Five stories are heard on today's episode from the latest issue of the Dairy Star. From an equipment owner selling his business, to FFA wins at the national and state levels and more success stories.

First, a conversation with Jon Stein, who in the last 40 years has had three focal points in his life: family, faith and Centre Dairy Equipment and Supply Inc. Stein said he has devoted a lot of time and energy to his business and now it is time to spend more time with his family as he sells to Leedstone Inc. based out of Melrose, Minnesota. Today's second conversation continues in Minnesota when three Brogan siblings and Avery DeCook competed and won top honors. We hear from the coach, who is the Brogans' uncle Keith Brogan, who has been coaching dairy judging for 4-H and FFA for 35 years. To round off time spent in Minnesota, we hear a day in the life of the Marshiks. For Kevin Marshik, the tradition of deer hunting is more than getting a trophy buck; it is about spending time in nature with his children. To make milking cows and deer hunting work with his schedule, Kevin keeps the cows on daylight saving time until after deer hunting season. In Iowa, we hear from Travis Ties, who recently earned the Milk Business Awards Employee Excellence Award. Ties is the head of feed operations at Holdgrafer Dairy Inc. and assists with crop production, while taking on the role as the farm's mechanic during the winter. Over the past quarter century, the farm has come to depend on Ties thanks to his dependability, consistency and accountability. Finally, for today's fifth conversation, we head to Wisconsin, hearing from the 2025 dairy production-placement proficiency award winner at the state level. Since 2019, Kaydence Hodorff has been documenting her work experiences as part of her FFA Supervised Agriculture Experience at Second Look Holsteins LLC, the farm on which she grew up.

New episodes are released every Monday after the newspaper is published, sharing the many conversations from the dairy community! Send story ideas and your comments to [email protected].

Subscribe to the podcast for reminders of episodes - next episode is released December 8 - about the dairy community and leave a review!

We look forward to bringing you this brand new way to consume Dairy Star. This is Dairy Delivery. All dairy, all the time.

This episode is sponsored by DRMS. Learn more about HerdHQ from DRMS at www.DRMS.com/HerdHQ/What-is-HerdHQ.

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TIME STAMPS

Jon Stein - 5:52-15:22

Keith Brogan - 16:22-21:54

Kevin Marshik - 23:00-27:31

Travis Ties - 27:54-32:10

Kaydence Hodorff - 32:56-38:14

From a farmer milking cows in a round barn to starting a creamery, hear many of the conversations found in the latest issue of the Dairy Star in today's episode.

Starting today's episode, we hear from Jordan Zirbel, who took action after learning about Wisconsin's Agricultural Roads Improvement Program, and approached his town board to fix a road where his farm is located. When the road in front of Zirbel Dairy Farms in the Town of Rockland was restricted to 8 tons and in dire need of repair, the applications was submitted and took approximately one year until work on the road was completed. Then we tune into a conversation with Mark Rodenwald, who purchased the dairy farm he grew up on, bringing it back into the family after decades of being owned outside of the family. In today's third conversation, we meet with Ethan Johnson, whose family saw a lack of nearby processing facilities and, with an interest in the benefits of A2A2 milk, began the journey of starting their own creamery. Johnson and his parents, Dean and Elizabeth, milk 25 crossbred cows and grow row and cover crops on their dairy farm and will plan to open the creamery in late November. The final story is a festive one, a Halloween story from the Gochnauer family. The family welcomed trick or treaters to their farm for their sixth annual Halloween Hootenanny event. The Gouchnauers stall several cows in the stanchion area of the barn, which normally is used as a flat parlor, and decorate the area for Halloween. They also pen other animals inside the stanchion area and in front of each animal, a buck of candy or small toys allows the kids to trick or treat from each animal.

New episodes are released every Monday after the newspaper is published, sharing the many conversations from the dairy community! Send story ideas and your comments to [email protected].

Subscribe to the podcast for reminders of episodes - next episode is released November 24 - about the dairy community and leave a review!

We look forward to bringing you this brand new way to consume the Dairy Star. This is Dairy Delivery. All dairy, all the time.

This episode is sponsored by FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative.

A farmer's miracle and how robots provided the family with chore relief to serving ice cream, food and farming with another family, today's episode highlights stories from the latest issue of the Dairy Star.

