Uplevel Dairy Podcast

Jeff King & Tom Mercuro on genetics, longevity, and why ‘milk what you make’ is the future
On this episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, we are joined by Jeff King of Kings Ransom Farm in New York and Tom Mercuro from Mercuro Farms in Maryland—two dairymen who are redefining what real genetic progress looks like. We find out what they are doing to create the kind of cows they want in their barns and why they believe other dairy producers want them too.
This isn’t about chasing the top of a list… it’s about milking what they make - breeding cows that last, perform, and put milk in the tank.
Plus, Jeff and Tom provide their hot takes on the April Holstein Sire Summary and recent changes to the TPI formula.
United Sires is a partnership of well-known Holstein breeders from the United States bringing genetic solutions to dairy producers worldwide. Our mission, “Breed the Best, Better,” reflects the work we have been doing on our farms for generations. As multi-generational dairy farmers, we adhere to a simple yet powerful principle: We Milk What We Make. We understand the importance of breeding cattle that are profitable throughout their lifetimes, functional across all dairy enterprises, and aesthetically pleasing.
Learn more at Unitedsires.com and follow on Facebook at United Sires and Instagram @unitedsiresofficial.

This Uplevel Dairy Podcast episode shares the full Farm Forward Conference panel with attorney Will McKinley, dairyman Tommy Oesch, consultant Kristy Pagel, advisor Steve Bodart, and family farm coach Elaine Froese on building multi-generational farm transitions as an ongoing legal, financial, and relational process. They discuss testing next-generation commitment through projects, off-farm work, mentors, peer networks, and family bylaws; clarifying roles for siblings/cousins using tools like StrengthsFinder and DISC; and keeping farms aligned through regular meetings, celebrations, and quarterly financial check-ins.

The panel contrasts successful transitions (everything on the table, commitment, compromise) with failures (stubbornness, toxicity, staying stuck), addresses estate tools like TOD deeds, revocable and irrevocable trusts, LLCs/corporations, and managing conflicts, cash flow targets, and the option to exit via sale. Final action steps emphasize alignment between spouses, writing letters, gratitude, grace, listening, and accepting continuous change.

02:35 Testing Next Gen Commitment

07:13 Best vs Worst Transitions

10:21 Preventing Estate Disputes

14:06 Future of Midwest Farms

17:22 Siblings and Cousins Leadership

22:25 Making Transition Ongoing

26:23 Meeting Rhythms That Work

28:29 The $2.50 Cash Flow Rule

29:39 Cash Flow Under Pressure

31:27 Trusts Explained Simply

33:08 Irrevocable Trust Tradeoffs

34:58 Estate Planning Resources

36:13 Getting Honest Family Input

40:25 Helping Seniors Let Go

44:45 When No Successor Exists

46:59 Why Ag Transitions Differ

52:00 Family Stories About Land

Transition Talks from the Farm Forward Conference
This Farm Forward Recap episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast features attorney Will McKinley, President of Menn Law, discussing the legal side of family farm transition planning. McKinley emphasizes that communication is critical and that lawyers can’t prescribe one-size-fits-all solutions; families need to clarify and align their goals before legal documents are drafted. He explains what he hopes clients bring to the table—financial records plus a shared “wish list” vision—and shares a success story involving bringing a non-family herdsman into ownership while keeping spouses, bankers, and accountants aligned.
He outlines tools often used (wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, entity structures) and notes tax challenges with lifetime sales, sometimes using an income-stream approach until a later trigger. He warns that the biggest obstacle is delaying the process and failing to commit time for a multi-meeting plan.
Contact Will McKinley at Menn Law:
[email protected]
(920) 731-6631
https://mennlaw.com/

00:55 Meet Will McKinley
01:37 Communication Comes First
04:57 What to Bring Your Lawyer
07:49 Succession Success Story
10:39 Legal Tools and Tax Strategy
13:38 Where Plans Get Stuck

Transition Talks from the Farm Forward Conference

At the Farm Forward Conference, Uplevel Dairy Podcast host Peggy Coffeen interviews Steve Bodart of AgriGrowth Solutions about the financial side of family farm transition. Bodart explains his accrual-based financial consulting approach that connects production decisions to financial outcomes, benchmarks performance, and evaluates what both outgoing and incoming generations need and can afford. He emphasizes financial transparency so everyone hears the same message at the same time, and says succession is a journey requiring room for growth, disciplined debt payments, and honest discussions about cost of production, capital spending, and competitiveness.

