Part two of The Uplevel Dairy Podcast features Chris and Tracey Elbe’s children—Ryan, Kim, Matt, and Kyle—discussing their roles at Golden E Dairy and how their dad intentionally “molded” each of them toward different strengths. Ryan oversees broad operations and improvements, coordinating with contractors and advisers; Kim focuses on calves, heifers, and some fieldwork while embracing change and learning ideas from social media; Matt handles shop work, spraying, and equipment problem-solving with a direct, impatient style; Kyle feeds heifers, does hay and fieldwork, and serves as the people-focused communicator with employees and others.

Together, they describe choosing to stay on the farm as the dairy expanded and reflect on the challenges of farm transition planning, especially “what if” scenarios and finances, emphasizing the value of starting the conversation early and appreciating their parents addressing transition at a younger age.

This episode is sponsored by Compeer Financial.Compeer Financial is a member-owned Farm Credit cooperative serving and supporting agriculture and rural America. Their dairy team brings world-class expertise and tailored solutions to support dairy producers’ financial goals and lending needs.Visit https://www.compeer.com/specialists/dairy

00:00 Meet the Elbe Kids

01:54 Roles on the Farm

03:38 Dad’s Quiet Molding

06:19 Why They Came Back

10:31 Each Sibling’s Strength

16:39 Succession Talk Realities

19:11 Advice to Start Now

19:54 Transition Timeline

On the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen visits with the family behind Golden E Dairy in Kewaskum, Wisconsin, where first-generation farmers Chris and Tracey Elbe describe building their dairy from a 64-stall stanchion barn and 250 acres into a self-sufficient enterprise milking 2,900 cows, raising calves, heifers, and steers on site, and operating grain handling and soybean roasting.

Chris recounts starting at age nine with calves as pay, learning through hardship, and taking calculated risks to expand from tie-stalls to a parlor and freestalls, then a modern facility with a double-32. Tracey, a former X-ray tech, shares adapting from city life, raising four children who all stayed in the business, and the challenge of letting go during transition. They emphasize hard work, listening to experienced people, strong employees, communication through weekly meetings, and concerns about land costs driven by non-farm uses.

This episode is sponsored by Compeer Financial.Compeer Financial is a member-owned Farm Credit cooperative serving and supporting agriculture and rural America. Their dairy team brings world-class expertise and tailored solutions to support dairy producers’ financial goals and lending needs.
Visit https://www.compeer.com/specialists/dairy

00:00 From Nothing to Golden E

01:42 Chris Starts With Calves

03:07 Hard Lessons and Bankruptcy

03:54 Buying the First Farm

06:11 Tie Stall Grind to Parlor

07:23 Scaling to 2900 Cows

09:06 Tracey Finds Her Place

10:04 Raising Kids on the Farm

12:39 Family Roles and Mentors

16:54 Taking Smart Risks

20:39 Tech And Growth Strategy

22:20 Kids Roles On Farm

23:45 Weekly Meetings Transition

26:20 Big Dream Legacy

27:15 People Behind Success

29:56 Letting Go Of Control

33:57 Emotional Handoff Stories

37:05 Threats And Opportunities

39:06 Advice For New Farmers

Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen talks with Dr. Jared Risser of Dairy Veterinary and Management Services in Goshen, Indiana, about dairy veterinary work as a service-driven career built on trust and relationships. Raised on a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania dairy farm, Risser moved to Indiana in 2017, now serves a 50-mile radius with dairies ranging from 10 cows to 4,000, and describes being a “jack of all trades” for many smaller farms.

He shares the variety of his days—herd checks, calvings, surgeries, advisory meetings—and a memorable rabies-suspect euthanasia case requiring lab testing after human exposure. Risser discusses how farm technology, especially activity monitoring systems and AI-assisted data analysis, is improving health detection and management decisions, and reflects on gains in components and productivity, humility in practice, and modeling service for his four-year-old son who sometimes joins farm calls.

01:44 Jared’s Dairy Roots

03:41 Indiana Practice Bubble

05:21 Trust on Farm

06:15 Crazy Days on Call

10:02 Service Meets Tech

11:16 Data and AI Wins

13:09 Health Monitoring Shift

15:44 Future Production Limits

19:14 AI for Vets

20:52 Bringing Kids Along

25:04 Legacy of Service

26:45 Rapid Fire Wisdom

30:03 Relationships Beyond Cows

Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy interviews Pauly Paul of Complete Management Consulting about dairy farms facing tight cash flow, growing accounts payable, and overwhelm. Pauly says recent pressure often comes from loan restructures leading to higher interest rates and larger payments, missed income opportunities such as capturing value from black calves, and the lack of a clear cash-flow plan. He describes farms that can make bank payments via milk-check autopay but fall behind with vendors, sometimes handing over the checkbook so he can prioritize payments and negotiate plans.

