Uplevel Dairy Podcast

Tommy Oesch from Swiss Lane Farms in Michigan is back with us today, and we are going to hear about a transition he has personally made in the past 6 months. The transition from operations manager to full-time visionary for Swiss Lane Farms.

And find out how that original vision has scaled from 7,000 cows to a 10,000 cow business model by 2032, and how Swiss Lane plans to get there.

Listen to past episodes with Tommy Oesch here:

This episode is sponsored by Uplevel Dairy Podcast Founding Partner Adisseo, a global leader in nutritional solutions and premier provider of rumen-protected methionine for dairy producers who want to optimize milk production, capture more value from components, and maintain the health of their high-performing herds. Learn more at https://www.adisseo.com/en/

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In this special 3-part series, we are bringing you the Tanbark Talk held at World Dairy Expo, where we delved into the complexities of transitioning a farm to the next generation.

Part 3: This discussion includes:

Meet the Panelists:

·   Dennis, Jeni & Alan Oechscner, Oechsner Farms: This seventh-generation dairy farm is currently navigating a 10-year ownership transition plan. The Oechsners will share their firsthand experience managing multi-generational dynamics while embracing modern technologies.

·   Jared Holt, President & CEO, Ascent Financial: Jared brings deep financial expertise to the discussion, offering insights on estate planning, debt management and financial strategies for long-term success.

·   Steve Schwoerer, VP of Dairy Lending, Compeer Financial: With over 31 years in dairy lending, Steve will share his knowledge on financial planning for transitions and how Compeer supports dairy clients through the process.

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.

For more information, contact:

Subscribe to Uplevel Dairy Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClQ6xQHZ0A1vqHKjRkbtJJA

Want to get new episodes in your inbox? Subscribe here: https://www.upleveldairy.com/subscribe

In this special 3-part series, we are bringing you the Tanbark Talk held at World Dairy Expo, where we delved into the complexities of transitioning a farm to the next generation.

Part 2: This discussion includes:

Meet the Panelists:

·   Dennis, Jeni & Alan Oechscner, Oechsner Farms: This seventh-generation dairy farm is currently navigating a 10-year ownership transition plan. The Oechsners will share their firsthand experience managing multi-generational dynamics while embracing modern technologies.

·   Jared Holt, President & CEO, Ascent Financial: Jared brings deep financial expertise to the discussion, offering insights on estate planning, debt management and financial strategies for long-term success.

·   Steve Schwoerer, VP of Dairy Lending, Compeer Financial: With over 31 years in dairy lending, Steve will share his knowledge on financial planning for transitions and how Compeer supports dairy clients through the process.

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.

For more information, contact:

In this special 3-part series, we are bringing you the Tanbark Talk held at World Dairy Expo, where we delved into the complexities of transitioning a farm to the next generation.

Part 1: This discussion includes:

Meet the Panelists:

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.

For more information, contact:

Subscribe to Uplevel Dairy Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClQ6xQHZ0A1vqHKjRkbtJJA

Want to get new episodes in your inbox? Subscribe here: https://www.upleveldairy.com/subscribe

The good, the bad and the uncertain.

That’s what you will be hearing about in the November monthly market update from Curtis Bosma with HighGround Dairy, and we also bring you an update on the Federal Milk Marketing Order with HighGround’s Alex Gambonini - what has happened, what the final decision means and where we go from here.

Grab your November Market Report here:  https://marketing.highgrounddairy.com/producer-market-update-november-2024.
This episode is brought to you by:
HighGround Dairy provides global dairy market intelligence, insurance services, futures & options brokerage, and advisory programs to a diverse range of dairy market participants throughout the supply chain.

Information shared in this podcast is for educational purposes and is not a solicitation to buy or sell commodities.  Opinions expressed are current opinions as of Nov 19, 2024 at 10 a.m. CST and only represent the views of the speaker and not those of HighGround Trading, unless otherwise expressly noted.

Are you looking for ways to up your management skill set, better understand your team members and what motivates them, and better understand yourself?

In this episode, Dustin Wirt, site manager for Silver Streak’s dairy in Cottonwood, Minnesota. Cottonwood Dairy is the first stop for first-lactation cows that calve in Kansas and then make their way to Minnesota. Dustin, who has a background as a dairy herd analyst and repro consultant, cut his teeth managing dairies in Kansas, South Dakota and Colorado, before joining the Silver Streak group about three years ago.