Steve notes failures often stem from resisting change and poor communication without a facilitator. He advocates involving owners and capable mid-managers and giving younger generations responsibility for financial projects, such as analyzing how a transition barn can improve profitability.

AgriGrowth Solutions is a team of financial consultants with strong dairy backgrounds which represent and work for the best interests of dairy producers. The AGS team guides clients through their business’ financial position and assists in planning for their continued and future success.

Contact Steve Bodart, AgriGrowth Solutions: [email protected]

Visit: https://agrigrowthsolutions.com/

01:10 Meet Steve Bodart

01:50 What Steve Does

03:21 Financial Transparency

05:56 Planning for Growth

07:00 Building a Win Win Plan

09:42 Who Belongs in Meetings

11:20 Why Transitions Fail

14:44 Bringing Next Gen In

17:23 Real World Project Example

Transition Talks from the Farm Forward Conference
In this Farm Forward Recap, Peggy Coffeen hosts a transition talk featuring Kristy Pagel of Leading Edge Consulting, who focuses on facilitating difficult family farm transition conversations, aligning expectations across generations, and helping farms get “unstuck,” often during conflict or crisis. Pagel emphasizes the need to clarify the senior generation’s purpose beyond day-to-day farm duties and to support curiosity about what comes next.
She also explains an adapted Employee Analyzer tool from Gino Wickman’s “Traction” to objectively assess whether owners, family members, and employees have the head, heart, and capacity for their roles, adding a “reinvest” column with plans, communication, timelines, and accountability. Pagel describes using the tool as a two-way self-assessment to open honest dialogue about burnout, fit, and workload.
Connect with Kristy:
Owner, coach, consultant with Leading Edge Consulting LLC
[email protected]
LinkedIn: Kristy Pagel
Listen to Kristy's Other Episode on Uplevel Dairy here: https://youtu.be/wJU12xNYyl4?si=h7ypvZKEgUgY3GdL

00:55 Meet Kristy Pagel

02:21 Why Facilitation Matters

03:29 Getting Unstuck Together

05:49 Purpose After the Farm

08:44 Employee Analyzer Tool

11:57 Objective Feedback Not Emotion

14:14 Story Using the Tool

At the Farm Forward Conference, Uplevel Dairy Podcast host Peggy Coffeen interviews Tommy Oesch of Swisslane Farms in Michigan about his multi-generational family farm transition from junior partner to senior leader and preparing for the next generation. Tommy describes the farm’s origins with his Swiss immigrant great-grandfather, early succession planning begun in 2004–2005, requirements for the next generation to work off-farm, and his and his brother’s years in outside careers before returning in 2011 to build a 500-cow robotic dairy.

He explains growth through leasing opportunities instead of building, reaching about 5,600 cows across multiple sites, buying out the senior generation, and shifting their income from salary to equity payments to support leadership transition. He highlights hard conversations, including selling real estate to cover debt during Michigan’s 2015–2019 processing challenges, the need for intra-generation alignment through weekly meetings, and wishing they had brought in professional help earlier.

Make sure to tune in all week as we drop recap episodes from the conference right here on the podcast!

02:02 Meet Tommy Oesch

02:49 Swisslane Origin Story

05:06 Off Farm Lessons

06:36 Back to Dairy Growth

07:40 Leadership Buyout Shift

12:13 Hard Times Real Estate

15:05 Generational Negotiations

18:21 Aligning Weekly Meetings

18:54 What We'd Change

On the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen interviews Dr. Stephanie Hansen of Iowa State University at Adisseo’s VIP seminar about why beef-on-dairy calves often fail to thrive in the feedlot. Hansen, a feedlot “mineral nerd,” explains how high liver copper—seen in necropsy results at 800–900 ppm—can originate from late-gestation cow diets and be compounded in dairy systems by copper-fortified milk replacer and starter feed while calves are still functionally monogastric, leading to greater absorption. Research funded by the Iowa Beef Checkoff found high liver copper did not affect vaccine response but did worsen outcomes in a respiratory disease challenge, increasing fever, clinical signs, and lung consolidation, alongside systemic inflammation and potentially compromised liver health. Action steps include moderating copper in late-gestation and calf starter diets, avoiding feedlot copper over-fortification, reassessing frequent vaccination protocols, and considering zinc’s anti-inflammatory benefits. Hansen also notes she writes national-park crime thrillers under the pen name SL Hansen, with a new book due April 2026.
This Episode is brought to you by Adisseo
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/

