Dairy, and we also bring you an update on the Federal Milk Marketing Order with HighGround’s Alex Gambonini - what has happened, what the final decision means and where we go from here. Grab your November Market Report here:   https://marketing.highgrou...

Are you looking for ways to up your management skill set, better understand your team members and what motivates them, and better understand yourself? In this episode, Dustin Wirt, site manager for Silver Streak’s dairy in Cottonwood, Minnesota. Cottonwood Dairy is the first stop for first-lactation cows that calve in Kansas and then make their way to Minnesota. Dustin, who has a background as a d...

When their bank laid out the challenge to McCarty Family Farms to become a price maker, not a price taker, the McCartys were determined to find a way to market their milk differently. Two years later, the family came back with a plan to expand their dairy, build an on-site milk condensing plant and enter into a direct marketing agreement with Danone. The eldest of the four McCarty brothers, Mike,...

In this episode, Jordan Matthews from Rosy-Lane Holsteins shares how his brother's battle with stage four colon cancer motivated him to take on ultra-endurance running to support cancer research. He highlights the mindset, discipline, and structure required for managing a dairy farm and pushing personal limits to optimize his time, his health and his influence on those around him. Jordan's upcomin...

In this episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen and guest Susan Heim discuss pivotal steps to elevate your dairy farm into a professional business through strategic branding.  Peggy and Susan outline five key steps to create and sustain a brand that resonates with your employees, community, and consumers.  With real-life examples from local farms like the Eberts and Pagel's Ponderosa,...

I can't believe it's been two years since hitting "publish" on my very first episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast. I'm resharing that very podcast with you today, so enjoy! Jared Dueppengiesser has worked his way up through the Milk Source organization, from a herdsman to now manager of Rosendale Dairy. He leads a team of 52 employees on one of Wisconsin’s largest dairies. In this podcast, Jared s...

Join me on a journey today as a Dutch dairyman shares his story of starting out with 34 cows on a rented farm in Germany and building from scratch what is a 1,600-cow dairy farm today in Indiana. Tony Golstine from Union-Go Dairy has faced extreme challenges with fierce determination and a “never give up” attitude, and you are about to find out why  … even through times of financial hardship and f...

In this episode, Curtis Bosma from HighGround Dairy shares an update on the bird flu from California’s dairy-dense Central Valley, and distills these market movements: Huge Crops Keeping Feed Costs Lower  Cheese Exports Holding Steady Butter Prices Slip Grab your Monthly Market Update Here: https://www.highgrounddairy.com/october-2024-dairy-producer-market-update/ This episode is brought to you by...

From World Dairy Expo 2024: If you missed this session live, get up to speed now on H5N1 as we hear from Dr. Jason Lombard from Colorado State University, who has been studying this virus since its early findings, Dr. Keith Poulson from the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, Miquela Hanselman, who leads the FARM program’s Biosecurity efforts and dairy producers Brent Wilson from Michigan who ope...

We gathered around the Showbox Sires showbox at World Dairy Expo to share with you stories from some of the most notable and influential people in the dairy cattle show business. In this episode, Peggy Coffeen and Tim Abbott sit down with Jim Ostrom and John Vosters from Milk Source to hear about their show ring memories, as well as their story of building a multi-site dairy, dairy goat and cheese...

We gathered around the Showbox Sires showbox at World Dairy Expo to share with you stories from some of the most notable and influential people in the dairy cattle show business. In this episode, Peggy Coffeen and Tim Abbott sit down with Tom Morris and Ernie Kueffner, as they recount the early days of World Dairy Expo, the cows they will never forget and the stories that have stayed locked away i...

Nearly 25 years ago, the McCarty family picked up from Pennsylvania and planted new roots in northwest Kansas. Now a multi-site dairy business, the most recent addition to McCarty Family Farms includes two adjoining 5,000-cow facilities. Clay McCarty talks about the technologies he believes will take this operation 25 years into the future. Clay delves into the strategic decisions that have shaped...

In this episode, we bring you our panel and session from the National Dairy Shrine’s Young Professionals Luncheon at World Dairy Expo, held on Sept. 30, 2024. This panel includes three individuals who will share their personal career journeys, from when they were once college students themselves to the roles in which they serve the dairy industry today: Panelists: Rachel (Coyne) Kurth – MILC Group...