Today's episode starts with the Snodgrass family in Illinois. For the past two years, the Snodgrass family's Jersey herd at Valley-View Dairy has been milked by robots. The family's robotic milking system would become more than convenient when Ron Snodgrass suffered a double brain aneurysm in December of 2024. Another conversation hears how Adam Scapanski returned to farming. It is in his blood to be a dairy farmer, but when his dad passed away from cancer, and the cows were sold, he was not sure that was going to happen. The dream came true when he milked his own cows in his family's farm in November of 2024. The next conversation is with one of the owners of Udder Brothers Creamery, Jason Sparrgrove. His history on the farm and in the Navy helped prepare him to run his small business. He said lessons learned throughout his time have laid the foundation of principles that he and his brother rely on to keep the farm running, maintain another job and spend time with their families. The last conversation in today's episode is with Kay Siewert, a woman with a passion for gardening. Besides flower gardening, vegetable gardening and fruit gardening, Siewert is a mom of four sons - most of whom are grown - and also help spart time on Hyde Park Holsteins, operated by her husband Kevin, and his family.

New episodes are released Mondays after the newspaper is published, sharing the many conversations from the dairy community! Send story ideas and your comments to [email protected].

Subscribe to the podcast for reminders of episodes - next episode is released November 10 - about the dairy community and leave a review!

We look forward to bringing you this brand new way to consume the Dairy Star. This is Dairy Delivery. All dairy, all the time.

This episode is sponsored by DRMS. Learn more about their HerdHQ program by visiting www.DRMS.org/HerdHQ/What-Is-HerdHQ.

TIME STAMPS

5:02-12:54 - Farmer Survives Double Brain Aneuysm

13:52-16:42 - Back Up and Running at Family Farm

17:51-23:23 - Cruising to a Creamery

23:51-28:05 - It Started with Pansies

A fall harvest story to preserving history and dairy farmers setting goals, today's episode highlights many stories found in the latest issue of the Dairy Star.

First, a conversation about family dynamics with first-time dad Ken Bekius finishing this year's corn silage in Minnesota. He and his wife welcomed their new son in September and seven days later their newborn had his first tractor ride. There were four generations on the farm helping with this year's harvest. In Wisconsin, Terisa Schmidt was studying to be a nurse when her career path took an unexpected turn. With no prior dairy experience, she took a part-time job milking cows. She highlights her timeline of becoming a farmer and what it took to be where she is at today. Another story found in today's episode is how a restored Iowa dairy barn is powering raw milk production and a farm store. Tenley Farms and Greg's MilkHouse Market is owned by Tanner and Lakaya Tenley, who have been operation the storefront since June, but selling raw milk since 2023. The two applied for a grant to fix the barn and applied for the Iowa Barn Foundation's Award of Distinction. This program recognizes historic barns that have been restored by their owners. Today's last conversation is with Katie Bonow. At 15 years old, she started making goat milk cheese, using the extra milk from her herd. From her beginnings experimenting using recipes from 4-H friends and books she ordered about cheese, she ahs gone on to work on cheese-making dairies in Italy. And for the past nine years, she has operated her own micro-creamery, Capra Nera Creamery LLC.

New episodes are released Mondays after the newspaper is published, sharing the many conversations from the dairy community! Send story ideas and your comments to [email protected].

Subscribe to the podcast for reminders of episodes - next episode is released October 27 - about the dairy community and leave a review!

We look forward to bringing you this brand-new way to consume Dairy Star. This is Dairy Delivery. All dairy, all the time.

This episode is sponsored by Heartland Interpretation and Translation.

Stay connected with Dairy Star:

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TIME STAMPS

4:29-9:00 - Bekius family harvest

10:10-14:23 - Terisa Schmidt, first time farmer

15:26-21:38 - Lakaya Tenley and Greg's MilkHouse Market

22:10-27:34 - Katie Bonow and artisan cheese making

The final episode of the World Dairy Expo Special Edition of Dairy Delivery by the Dairy Star closes out another great event with many exclusive conversations to the podcast you won't want to miss.

We begin with Kay Faherty, who provides an overview of this year's Trade Show in her new role as manager, highlighting new additions and what stood out for attendees. She also shares what she has learned from this year's event. Next we hear from a dairy operator from New Zealand who attending this year's Expo as part of a North American Farm Tour. That guest is Bryan Beeston. He also talks about New Zealand's dairy industry and how technology plays a part of it. Finally, we hear from Wisconsin's agriculture ambassador, Sarah Hagenow. She has lifelong ties to Expo, from showing and judging, to this year's honor of walking the colored shavings to deliver the envelope announcing the grand champion cow. This year, she also had a personal connection to once owning a breed champion cow of this year's event.

