Running the race of her life, Rachel Eslick was minutes away from achieving her dream of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. With a traumatic change in her race, Rachel was forced to pick herself up and reevaluate what her next steps were. Reflecting on her dairy farming family values of resilience, determination, and hard work, she leaned into this to shift her mindset and become her favorite self. Rachel has taken a setback to an incredible comeback, not only in her running ambitions but throu...
Jun 12, 2024•47 min•Season 2Ep. 125
Milk has a whole new story to tell. Eve Pollet, senior vice president of strategic intelligence at Dairy Managment Inc. (DMI) joins us to share the consumer trends that are creating a hunger for health and wellness solutions, the emerging research around milk’s super-food characteristics and how she and her team are positioning dairy to capture more dollars in the marketplace and add more value back to the dairy farmer. This Episode is Brought to you in Collaboration with STtalks and STgenetics ...
Jun 11, 2024•42 min•Season 2Ep. 124
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, for Steve Shehadey of Bar 20 Dairy, life gave his family cow manure, and with that they make energy. For the 4th generation dairy farm, capturing the power of sustainability came naturally to them, since 2007 they have been pioneering the way within the energy sector of the dairy industry. Bar 20’s efforts have led to incredible industry achievements, in 2023 they were named Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year by the International Dairy Foods Associ...
Jun 10, 2024•28 min•Season 2Ep. 123
When Jones Dairy near Spencer, Iowa, expanded their Jersey herd and built a 64-stall rotary parlor last year, they not only sought to optimize efficiency and cow comfort, but they also designed their new facility with a flair of hospitality, to accommodate the many visitors that stop by their farm each year. Aaron Titterington, one of the farm’s partners, joins us to explain how they have incorporated a self-guided experience with education and a viewing window for passers-by, as well as formali...
Jun 09, 2024•30 min•Season 2Ep. 122
We’re celebrating June Dairy Month in a big way as STtalks and the Uplevel Dairy Podcast collaborate to bring you a 6-part series that shines a bright light on a collection of great dairy stories. Hosts Laura Demmer of STtalks and Peggy Coffeen of Uplevel Dairy give you the sneak peek on this collection of conversations with dairy farmers doing great things and others who are championing dairy products in the marketplace. Connect with STtalks to follow along in this six part series below! Listen...
Jun 07, 2024•19 min•Season 2Ep. 121
If you tuned in to hear Jessica Pralle-Trimner from Miltrim Farms talk about managing 30 robots under one roof on Ep. 118, you may recall her mention of Pauly Paul from Complete Management Consulting and the efficiency audit that helped their dairy regroup pens to spend less time on herd management tasks, reorganize and reduce labor to save money and make this barn more efficient, profitable and an even better place for cows and people. Take a listen to Pauly Paul as he shares his “outside the b...
Jun 04, 2024•21 min•Season 2Ep. 120
In this special bonus episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, we are raising a glass to World Milk Day by appreciating the hard work of dairy farmers globally. The episode delves into Dairy Discovery, a Michigan-based nonprofit that connects consumers to their food through on-farm experiences. Founder Annie Link of Swiss Lane Farms and Executive Director Renee McCauley discuss Dairy Discovery's origin, mission and impact. They share stories of farm tours, educational camps, and community events th...
Jun 01, 2024•34 min•Season 2Ep. 119
Do you ever wish you had a 24-hour herdsperson, who never showed up late, never complained and could pick up on a problem with a cow before you could? Well, that’s what automation has done for Jessica Pralle Trimner, the dairy manager at Miltrim Farms in Athens, Wis., home to 30 Lely A5 milking robots and 1,800 cows under one roof, alongside a 1,400-cow conventional herringbone parlor and freestall facility at the same site. I met up with Jessica at Miltrim’s event center, the Milkhaus, to talk ...
May 30, 2024•48 min•Season 2Ep. 118
Everyone has two lives. The second one starts when you realize you only have one. A positive mindset is easy, when things in our lives our easy. But when we realize we are facing the battle of our lives, for our lives, there is no greater test of faith, perseverance and hope, And our guest today shares his personal journey over the course of the past year. At 39 years old, Jerome Meyer, area business manager for Zoetis, was at the top of his game. Leading his team as they helped dairy clients ac...
May 28, 2024•49 min•Season 2Ep. 117
Back on Episode 100, Clare Alderink, manager at Ryzebol Dairy in Michigan, joined Tommy Oesch from Swiss Lane Farms to talk about doing hard things, like running 4 miles every 4 hours in 48 hours, the 75 hard challenge … and if you recall, Clare also mentioned he was training for an upcoming marathon. Well, I caught up with Clare just days after he crossed the finish line of the Kalamazoo Marathon. When I asked Clare how the race went, his simple response was this: It was hard. Clare had been tr...
