Uplevel Dairy Podcast

Latest Episodes:

382 | Transforming Dairy Risk Management with Jim Matthews and Duane Banderob Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Today, on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen talks with Duane Banderob and Jim Matthews about Ever.Ag separating into two standalone organizations. EA Risk, formerly Ever.Ag Risk Management, is now an independent company focused solely on managing commodity markets across the agricultural supply chain. They share that it’s the same people, producer relationships, and farmer-first focus that the market has come to know over the past two decades. They explain that services remain unchanged, including protecting revenue and input risk through livestock and crop insurance, futures and options, energy and feed procurement strategies, advisory/consulting, and market publications, supported by their proprietary Vault platform and EA Risk Insights research.

The team sees the split as a chance to sharpen focus, improve technology and customer experience, and evolve offerings as dairy operations face increasing complexity, including beef-on-dairy exposure, digesters, new financing realities, and higher capital costs, while maintaining on-farm relationship standards and continuity for clients.

EA Risk, formerly Ever.Ag Risk Management, 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://ea-risk.carrd.co/.

00:00 Dairy Risk Shifts

02:02 Ever.Ag Shift Explained

03:47 Services That Stay

07:33 What Changes Next

09:19 Vault Platform Insights

10:10 Industry Risks Ahead

13:06 Core Philosophy: Relationships

16:09 Legacy Of Dairy Markets

18:24 Buggy Lesson

22:04 One Year Outlook

28:07 World Dairy Expo Plans

381 | Beyond the Protocol: Why People Are the Key to Better Animal Care Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

Today, Peggy Coffeen is onsite as she welcomes Dr. Tera Barnhardt to the Uplevel Dairy Podcast to discuss leadership, communication, and navigating hard seasons in production agriculture. Dr. Barnhardt, a Kansas-based veterinarian, mom, business owner, and agriculture advocate, describes serving dairies, calf ranches, and feed yards across southwest Kansas and the High Plains while managing heavy animal movement logistics and regulatory paperwork.

She explains that effective problem solving depends less on perfect protocols and more on understanding each farm’s systems and people, especially as many employees lack agricultural backgrounds. Barnhardt emphasizes culturally aware training and tailoring communication to owners, managers, and frontline workers using different formats and technologies. She reflects on formative animal welfare leadership experiences in a large feeding operation, lessons from the H5N1 outbreak and consumer trust, and advice to view hard days as growth opportunities while integrating, not balancing, work and family.

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

01:04 Meet Dr. Tera Barnhardt

02:22 Many Hats and Advocacy

04:30 Why Rural Kansas

06:24 A Day on the Road

09:09 Problem Solving Systems

11:40 Training for Welfare

14:34 Leadership Lessons Feedyard

20:32 Adapting to Change

22:27 Communication Across Cultures

27:26 Social Media and Audiences

29:53 H5N1 Frontline Story

38:26 Advice for Young Vets

41:51 Integrating Work and Family

380 | From Vegetarian to Dairy Advocate: How Jill Houin Found Her Place in Dairy Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Peggy Coffeen interviews Jill Houin at Homestead Dairy in Plymouth, Indiana, where the family milks 5,000 cows across three sites, including a 2,200-cow robotic dairy with 36 robots and a semi-automatic feed system. Jill, a former New Jersey teacher and vegetarian who married into the dairy, describes learning farm life, becoming the farm’s tour guide and key messenger, and using truthful, practical explanations to convert skeptics.

She shares how community tours brought 1,000 visitors in three hours, and highlights sustainability stories like generating electricity from manure and Notre Dame food waste to power about 1,000 homes an hour. Jill also discusses taking on farm bookkeeping, mediating family perspectives, working with Spanish-speaking staff and interns from Mexico, and launching The Break Room Meat Market restaurant featuring the farm’s beef and other local products.