He tells us today about a tool that has not only helped him to further develop his own skills, but also how he is incorporating strengths-based leadership and management within his team of 20 employees to push for their next level of performance - whether it’s setting somatic cell count goals or covering the bunker in record time.

Listen in for a bonus conversation at the end of this episode!

Nedap Power Play featuring Steve Pavleski, large herd specialist with Nedap, talking about the latest advancements in dairy technology and large dairy management.

This episode is part of the High Performance mindset series powered by Nedap, The High-Performance Mindset Series is powered  by Nedap. Nedap is future-proofing dairy farms by revolutionizing cow-side care through technologies in activity monitoring, cow locating, milk metering and identification.

Learn more:

https://nedap-livestockmanagement.com/

Other resources:

CliftonStrengths© Online Talent  Assessment

https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx

Subscribe to Uplevel Dairy Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClQ6xQHZ0A1vqHKjRkbtJJA

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When their bank laid out the challenge to McCarty Family Farms to become a price maker, not a price taker, the McCartys were determined to find a way to market their milk differently.

Two years later, the family came back with a plan to expand their dairy, build an on-site milk condensing plant and enter into a direct marketing agreement with Danone.

The eldest of the four McCarty brothers, Mike, shares the story of leaving their century farm in Pennsylvania nearly 25 years ago for a bare ground site in northwest Kansas that has served as a canvas from which the family could paint a vision for their future, and how they are continuing to make those strides forward , together, today.

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.

ONETM Feed

https://www.milcgroup.com/product/feed

ONETM Scale

https://www.milcgroup.com/product/scale

Subscribe to Uplevel Dairy Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClQ6xQHZ0A1vqHKjRkbtJJA

Want to get new episodes in your inbox? Subscribe here: https://www.upleveldairy.com/subscribe

In this episode, Jordan Matthews from Rosy-Lane Holsteins shares how his brother's battle with stage four colon cancer motivated him to take on ultra-endurance running to support cancer research. He highlights the mindset, discipline, and structure required for managing a dairy farm and pushing personal limits to optimize his time, his health and his influence on those around him.

Jordan's upcoming fundraising run, 'A Day in the Park,' aims to support the Carbone Cancer Center by running for 13 continuous hours and raising $10,000, showcasing his dedication not only to his career in dairy farming but also to meaningful causes.

Make your gift to the “A Day in the Park” fundraiser for Carbone Cancer Center here:    ​​https://give.wiscmedicine.org/fundraiser/5896507

Subscribe to Uplevel Dairy Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClQ6xQHZ0A1vqHKjRkbtJJA

Want to get new episodes in your inbox? Subscribe here: https://www.upleveldairy.com/subscribe

In this episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen and guest Susan Heim discuss pivotal steps to elevate your dairy farm into a professional business through strategic branding. 

Peggy and Susan outline five key steps to create and sustain a brand that resonates with your employees, community, and consumers. 

With real-life examples from local farms like the Eberts and Pagel's Ponderosa, they illustrate how effective branding fosters community engagement, employee loyalty, and an impactful market presence. Whether you're a dairy farmer looking to transform your business or maintain employee retention, this episode provides actionable insights and strategies designed to uplevel your dairy farm.

Connect with Susan Hiem, owner and president of Quali-T:

920-845-1010 ext. 101

[email protected]

Learn more about how Quali-T provides branding solutions, work wear, reflective gear and other customized merchandise for farms and agribusinesses:

https://qualitinc.espwebsite.com/

Subscribe to Uplevel Dairy Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClQ6xQHZ0A1vqHKjRkbtJJA

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I can't believe it's been two years since hitting "publish" on my very first episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast.

I'm resharing that very podcast with you today, so enjoy!

Jared Dueppengiesser has worked his way up through the Milk Source organization, from a herdsman to now manager of Rosendale Dairy. He leads a team of 52 employees on one of Wisconsin’s largest dairies. In this podcast, Jared shares how he took on the challenge of upleveling the culture of this dairy to be a place where people want to work and want to stay … with nearly zero employee turnover for the past half year. And he’s done all this at just 26 years old.