May 24, 2024•35 min•Season 2Ep. 116
We’ve got market movements to celebrate this May: Largest-ever cheese export month for the U.S. Potential for record-high butter this year The insatiable appetite for milk protein concentrate That’s what we are covering today with Curtis Bosma in the HighGround Dairy Monthly Market Insights. Find out how the markets are moving and how it could impact your bottom line. This Episode is Sponsored by HighGround Dairy Grab your May Market Report Here: https://marketing.highgrounddairy.com/producer-ma...
May 21, 2024•19 min•Season 2Ep. 115
If you have been waiting to sign on the dotted line for a renewable natural gas project, this episode is for you. Over the past 4 years, RNG companies have been knocking on the doors of dairy farms across the country, touting opportunities, along with long-term commitments. And our guest today has been involved on both the developer side and dairy producer side. Ty Rohloff, vice president of food and agribusiness with Compeer has reviewed at least 40 project proposals, and he joins us today to s...
May 16, 2024•26 min•Season 2Ep. 114
Know your opponent. I’ve heard this statement from dairy producers before. It’s all about evaluating a threat at hand, managing the risk and being prepared to act with urgency. And the opponent we are going to talk about today is the one that is on everyone’s mind: H5N1. If you want to hear from someone who has been helping dairies deal with this disease since the very beginning, what to watch for, ways to reduce risk and what to have in your arsenal to be ready to action should your dairy be fa...
May 14, 2024•26 min•Season 2Ep. 113
Karen Bohnert, editor of Dairy Herd Management and Milk Business, joins host Peggy Coffeen to celebrate dairy farm moms in this bonus Mother’s Day episode. Hear the incredible stories of the dairy farm moms who raised them, and the adversities they overcame to be examples of strength, sacrifice and resilience. And hear about some of the dairy farm moms who have set the bar for Peggy and Karen today. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/upleveldairy/episodes/111--Intentional-Motherhood--Manage...
May 10, 2024•31 min•Season 2Ep. 112
As we come up on Mother’s Day this weekend, I’ve asked Sarah Daugherty from Paramount Calves back to talk about being a mother of 6, and balancing a high-performing work life and a high-performing family life. From performance pressure to kids’ sports to setting priorities and saying no, any mom or dad who pursues excellence both at work and at home will relate and can grab a few nuggets of wisdom from this honest conversation about hard things and what really matters. This one hit home for me, ...
May 09, 2024•27 min•Season 2Ep. 111
If you are spending way too much time on hiring new employees, training and retraining, only to keep experiencing the exhaustion of turnover, this episode is for you. And my guest today is a higher performer in deed: Sarah Daugherty, workforce development manager at Paramount Calves LLC, in Darlington, Wis. Sarah is going to tell you how she has saved herself the time and stress of constantly training new employees and the drag and drama of hard conversations to experiencing very little turnover...
May 07, 2024•25 min•Season 2Ep. 110
Meet Young Leader Ytsje Andringa, a driven woman whose path seems to always lead her back to the driver’s seat of a silage truck. Ytsje shares how she shifted her career course from health care to follow her heart back to her family dairy farm, Sunrise Dairy in Clear Lake, South Dakota. She’s the daughter of Dutch immigrants, oldest of 6 and a mother to 3. This Young Leader will blow you away with her determination to do hard things and go after her dairy farming dreams every single day. Hear ab...
May 02, 2024•29 min•Season 2Ep. 109
If data has turned into the time-consuming monster that is stealing your focus, delaying decisions and dragging down your progress, you will want to keep listening because I’ve got something important that could change the game for you on this episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast. Our guest understands these challenges because he was a dairy manager himself in Texas for well over a decade, who faced the same struggles: He wanted the right data, at his fingertips, integrated in a way that allowed...
Apr 30, 2024•32 min•Season 2Ep. 109
“How good can we get?” That’s a question high-performers ask themselves and the teams they lead every single day. It’s also a question Megan Schrupp, DVM, at NexGen Dairy in Eden Valley, Minnesota, uses to push the potential for cows, people and her dairy farming business. This 20-minute episode is the hot take from one of our most popular podcasts of all time, Episode #36: Full Potential Dairy Farming. Megan details how this question drives: - A culture of excellence among people - Data-drive...
Apr 25, 2024•22 min•Season 2Ep. 107
Meet the 28-year-old from Belgium who has embarked on a hands-on dairy farming journey around the globe.... Laurens Rutten challenged himself to dive into dairy on three continents, starting on a commercial grass-based dairy in New Zealand, then the world’s largest robotic dairy in Chile, and we catch up with him today on the third leg of his journey at Sunnyside Farms in New York. Laurens reveals the two critical questions he asked himself that spurred this adventure, and the lessons he is lear...