This episode is brought to you by Zoetis. As the world’s leading animal health company, Zoetis is dedicated to helping producers achieve healthy animals, healthy dairies and healthy food through their world-class portfolio. For more information, visit ⁠DairyWellness.com.⁠

00:00 Meet Jill Houin

01:47 Robotic Dairy Updates

02:35 From Jersey to Dairy

05:40 Vegetarian to Advocate

07:21 Tours and Key Messages

11:59 Handling Tough Questions

15:41 Books and Office Role

19:31 Delegation and Hiring

21:50 Culture and Worker Respect

23:09 Restaurant Origin Story

23:45 Local Meat Market Vision

24:29 Farm Story Branding

25:00 COVID Hug To Deal

26:46 Buying And Expanding

27:24 Naming The Break Room

27:46 Crystal Mess Challenge

28:33 Menu And Accommodations

29:29 Ownership And Creativity

30:19 Dreams And Travel

31:34 Meaning And Mission

379 | Join us for Showbox Stories Live at World Dairy Expo 2026! Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

Peggy Coffeen is joined today by Tim Abbott of Showbox Sires and Jared Krull of CowManager on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast to announce that the popular Showbox Stories series will be recorded live at World Dairy Expo on Thursday, October 1, from about 8:00–10:30 a.m. on the Tanbark stage, with CowManager as premier sponsor. They recap the project’s purpose of preserving dairy history and authentic voices while highlighting lessons from mentors and industry icons.

Tim and Jared discuss learning through conversations on show boxes and around the bulk tank, and preview guests including Dave Thorbahn, Dr. Sheila McGuirk, and many more. Listeners are invited to attend, subscribe to hear episodes later, and submit show box photos and stories for possible on-stage sharing.

Submit your Showbox story here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1l6qGl0D1JMEWtG48Y1QHvEAdwHzSpHEHIPaDPAEbUszEdA/viewform

This series is brought to you by CowManager.

CowManager delivers 24/7 real-time data to help producers enhance herd health, fertility and nutrition. To learn more, contact your CowManager Specialist at Select Sires or visit CowManager.com.

Website: https://www.cowmanager.com/
Contact: https://www.cowmanager.com/contact/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CowManager
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cowmanagers/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cowmanager-bv/posts/?feedView=all
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/cowmanager

00:00 Showbox Stories Return

01:12 Why We Started Recording

02:35 Icons and Lessons Learned

04:47 Live Tanbark Announcement

05:28 Meet Jared Krull

06:53 Why CowManager Cares

08:53 Guest Lineup Sneak Peek

11:40 Submit Your Showbox Photo

12:49 Jared and Tim Share Stories

16:46 Peggy Trophy Trade Tale

21:36 Join Us at Expo

378 | Gear up for World Dairy Expo 2026 with Showbox Stories Ft. Jeff Butler, Butlerview Farm Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

As we gear up for World Dairy Expo 2026, we’re bringing back a favorite from the Showbox Stories series recorded at World Dairy Expo. In this episode, Peggy Coffeen and Tim Abbott sit down with Jeff Butler of Butler View Farms to hear about his journey in the dairy industry—from his early days in 4-H to his success with show cattle and his continued commitment to the future of dairy.

Jeff shares memorable experiences, the mentors who helped shape his career, and how technology like CowManager is influencing modern dairy practices. It’s a conversation about heritage, vision, innovation, and the importance of investing in the next generation of dairy farmers.

If you’re heading to World Dairy Expo 2026, this is a great episode to revisit as we get ready for another week of celebrating the people, cattle, and stories that make the dairy industry so special.00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene00:39 The Humble Beginnings of Showbox Stories02:19 Showbox Stories Series and Cow Manager Partnership03:37 Guest Introduction: Jeff Butler from Butlerview Farms05:15 Jeff Butler's Early Days and Mentors09:49 First Experiences at World Dairy Expo13:11 Building a Successful Show String19:44 The Role of Technology in Modern Dairy Farming22:51 International Intrigue Sale and Industry Impact28:13 Final Thoughts and ReflectionsThis series is brought to you by CowManager.CowManager delivers 24/7 real-time data to help producers enhance herd health, fertility and nutrition. To learn more, contact your CowManager Specialist at Select Sires or visit CowManager.com.Website: https://www.cowmanager.com/Contact: https://www.cowmanager.com/contact/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CowManagerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cowmanagers/#LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cowmanager-bv/posts/?feedView=allYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/cowmanager

377 | The Future of Holstein Genetics and Efficient Dairy Management with Seagull Bay Dairy and WinStar Genetics Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

What does the dairy cow of the future need to do better and what tools will help get her there?

Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen visits Seagull Bay Dairy in Idaho with brothers Greg and John Andersen to discuss how decades of genetics work shaped their multi-site operations and global influence through Seagull Bay and WinStar Genetics. The Andersens share the story behind Seagull Bay Dairy, the foundation cows and influential genetics that shaped their program. They also discuss how genomics has accelerated genetic progress and helped improve traits such as production, fertility, longevity, and calving ability.

Looking ahead, Greg and John discuss the future of dairy genetics, including their focus on polled genetics through Winstar Genetics and the traits they believe will become increasingly important: hoof health, calf health, mastitis resistance, longevity, and feed efficiency.

The conversation also dives into using cloud-based technology and real-time data to manage multiple dairy locations, improve feeding and reproduction decisions, and give their teams the information they need to operate with greater precision. For them, building a successful dairy isn't just about producing more, it's about continually improving, developing great people, and creating a family business built to last.

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.

02:09 Seagull Bay Day Origins

03:25 Growing Multi-Site Dairies

05:40 Holstein Versus Crossbreeding

13:27 Genomics Lessons Learned

15:49 Winstar Genetics Launch

17:22 Polled Breakthrough Mendel

22:53 Next Traits To Select

27:42 Cloud Feeding With ONEfeed

32:03 ONEanimal and Lely Integration

34:18 Robot Data Integration

35:56 Repro Reporting Upgrades

37:10 Tracking Repro Performance

37:49 New Repro KPI Goals

39:08 Breeding Strategy Mix

40:45 Staying Sustainable

43:38 People Over Technology

45:13 Culture And Expectations

46:44 Defining Success Metrics

50:18 Vision Mission Legacy

54:08 Passing On Values

376 | Stewardship in Action: Building a Dairy for the Next Generation Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

What does it really take to build a dairy that can thrive for generations?

In this episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen sits down with Mitch Perkins of Perkins Twin Creek Farm in Indiana, a third-generation family dairy milking 450 cows and farming 2,700 acres. Mitch shares what it means to step into a family legacy and make decisions that honor what previous generations built while preparing the farm for what comes next.

From investing in robotic milking technology to embracing high-oleic soybeans and creating new opportunities within their cropping operation, Mitch talks about approaching innovation through the lens of stewardship, profitability, and long-term sustainability. He also shares why knowing when to walk away from an opportunity can be just as important as knowing when to say yes.

At the heart of the conversation is a simple philosophy: do the little things right, and those things become the big things.

This episode is a thoughtful look at making intentional decisions, staying personally involved, and building a dairy that gives the next generation an opportunity to carry the legacy forward.

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 Legacy and Responsibility

02:03 Meet Perkins Twin Creek

03:24 Robots Plus Parlor

04:35 Lessons From Grandpa

07:05 Sustainability Equals Profit

09:19 High Oleic Breakthrough

11:52 Selling Beans to Dairies

14:08 Robots Decision Process

15:41 Saying No to Premium

17:55 Dairy Marketing and Health

23:16 Attracting Next Generation

25:09 Traditions and Diligence

375 | When the Farm Is Your 401(k): Can the Next Generation Afford Your Retirement? Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

On the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Pauly Paul of Complete Management Consulting discusses why many dairy transition plans fail financially even after legal ownership is transferred. As retiring owners depend on the farm as their “401(k)” through monthly, annual, or lump-sum buyouts, the same dairy must also support the next generation’s management, added labor layers, and new debt, often amid tight cash flow from low milk prices and weak cropping margins.