Thanks for listening to this year's special coverage of World Dairy Expo. More coverage of dairy farmer stories from across the Midwest will return next week Monday, October 13! New episodes are released Mondays after the newspaper is published. Send story ideas and your comments to [email protected]. Subscribe to the podcast for reminders of episodes about the dairy community and leave a review!

We look forward to bringing you this brand new way to consume the Dairy Star. This is Dairy Delivery. All dairy, all the time.

This episode is sponsored by FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative.

Stay connected with Dairy Star:

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Winners and an engaged college dairy enthusiast are featured in part two of the World Dairy Expo Special Edition of Dairy Delivery by the Dairy Star.

We begin with Keenan Thygesen, individual and team member winning at this year's Expo Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest with the University of Minnesota. This marks the third consecutive win for the university. Thygesen shares why the Guernsey class was his favorite and his approach to evaluating, placing and talking cows. Then, we hear from another Wisconsin Holstein Associate Princess engaged in many opportunities at this year's event, Lauren Breunig. From writing press releases as a media intern for Expo, to being chosen to serve as a student on the National Dairy Shrine board of directors, Breunig is committed to embracing leadership and service to the dairy industry. In the last conversation, we hear from the winner of the Intermediate Division in showmanship, William Zimmerman. His journey from placing near the bottom of the class just a few years ago, to now rising to the top among his siblings made this year's Expo a memorable one.

The third and final part of this special series from World Dairy Expo will be released on Monday! Send story ideas and your comments to [email protected]. Subscribe to the podcast for reminders of episodes about the dairy community and leave a review!

We look forward to bringing you this brand new way to consume the Dairy Star. This is Dairy Delivery. All dairy, all the time.

This World Dairy Expo Special Edition episode is sponsored by SoyRoaster.

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Tune in for the first of three parts of the World Dairy Expo Special Edition episode from the Dairy Delivery by the Dairy Star.

Today's episode starts with a first-time judge on the colored shavings, but no stranger to the dairy industry nor judging. Josh Fairbanks will serve as the associate judge for the International Milking Shorthorn show this year having appreciated the breed over the years working with numerous show herds. Next, the conversation is the first from a way to bring World Dairy Expo to those near and far, with ExpoTV live, color commentary provided during the International Holstein Show. Kathleen O'Keefe will be at the helm of this year's newly launched Holstein show play-by-play and talks how this opportunity was made possible and what viewers can expect. The last conversation is an exclusive podcast interview with Wisconsin State FFA President Amalia Draxler of what students opportunities are available at this year's Expo. Draxler also mentions her connection to the dairy industry and opporutnities for all to be involved in the student organization.

The second part of this special series this week will be released on Friday! Send story ideas and your comments to [email protected]. Subscribe to the podcast for reminders of episodes about the dairy community and leave a review!

We look forward to bringing you this brand new way to consume the Dairy Star. This is Dairy Delivery. All dairy, all the time.

This World Dairy Expo Special Edition episode is sponsored by Wilbur Ellis.

Stay connected with Dairy Star:

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From nearly tragedy to triumph, today's episode highlights the many stories from dairy farmers this fall.

Earlier this September, Josh Kelm and his family were in a silo room on their 250-cow dairy near Faribault cleaning up when they heard two popping noises that sounded like gunshots. It was the silo falling. Instantly, they began fleeing out of the silo room, around the corner, past two other silos towards safety. Another conversation is with a family in Wisconsin. Over two years ago, the Loehr family had a fire destroy all their barns except the calf barn. In September, the farm opened their doors to the community after installing robots and recently welcoming the milking herd to the farm once again. Next, a story about a farm's journey on robots. Since switching to robotic milking units three years ago, the Tews family has seen their milk production rise by over 15 pounds per cow per day and their butterfat stay above 4% for two years running for the first time ever. The last story in today's episode includes how one couple had their honeymoon at World Dairy Expo 35 years ago and return every year for the annual event. Brad and Marie Fober had their perfect honeymoon not on a tropical beach, but at a dairy show in Madison, Wisconsin. It was not an uncommon trip for two people with a background in the dairy industry, but a little rare when one of them did not come from a dairy farm.

This week features a three-part bonus series on the Dairy Delivery by the Dairy Star. Tune in for the World Dairy Expo Special Edition episode tomorrow, Tuesday, Friday and Monday for more conversations with farmers and people involved in the dairy industry.

New episodes are released Mondays after the newspaper is published. Send story ideas and your comments to [email protected]. Subscripe to the podcast for reminders of episodes about the dairy community and leave a review!

We look forward to bringing you a brand new way to consume the Dairy Star. This is Dairy Delivery. All dairy, all the time.