00:00 Why Calves Struggle

00:45 Sponsor Message

01:30 Meet Mineral Nerd

03:21 Feedlot Mystery Copper

04:46 Beef Copper Fortification

07:25 Dairy System One Two Punch

09:26 Toxicity Signs Inflammation

12:34 Respiratory Challenge Study

15:25 Other Thrive Factors

17:29 Producer Action Steps

21:15 Zinc Balancing Idea

22:04 Author Side Quest

23:56 Wrap Up Takeaways

This week on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, we’re bringing you our breakout session from the Central Plains Dairy Expo for a real, unfiltered conversation with dairy’s rising leaders. From coming back to the farm… to carving your own path… to earning respect and finding your voice—this is a must-listen not only for the next generation, but for senior leaders looking to better understand, develop, and lead them.

We are proud to partner with Central Plains Dairy Expo to feature these four panelists:Jacob Wag, Wag's Blue and White Dairy; Emma Brockshus, Brockshus Dairy; Emmett Meissner, Norm-E-Lane Farm, and Chelsea Abbott, Trans Ova Genetics. 

Hear it straight from these rising leaders.

On location at Brooks Farms in Waupaca, Wisconsin, Peggy Coffeen interviews Dr. Amanda Onan of United Vet Services (Heritage Vet Partners) about how teamwork shapes her approach to dairy veterinary medicine nearly 10 years into practice. A second-generation veterinarian, Dr. Onan describes learning through ride-alongs with her father and hands-on work at Sugar Creek Farms, including projects to improve somatic cell count and mastitis understanding. She shares a formative lesson from a 70-year-old farm owner scraping stalls, reinforcing that no one is above any task and that every employee’s observations matter. Dr. Onan emphasizes building trust by engaging employees, recognizing positives, and using empathy to improve farm efficiency, while also discussing compassion fatigue in veterinary medicine and the support systems that help. She notes that Heritage’s national network enables collaboration, and she sees AI changing record analysis and on-farm implementation.

This episode is brought to you by Heritage Vet Partners
Heritage Vet Partners is the nation’s leading veterinary partnership, specializing in mixed and large animal practices.  Heritage Vet Partners provides a unique partnership model that preserves local practice legacies, serving dairy and other livestock producers and companion animal owners through shared services, data, and strategic growth. Learn more at HeritageVetPartners.com.

• 00:43 Podcast Welcome and Sponsor
• 01:43 Why Amanda Became a Vet
• 04:09 Producer Perspective Lessons
• 05:51 Somatic Cell Count Project
• 08:06 Nobody Above Scraping Stalls
• 11:31 Building Trust With Employees
• 15:44 Positive Leadership Habits
• 16:39 Compassion Fatigue Explained
• 18:25 Support Systems and Grace
• 21:53 Business Side and Heritage Network
• 27:11 Future of Vet Med and AI
• 28:25 Final Thanks and Outro

Recorded in Amarillo at the High Plains Dairy Conference, Peggy Coffeen sits down with Matt Wolf and Jake Kingsley as they share their farm backgrounds—Matt from a Texas dairy family and Jake from Kansas, where his grandparents once had a small family dairy—plus unique experiences like dairy cattle and collegiate wool judging. 
Matt explains building a beef-on-dairy risk management program spanning day-old calves through finishing cattle and cull cows, including new LRP opportunities, and how producers can protect value at record-high calf and cow prices. 
Jake outlines Ever.Ag’s feed risk management approach as it combines futures, basis, and cash-feed analysis with regular producer check-ins. They discuss High Plains consolidation, processing capacity growth, water constraints, ongoing volatility, export needs, and the rise of high-protein products, then close with quick personal Q&A and country music picks.

Ever.Ag partners with dairy producers to build customized risk management plans that help protect margins in any market environment. With dedicated advisors, industry leading technology, and proven tools like Dairy Revenue Protection, we help farms reduce uncertainty and secure long‑term financial strength. Learn more at https://ever.ag/

00:00 High Plains Kickoff

01:53 Why Amarillo Matters

02:27 Matt Wolf's Story

04:45 Jake Kingsley's Story

06:29 Wool and Cattle Judging

08:15 Beef on Dairy Growth

13:10 Feed Risk Playbook

15:53 High Plains Game Changers

21:29 Future Outlook and Trends

29:08 Rapid Fire Fun

33:34 Wrap Up and Thanks