Forecasting the future is no small task. In this episode of Dairy Stream, Iowa dairy farmer Christina Zuiderveen shares how the dairy community can prepare for the next ten years of dairy. New Dairy Stream host Joanna Guza dives into the topics below with Christina:
- 3:12: What was happening with Christina and her farm ten years ago in 2013
4:59: What issues will be top of mind from 2023 to 203311:13: What are the top concerns that we need to start working on right now12:21: What have you automated and what are your plan for automation14:08: What will relationships look like in the next ten years15:52: How should a farm and/or processor communicate about expansion goals17:20: What opportunities do you see in the next ten years21:27: How can farms prepare for challenges and opportunities22:40: How can dairy businesses better support farms25:43: How can we have a better relationship with our policymakers26:35: What trends should dairy be tracking outside of agriculture29:20: What advice do you have for dairymen and women to be successfulSpecial thanks to Compeer Financial for sponsoring this episode.
About the guest, Christina Zuiderveen
Christina grew up on dairy farms in both California and Michigan. She moved to Iowa in 2012 with her husband, Nate. They milk 2,700 at their home farm, Black Soil Dairy, in Iowa and also work with her brother, Tim den Dulk, at two sites in South Dakota, Dakota Plains and Mount Hope. With all three sites, they milk about 15,000 cows. Christina has served on the Central Plains Dairy Association board and currently serving on the Iowa State Dairy Association Board and school board of their Christian School. Christina also had the privilege of testifying before the Senate Ag Subcommittee on milk price reform. Along with being a farmer and wife, she is also a mother of three children.
Learn more about the Dairy Strong conference Jan. 18-19 2023 here. This podcast is co-produced by the Dairy Business Association and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, sister organizations that fight for effective dairy policy in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.