Pauly emphasizes open communication, sharing complete financial information, and being willing to change rather than “buying” a solution with more equipment debt. His first steps are to increase income, cut expenses, and use on-hand inventory; tactics include improving breeding/conception, increasing milk output, streamlining labor, and negotiating vendor costs. He shares a turnaround story where a farm moved from possible liquidation to repairs and potential expansion.

This Episode is Brought to you by Complete Management Consulting
About Complete Management Consulting
www.CompleteManagementConsulting.com⁠⁠
[email protected]⁠
920-418-3135

01:21 Why Farms Are Struggling

02:46 Real World Cash Flow Calls

05:27 Working With Vendors

07:12 Temporary Or Long Term

08:28 Common Money Mistakes

09:43 Three Step Stabilization Plan

11:44 Income Opportunities Fast

13:40 Communication And Pride

15:08 Turnaround Success Story

16:52 What Separates Winners

This episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast features entomologist Dr. Mike Catangui, Ph.D., with MWI Animal Health, who discusses the return of the New World screwworm and why dairy producers far from the southern border must be on alert. He explains how the pest was originally eradicated from the U.S. in the 1960s but has now been detected in Texas and New Mexico.

Dr. Catangui also notes that adult flies are harmless, but larvae hatch quickly after eggs are laid on wounds (especially calf navels) and feed on live flesh, potentially killing calves within days; bites from ticks and stable or horn flies can also attract egg-laying to any species, of any age.

Dr. Catangui reviews prior eradication using the USDA’s sterile insect technique, emphasizes vigilance, wound inspection, and fly control, and outlines available preventatives/curatives plus insecticide sprays/foggers and pet treatments from MWI. Suspected cases should be photographed and reported to a veterinarian due to mandatory reporting and existing infestation zones.

This episode is sponsored by MWI Animal HealthAt MWI Animal Health, we are your partner in animal health. Our people drive us to think forward every day. We are committed to working with you to identify cutting-edge solutions to your common challenges. We unite with innovators and manufacturers to provide access to products and solutions designed to help you find success in each aspect of your animal health business. Visit www.MWIAH.com

• 00:59 What Screwworm Is
• 01:44 How Calves Get Hit
• 03:09 Eradication History
• 03:47 Dairy Risk Factors
• 05:38 Spread Via Movement
• 07:32 Climate And Vigilance
• 10:09 Fly Control Tools
• 11:35 Products For All Animals
• 12:26 USDA Response Plan
• 14:51 Suspected Case Steps
• 16:53 Key Takeaways
• 18:31 Fairs And Shows Advice
  

Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen interviews Josh Peters of Standard Dairy Consultants about earning dairy producers’ trust without a dairy-farm background and why showing up and commitment matter. Peters shares his path from raising beef cattle, serving in the military, and working at Simplot to entering dairy nutrition, completing his bachelor’s and master’s degrees while feeding cows full time, and building long-term client relationships.

He discusses early success achieving seven pounds of components, emphasizing that results come from aligning genetics, feeds, infrastructure, and management rather than simple fixes. Since moving to Idaho’s Magic Valley, he’s seen rapid facility upgrades like cross-vent barns that reduce environmental variability but expose management and labor challenges, making consistency the key competitive advantage. Peters explains using Milc Group feeding software to improve speed, accuracy, and data-driven problem identification, focusing his consulting on bottlenecks and overall profitability, and argues AI won’t replace on-farm people willing to walk cows and do the daily work.

This Episode is Brought to you by the Milc Group
Milc Group is a dairy software company that brings real-time, actionable data to dairy farms across the world. They are dedicated to revolutionizing the dairy industry with their user-friendly cloud-based software. ONE™ by Milc Group is our all-in-one app that brings together all the important aspects of your dairy together in one place. With products such as feed and animal management software, people training, dairy facility monitoring, and scale management, Milc Group is committed to providing producers with tools they need to succeed.

01:18 Show Up And Commit

02:29 Beef Roots To Dairy

03:56 Military Mindset

04:48 All In On Education

06:53 First Herd Breakthrough

10:22 Magic Valley Shift

15:38 Consistency Over Rations

17:49 Tech And Data Tools

19:28 Milk Group In Action

22:41 Profitability Metrics

25:52 Labor And Hidden Leaks

33:08 Peeling The Onion

36:28 AI Cant Replace People

38:34 Future Of Dairy

On the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen concludes a three-part Farm Forward listener Q&A series with Will McKinley of Menn Law and Pat Sturz, a retired CPA and longtime agriculture tax advisor, discussing why legal and tax planning must be integrated in farm succession. They explain how farm growth and asset write-offs can create future tax problems, why “sell the farm on a land contract” can trigger unexpected upfront taxes due to different asset classes, and how early planning, entity choice, and large early gifting can improve outcomes.

They highlight tools like profits interests to share future growth or reward key employees without immediate income tax, strategies like “shadow” partnership entities to move assets out of C corps over time, and the role of stepped-up basis at death. They close with key mistakes, priorities, and the need for readiness and clarity about who will be involved and retirement cash needs.