Pauly describes cases where payroll spikes from added middle management, outside partners gain cattle equity and can destabilize herd size, and families refinance and roll growing lines of credit into the farm, eroding equity and jeopardizing retiree payments. Key recommendations include knowing the financials, keeping retirees engaged through regular reviews, using objective third-party oversight, and holding quarterly multi-generation meetings to determine whether the business is building or consuming equity.

This Episode is brought to you by Complete Management Consulting
Learn more about Complete Management Consulting at:
www.CompleteManagementConsulting.com⁠⁠
completemanagementconsulting@gmail.com⁠
920-418-3135

00:00 Can the Farm Afford It

01:00 When Transitions Fail

02:23 Farm as Retirement Plan

03:33 Payroll and Debt Spiral

06:40 Why Calls Are Rising

09:22 Outside Equity Risks

12:51 Third Party Oversight

17:17 Know Your Numbers Now

19:25 Plan Ahead at 55

374 | 2026 Industry Person of the Year: Corey Geiger Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

In this special collaboration episode of World Dairy Expo’s The Dairy Show podcast and Uplevel Dairy, Peggy Coffeen interviews Cory Geiger, who was named World Dairy Expo’s 2026 Industry Person of the Year, about the experiences and mentors that shaped his career as a Hoard’s Dairyman editor, CoBank dairy economist, author, and youth mentor. Geiger recalls receiving the award call, his pivotal 1990 World Dairy Expo judging-team trip that solidified his passion, and early influences including his father’s lessons on money and genetics.

He describes his CoBank role spanning research, speaking, and client work, including efforts to quantify genetics’ economic value, shift milk metrics toward components, and model herd replacement amid beef-on-dairy. Geiger also recounts co-editing the 50th anniversary book We Need a Show, writing recognition scripts, and publishing award-winning books chronicling farm history, emphasizing mentorship, sparking youth interest, and being remembered for making people think and feel valued.

This episode has been brought to you in collaboration with World Dairy Expo and the Dairy Show Podcast. Save the dates for the 2026 World Dairy Expo taking place September 29 - October 2, 2026. Learn more at⁠ https://worlddairyexpo.com/⁠.

01:13 Servant Leadership Roots

03:19 The Award Phone Call

04:44 World Dairy Expo Spark

07:54 From Farm Kid to Economist

10:37 Mentors and Giving Back

13:50 CoBank Role and Research

18:46 We Need a Show Book

26:17 Writing Recognition Scripts

27:25 Becoming a Published Author

30:41 Legacy and Mentorship

373 | 2026 International Person of the Year: Robert Chicoine Aug 25, 2026

Show notes

Today, Peggy Coffeen interviews Robert Chicoine, World Dairy Expo’s 2026 International Person of the Year, in a collaboration with The Dairy Show. Chicoine recounts how a childhood fascination sparked by Holstein Canada’s journal led him from a dairy farm background to university, a summer at Quebec’s AI center, and a career developing a young sire proving program starting in 1966.

He describes advancing data-driven sire selection through herd-mate comparisons, selecting influential Holstein bulls including Hanoverhill Starbuck and Craiglen Sevens Senator, and helping form the Semex Alliance in 1997 to strengthen Canada’s global genetics reach. Chicoine reflects on major industry innovations—frozen semen, sexed semen, genomics, IVF, and embryo freezing—notes rapid genomic-era progress and concerns about inbreeding, and shares leadership lessons on foresight and building strong teams.

This episode has been brought to you in collaboration with World Dairy Expo and the Dairy Show Podcast.

Save the dates for the 2026 World Dairy Expo taking place September 29 - October 2, 2026.

Learn more at https://worlddairyexpo.com/.

01:10 Robert Reacts to Honor

02:02 Holstein Journal Origins

03:59 AI Center Breakthrough

06:36 Building Young Sire Program

08:49 Semex Alliance Vision

12:08 Finding Legendary Bulls

18:38 Tech That Changed Breeding

23:12 Leadership and Teamwork

26:35 Retirement and Future Concerns