Apr 23, 2024•39 min•Season 2Ep. 106
As the US milk supply tightens, what opportunities and challenges are ahead for Class 3 and 4, as domestic demand lowers and exports pick up? Corn planters are starting to roll across the countryside, how might the early planting predictions impact your feed cost? That’s what we are covering today with Curtis Bosma in the HighGround Dairy Monthly Market Insights. Find out how the markets are moving and how it could impact your bottom line. Grab Your April Market Report Here: https://marketing.hi...
Apr 18, 2024•23 min•Season 2Ep. 105
Over the past 6 months or so, I’ve sat down with some pretty incredible people in the dairy industry. The owners and managers of excellent dairies and some of the most sought-after consultants who specialize in employee performance, training, and retention. Many of these are conversations you’ve heard on the UPlevel Dairy Podcast, and you can certainly go back and listen to them all, but if you really just want some cliff notes, some common themes, and take-home points that tie together several ...
Apr 16, 2024•27 min•Season 2Ep. 104
On this Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Podcast, I’m turning the mic over to a trio of up-and-comers in dairy industry communications to interview three Dairy Challenge alumni who shared their experiences on a panel at the Midwest Dairy Challenge held in Green Bay, Wis., in February. Social media interns interview Dairy Challenge alumni: Nichole Gerard, Iowa State University student, interviews Crystal Prom, Cargill Torri Burch, Iowa State University student, interviews Tony Schmitz, Schmitz’s East ...
Apr 11, 2024•15 min•Season 2Ep. 103
It wasn’t just their dairy farm on the line. It was their house too. Pauly Paul from Complete Management Consulting is back to tell us how he helped one dairy family on the verge of losing it all turn around from bleeding red to a positive cash flow in 6 months. Not only were they able to keep the farm and the house, but today, it is a financially sound business in the process of transitioning to the next generation. Find out how Pauly and his team: Lowered their breakeven Reorganized labor Brou...
Apr 09, 2024•17 min•Season 2Ep. 102
No alcohol, 2-a-day workouts, following a diet, daily personal development reading and drinking a gallon of water … every day for 75 days. That’s 75 Hard, a transformative commitment for building mental toughness and self discipline, and these two Michigan dairymen just completed it, alongside the 4x4x48 endurance challenge from Episode 100. Tommy Oesch from Swisslane Farms and Clare Alderink from Ryzebol Dairy are back to dish it out on what they did, what they read and how 75 Hard transformed ...
Apr 04, 2024•13 min•Season 2Ep. 101
Last year, Michigan dairyman Tommy Oesch from Swisslane Farms, told us right here on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast that he planned to complete David Goggins’ extreme 4x4x48 endurance challenge: That’s running 4 miles, every 4 hours for 48 hours. Today, Tommy is back and he brought his friend Clare Alderink, general manager at Ryzebol Dairy, to talk about the grueling physical and mental challenge they completed in March, and the surprising ways it’s made them better as dairymen, family men and frien...
Apr 02, 2024•58 min•Season 2Ep. 100
Welcome to central Texas, where summer days exceed 100 degrees and heat stress is one of the greatest threats to cow health, reproduction and performance. But since adding monitoring technology to their 1,250-cow herd last year, dairyman Hidde Osinga from Overwhere Dairy is using collar-collected data to: Find and treat compromised cows sooner Catch silent heats Capture 15 percentage points on conception rate Find out how his team has learned to trust the system, and hear about Hidde’s excitemen...
Mar 28, 2024•28 min•Season 2Ep. 99
We catch up with Curtis Bosma, vice president of producer services for HighGround Dairy, to hear about: Soybeans: All-time high crush capacity and largest carry in more than 15 years Managed money short covering corn and beans Domestic cheese demand slips while butter takes off Why are Texas dairy cows under the weather? Learn more and find market resources at https://highgrounddairy.com/ This episode is brought to you by: HighGround Dairy provides global dairy market intelligence, insurance ser...
Mar 26, 2024•19 min•Season 2Ep. 98
In the final episode in this series with the women who are leading the way at Pagel Family Businesses, in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, we sit down with Ashley Pagel, human resources manager. Find out: Ashley’s transition from a career in health care to heading up human resources How she has professionalized processes and paperwork Improving employee retention Compeer Financial is a member-owned Farm Credit cooperative serving and supporting agriculture and rural America. Our dairy team brings world-clas...
Mar 21, 2024•20 min•Season 2Ep. 97
We continue this 3-part series with the women who are leading the way at Pagel Family Businesses, in Kewaunee, Wisconsin. Today, Chase Pagel debuts her new children’s book, Rosco’s Sweet Treats, a story that not only depicts modern dairy farming, but also a real-life tale of a steer raised by her daughter that had a taste for cupcakes and other treats. Chase talks about: How the challenge to find accurate dairy farm books to read to tour groups became her motivation How her family is her inspira...
Mar 20, 2024•27 min•Season 2Ep. 96
