Uplevel Dairy Podcast

In this episode, Peggy sits down with a seventh-generation dairy family, Rob and Erica Diepersloot, from Madera, California, as they share their story of co-founding bovine colostrum company, WonderCow, including:

And the faith-filled journey of building the WonderCow brand.

Find WonderCow: https://wondercow.com/

Follow WonderCow:

@wondercow on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok

She manages 15 employees, 1,200 baby calves and 700 maternity cows … and she’s just 24 years old.

Our Uplevel Dairy Young Leader today is Madison Busse, Calf and Maternity Manager for Minnesota-based United Dairies. 

The Ohio native didn’t grow up on a dairy but learned to love it, and while her path was originally to become a large animal veterinarian, an internship with a calf raiser prompted a change of heart and change of direction that led her to Alexandria, Minnesota, to a position where she can’t wait to get out of bed every day … the perfect combination of being hands-on with calves and cows, working with people and being part of a culture that supports her in being successful as a young manager at United Dairies.

Find out how she is forging her path in a field that some people actually discouraged her from pursuing and why she loves giving baby calves and cows a chance to thrive,  with Madison Busse.

The Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Podcast is the special podcast series for producers and professionals in the first 5 years of their dairy careers. Find it on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, as well as its own platform, Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

Join the Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/792440762650346/

Today’s big question: With heifer inventories at historic lows and global milk production trending lower in 2024, we seem to be poised for better milk prices compared to 2023, so what's your action plan to capitalize on this opportunity?

If this question has you thinking, you’ve come to the right place, because Curtis Bosma is joining us for the HighGround Dairy Monthly Market Update.

In this episode, hear more about:

This episode is brought to you by HighGround Dairy

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.

Curtis Bosma is vice president of producer services for HighGround Dairy. You can download your own producer market update here: ⁠https://www.highgrounddairy.com/comprehensive-gdt-auction-analysis-20-february-2024/

On this episode, Peggy sits down with Clint Al-Ag, president of the Dairy Calf and Heifer Association (DCHA) Board of Directors, and manager with Blue Sky Farms.

Clint gives a sneak-peak of what to expect at the upcoming DCHA Conference, as well as how the organization has helped him develop leadership skills as he has transitioned from heifer yard manager to now overseeing 150 employees across three sites in the Texas panhandle.

Clint covers three key steps he has taken to set up middle managers for success, including:

Join Clint and other producers and industry professionals who specialize in raising dairy calves, heifers and cross calves at the 2024 DCHA Annual Meeting.

2024 DCHA Annual Meeting

Dairy Calf and Heifer Association (DCHA)

www.calfandheifer.org

And our featured Young Leader today is Emily Shaw Schaapmann, also known as the Dairy Girl Fitness, shares the career journey that led her to starting her own business. 

Describing her initial struggles finding her place in the dairy industry and experiencing career frustration, Emily discusses how she channeled her passions for health, fitness, and dairy promotion into establishing Dairy Girl Fitness. Five years later, this business has helped more than 500 women reach their health goals and includes a team of four coaches. 

Follow Emily Shaw Schaapman on Social

The Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Podcast is the special podcast series for producers and professionals in the first 5 years of their dairy careers. Find it on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, as well as its own platform, Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

Join the Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Facebook Group: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/792440762650346/⁠

What's been keeping you up at night? Is your mind turning about how to create alternative revenue streams, monetizing more than milk from your dairy or cash in on carbon? Or are you wishing there was a training available for your middle managers, one day where they could sharpen their communication and leadership skills? 

Well, guess what ... you can find it all and more in one place: The High Plains Dairy Conference.

I’ll be emceeing this biennial event, and I’m inviting you to join me in Amarillo, Texas, on March 5 and 6, with a bonus middle manager training on March 7, for one of the most truly producer-driven meetings in the dairy industry.

The driving force behind this meeting is Dr. Robert Hagevoort from New Mexico State University Extension. Robert shared some valuable insights on our last episode on optimizing the ROI of your employees, and he’s back on today to tell us what’s new, what to expect and why dairy producers from beyond the High Plains will find value in the High Plains Dairy Conference!

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High Plains Dairy Conference

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View agenda and register for the High Plains Dairy Conference:

https://hpdc.regfox.com/2024-high-plains-dairy-conference

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Contact Dr. Robert Hagevoort

Any dairy producer will tell you, a good employee is worth every dollar. But every two weeks, when pay day comes around, do you ever wonder if you are getting the most out of your investment? What if it didn't have to cost you a penny more to maximize the efforts and outcomes of every hour you are paying that employee to be at your dairy? 

Our guest today spends a lot of his time improving training, safety and development of the dairy workforce. Dr. Robert Hagevoort, with New Mexico State University Extension, joins us to talk about three things he sees high-performing dairy operations doing to increase employee engagement, retention and performance. 

Hear about:

To view agenda and register for the High Plains Dairy Conference:

https://hpdc.regfox.com/2024-high-plains-dairy-conference

Contact Dr. Robert Hagevoort:

Peggy Coffeen sits down to chat with Dr. Mike Van Amburgh, Cornell University, at the Adisseo VIP Dairy Seminar about the benefits of precision dairy cattle nutrition going beyond methionine and lysine.

He introduces the latest version of the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS), their nutrition model that offers the potential to formulate for all 10 essential amino acids. 

Find out: 

This episode is sponsored by Adisseo, global leader in animal nutrition and premium provider of rumen protected methionine for dairy producers who want to capture the power of components and maintain the health of their high-performing herds.

A big question we ask ourselves as dairy producers and professionals is, how can we effectively communicate with consumers about the food we produce and our built-in sustainability stories?

Who better to tap into this topic than Dr. Marissa Hake. I sat down with Dr. Hake at the Adisseo VIP Dairy Seminar to get her insights. Hear what she has to say about consumer purchasing decisions, dairy versus the alternatives, sustainability and building trust on this UPlevel Dairy Podcast.

In this episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, you will be able to hear Dr. Hake’s insights on:

This episode is sponsored by Adisseo, global leader in animal nutrition and premium provider of rumen protected methionine for dairy producers who want to capture the power of components and maintain the health of their high-performing herds. Learn more about Adisseo here: https://www.adisseo.com/en/

Peggy sits down with Dr. Chuck Schwab, a distinguished Professor Emeritus from New Hampshire University, at the Adisseo VIP Dairy Seminar, where he recapped highlights of his career and research on the important role of amino acids in dairy cattle nutrition.

Find out:

This episode is sponsored by Adisseo, global leader in animal nutrition and premium provider of rumen protected methionine for dairy producers who want to capture the power of components and maintain the health of their high-performing herds.