This episode is sponsored by Lely Center in Monroe, Wisconsin.

Stay connected with Dairy Star

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TIME STAMPS

Silo Scare - 6:02-11:02

New beginnings following a 2023 fire - 12:04-17:27

Evolving robotic journey - 18:31-22:37

An Expo honeymoon - 23:16-28:13

Tune in for today’s episode of Dairy Delivery for the lateststories from the Dairy Star. 

First, how a Minnesota dairy farmer has wanted a roboticmilking setup for 10 years, ever since he wrote a 10-page research paper on the subject for his English class his senior year of high school. The Gathje family — Andrew, his dad, Andy, and his brother, Ben — had their robotic dream cometrue Feb. 18 when they moved into their brand-new 136-stall freestall barn and started milking their herd with two Lely A5 robotic milking units. Then, we hear about a growing dairy partnership between Wisconsin and Thailand. GraceLewis, University of Wisconsin-River Falls (UWRF) assistant professor of food science, and Reuben Nilsson, the UWRF dairy plant manager, and others took part in a 10-day trip to Southeast Asia to learn more about Thailand’s emergingdairy industry and to collaborate on its future. Another story we share on today’s podcast is how one farmer dealt with the aftermath of the H5N1 virus. June 15, 2024, was the start to a challenging and lengthy process for dairy farmer Chris Middendorf. While the initial outbreak of H5N1, aka bird flu,lasted 10-14 days, Middendorf said, the after effects are still being worked through. The final stop is hearing from a youthful Illinois senior in high school Drew Lueking. As most high school seniors were settling into their firstday of classes, Lueking was in the show ring. He missed the first two days of school in exchange for showing at the Illinois State Fair and then skipped another day the following week to show at the DuQuoin State Fair, for what would make it a record year for Lueking.

New episodes will now be released Mondays after thenewspaper is published, sharing the conversations now sooner! Send story ideas and your comments to [email protected].

Subscribe to the podcast for reminders of episodes - nextepisode is released September 29 - about the dairy community and leave a review!

We look forward to bringing you this brand new way toconsume Dairy Star. This is Dairy Delivery. All dairy, all the time.

This episode is sponsored by Lely Center in Monroe,Wisconsin.

Stay connected with Dairy Star:

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Today’s episode highlights some of the special stories fromthe Minnesota State Fair and many stories from the Dairy Star.

First, we hear the excitement from the newly crownedPrincess Kay of the Milky Way Malorie Thorson. She will serve as the goodwill ambassador for dairy farmers in Minnesota throughout her reign. Thorson is following in her mother, Colette, who was a finalist in 1996 and has since taken over the family farm, Diers Corporation, where the family milks 250 cows in a double-12 parabone parlor near Waverly. She shares her enthusiasm for the honor shortly after being named. In addition, we hear the history from the all-you-can-drink milk stand found at the Minnesota State Fair. What began 70 years ago as an idea by a group of dairy farmers to showcase milk has grown into a Minnesota State Fair tradition. Dave Thompson, a former American Dairy Association of Minnesota President, shares how the original milk stand — a tent with a milk truck parked outside — opened in 1955 at the north end of the fairgrounds on what is known as Machinery Hill. Another story comes fromWisconsin, featuring Travis Klinkner, who has been involved with the Bad Axe Watershed Stewards since it began four years ago. He hosted a pasture walk at his farm, where he shared with fellow farmers different strategies of gettingtheir herds out on pasture. In today’s final conversation, we head to the Wisconsin State Fair to hear from a farm that has been in the family for 125 years. Rick Bangart and his family traveled to the awards program at the fairgrounds for the recognition, and a few days before his son was exhibiting acalf in the junior dairy show. 

New episodes will now be released Mondays after thenewspaper is published, sharing the conversations now sooner! Send story ideasand your comments to [email protected].

Subscribe to the podcast for reminders of episodes - nextepisode is released September 15 - about the dairy community and leave a review!

We look forward to bringing you this brand new way toconsume Dairy Star. This is Dairy Delivery. All dairy, all the time.

This episode is sponsored by DRMS. Check out herd HQ atthe link below.

www.DRMS.org/HerdHQ/What-Is-HerdHQ

Stay connected with Dairy Star:

— dairystar.com

— Get the Milk Break Newsletter: www.dairystar.com/milk-break-newsletter-signup/

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TIME STAMPS

4:43 – 72nd Princess Kay, Malorie Thorson

10:16 – All-You-Can-Drink-Milk Stand

15:35 – Bad Axe Watershed Stewards Pasture Walk

23:01 – Bangart Family Century Farm