DairyVoice Podcast

As the head of the national dairy check-off, Gallagher explains to Joel Hastings of DairyBusiness that the industry has not done a good job of sharing a vision for smaller farms... and it needs to. Tom Gallagher, the CEO of Dairy Management, Inc. says the diversity in size and geography in the U.S. dairy industry is one of its great strengths.

In this edition of DairyVoice, Gallagher talks about plant-based beverages, which he does not see as a huge concern, and lab-created dairy proteins - a real cloud on the horizon for the dairy industry. But with his "2030 Plan", he wants to leap-frog dairy into the future with consumers and their food choices.

Gallagher begins the segment explaining new tactics being undertaken by animal rights activist groups toward the dairy industry, which he sees as especially worrisome. 

As if dairy producers don't have enough to deal with, there is a new contaminant that has appeared on several dairy farms across the country. It's called PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). PFAS have been manufactured and used worldwide since the 1940s. There is emerging evidence that exposure to PFAS can lead to adverse human health effects and it's receiving attention from the public and regulators. Several dairies have already been impacted. In this edition of DairyVoice, host Joel Hastings of DairyBusiness interviews two guests who shed light on this topic.

Leah Ziemba is an attorney with Michael Best in Madison, Wisconsin, with experience helping dairy clients. Matt Schroeder is an environmental engineer with Dragun Corporation in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

This informative podcast features Dr. Michael Hutjens, Emeritus Professor at the University of Illinois. Dr. Hutjens, who was raised on a Holstein farm near Green Bay, Wisconsin, is internationally known for his expertise with dairy feeding programs.

Dr. Hutjens talks about the unusual weather conditions in the 2019 Midwest growing season, with implications for dairy farm feed quality, feeding and harvesting strategies; plus  feed cost for corn, soybeans and hay.

The dairy industry continues to evolve and dairy producers with it. Dr. Tom Overton of Cornell University and PRO-DAIRY talks about the top ten traits for resilient, high performing dairy operations. The episode is hosted by Joel Hastings of DairyBusiness News.