Contact Will McKinley or Pat Sturz at Menn Law
[email protected]
(920) 731-6631

[email protected]

715-586-0050

Learn more at https://mennlaw.com/
Do you have a question on succession and farm transition you would like to hear Will answer on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast? Send your questions to [email protected]

01:13 Meet Will and Pat

04:30 Long Term Tax Mindset

06:13 Gifting and Entity Choices

09:43 Avoid Land Contract Traps

12:00 Profits Interest Explained

15:20 Shadow Farm Strategy

18:32 Biggest Misunderstandings

23:19 One Year Retirement Priorities

24:42 Common Mistakes and Wrap Up

Today's conversation tackles one of the most emotional and misunderstood topics in farm succession planning: how do you provide for non-farming children without putting the future of the farm at risk?

Will McKinley explains why "fair" doesn't always mean "equal" and shares practical strategies that allow farm families to care for every child while protecting the operation they've spent a lifetime building. From trusts and LLCs to long-term leases, purchase options, and structured buyout agreements, you'll learn how thoughtful planning today can prevent conflict tomorrow.

Will also shares real-life success stories and heartbreaking cautionary tales that demonstrate exactly what happens when estate plans leave room for ambiguity.

Whether you're actively planning your estate or simply beginning family conversations, this episode offers valuable insight into preserving both your farm and your family relationships.

Contact Will McKinley at Menn Law
[email protected]
(920) 731-6631

Learn more at https://mennlaw.com/

00:00 Why "Fair Isn't Always Equal" in Farm Succession

01:28 Understanding the Real Value—and Responsibility—of Inheriting a Farm

03:05 Using Trusts and LLCs to Protect Farm Assets

05:02 The Biggest Mistake Families Make with Farmland

06:15 Purchase Options, Long-Term Leases & Buyout Strategies

08:10 Why You Should Never Leave Rent Negotiations to Future Generations

09:48 Real Success Story: A Farm Family That Planned Ahead

12:58 When Poor Planning Forced a Farm to Shut Down

15:05 Good Intentions, Bad Estate Planning

17:16 Eliminating Ambiguity Before It Leads to Litigation

18:00 Three Questions Every Farm Parent Should Answer Before They're Gone

Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen interviews attorney Will McKinley of Menn Law in a three-part follow-up to the Farm Forward conference, focusing on why farm transitions fail and how to prevent it. McKinley cites two primary failure causes: economic infeasibility and psychology/communication breakdowns, including control issues and lack of confidence in successors; he shares examples where debt forced likely land sales and where strict post-death “guardrails” led a son to leave and the dairy to shut down.

He emphasizes earlier planning, strong financial advisors, and tools like trusts with independent trustees. Discussing non-family key employees, he warns ownership success is about 50/50, urges transparency, cautions against rushed promises and mingling assets like cattle or equipment, and suggests alternatives such as higher compensation or limited real-estate partnerships.

Make sure to tune in tomorrow and Thursday for parts two and three.

Contact Will McKinley at Menn Law:
[email protected]
(920) 731-6631
https://mennlaw.com/

Do you have a question on succession and farm transition you would like to hear Will answer on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast? Send your questions to [email protected]

00:00 Why Transitions Fail

02:16 Two Failure Causes

02:40 Debt And Taxes Trap

03:52 Psychology And Control

08:08 Preventing Financial Failure

13:14 Trusts And Guardrails

16:18 Non-Family Partners

25:50 Avoiding Messy Entanglements

Today, Peggy sits down for an exclusive, 'Ask the Expert' feature with veterinarian Dr.
Jan van Dijk of AHV discusses how common stressors in dairy cows, such as calving, transition, heat stress, pen moves, and high production, can disrupt immune function and lead to issues like metritis, mastitis, temperature spikes, reduced rumination, and lost milk that can affect an entire lactation.

Dr. Van Dijk explains the damage caused by both overreacting and underreacting immune responses and introduces AHV’s Aspi, a plant-extracted immunomodulatory complementary feed given orally as a tablet/liquid or bolus, used proactively or reactively, with no milk withhold. In a farm comparison to an injectable nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory in monitored cows, Aspi lowered temperature more gradually but for longer, maintained activity, improved rumination, and greatly reduced repeat temperature spikes over 20 days.

This episode is brought to you by AHV

Your herd’s health is our priority. You get the best of both worlds: cutting-edge science and practical, hands-on support. With veterinary expertise and applied research behind every solution, you’ll have access to insights that matter. Delivered through our dedicated data service and backed by personal guidance from our on-farm consultants. Whether you’re making decisions in the barn or reviewing data, we’re here to support your goals—every step of the way.

Learn more at https://ahvint.com/us/dairy-cows-calves.

00:00 Why Cow Stress Matters

00:48 Meet The Expert

01:22 Signs Of Poor Immunity

02:09 Over Vs Under Reaction

02:28 Introducing Aspi

03:06 How Aspi Is Used

04:06 On Farm Trial Results

05:17 Reoffending And Recovery

06:27 Future Of Immune Modulation

07:57 What Aspi Delivers