Uplevel Dairy Podcast

Today on The Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen talks with Dr. Kady Bennett of United Vet Services (part of Heritage Vet Partners) about her unexpected path from an Illinois corn-and-soybean upbringing and an early photography major to large animal dairy practice in Wisconsin’s Northwoods.Dr. Bennett explains how starting as a kennel tech, then experiencing large animal work (including castrating bull calves) led her to switch to animal science and pursue vet school, with dairy research helping solidify her focus. She describes her passion for solving problems ... from casting a calf's broken jaw to uncovering protocol issues with lung ultrasound. Dr. Bennett is on a mission to be the best vet she can be, with the help of great mentors, fellow vets and supportive dairy farm clients.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.com01:34 From Photography To Cows04:31 Earning Trust On Farms08:45 Mentors And Backup10:15 Problem Solver Mindset11:22 Broken Jaw Calf Win13:21 Calf Lung Ultrasound Data17:16 Motivation And Relationships18:46 Stepping Up Consulting21:23 Advice For Future Vets23:30 Creativity And Baking

Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Manny Salcedo, founder of the Dairy Performance Network (DPN), discusses how modern dairy management has shifted from simply managing cows and people to managing overwhelming volumes of data from multiple on-farm systems. Drawing on his background working on dairies and later founding DPN, he explains their consulting work and its tools, including Ida, an AI-driven application that lets farmers ask questions about KPIs, health events, reproduction, and predictive culling. And find out what Manny believes it will take for today's dairy managers to turn information into action through the power of AI and automation.This episode is brought to you by the Dairy Performance Network (DPN).DPN - Connecting people, cows, and technology. Learn more at Dpnconnect.com & dairystash.com00:00 Data Driven Dairy01:48 What DPN Builds03:20 Too Much Data04:52 Ida AI Assistant06:02 From Dashboards to Actions07:18 Why Manny Built This11:38 Pilot Farms, Real Questions13:20 Voice Commands Automation17:42 Future Integration Wave20:19 Next Gen Manager Skills

Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy talks with veterans, Matt Taber, a retired Marine and co-owner of Donley Farms in Shoshone, Idaho, and Kelsey DeBoer, a former U.S. Army Reserve construction engineer and now senior marketing manager at Zoetis, about how military service shapes leadership and perspective.Kelsey explains Zoetis’ Patriots Pledge partnership with Folds of Honor, donating a percentage of sales from select products from Memorial Day through Veterans Day to fund scholarships for families of fallen or disabled service members, and also law enforcement and first responders.They both discuss teamwork, accountability and sacrifice as lessons applied to their respective dairy work today, as they also reflect with gratitude on their time in service and the powerful perspective that lives on through the way they lead.Zoetis’ Patriots’ Pledge program supports Folds of Honor. Folds of Honor is a non-profit organization that provides education scholarships for spouses and children of America’s fallen or injured service members and first responders. The Patriots’ Pledge program from Zoetis designates a portion of sales from select products between Memorial Day and Veterans Day each year. Learn more here:https://www.zoetisus.com/services-and-programs/patriots-pledge/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.⁠03:02 Meet Matt & Kelsey04:13 Matt Journey in the Marines05:48 Deployments and Iwo Jima07:26 Kelsey's Path in the Army Reserve 10:23 Dairy After Service15:20 Military Lessons in Dairy18:40 Accountability at Zoetis21:05 Deployment Perspective Shift23:30 First World vs Third World25:39 Advice to Younger Self28:26 What Service Really Means30:02 Brotherhood and Sacrifice36:37 Lessons to Live By

Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen interviews Greg Shoemaker, Cargill’s Commercial Director for North America Dairy Nutrition, about leading teams that support dairy producers through nutrition strategy, technology, and on-farm partnership across the US and Canada. Shoemaker shares how his path from rural Pennsylvania roots to a career as a US Army Ranger shaped his leadership approach today ensuring dairy farmers' success.Greg details the power of building trust, clarity and acting as a multiplier by removing barriers. He discusses learning from mistakes, investing in culture during normal times to withstand hard times, maintaining composure under stress, and adopting an “infinite game” mindset focused on long-term success in dairy.This episode is brought to you by Cargill Dairy Nutrition.No two dairies are alike, Cargill Dairy doesn’t expect them to be. When your dairy faces challenges, you need a partner with an original approach. Cargill has their own world-class research labs, developed their own proprietary nutrition software, and fostered an original team approach… all to deliver profitability on YOUR terms. Partner with a nutrition company as original as you are: cargillanimalnutrition.com/original02:31 Greg's Role at Cargill03:40 What Army Rangers Do05:08 From Military to Cargill07:16 Life in Dairy Consulting08:59 Mission and Values Leadership12:38 Building Culture and Trust15:49 Leading Under Pressure19:18 No Decision Is a Decision21:35 Infinite Game Mindset25:10 Better Questions Better Leadership26:20 Execute Iterate Lesson27:51 Vision for the Team29:11 Rallying Through Tough Times33:49 Morning Routine and Journals35:43 Nonnegotiables and Balance37:11 Hardest Leadership Lesson39:16 Purpose in Dairy Industry40:50 Rapid Fire Leadership Round47:18 Problem Solving and OODA Loop

At Central Plains Dairy Expo, Peggy Coffeen caught up with Ever.Ag risk advisor, Brandon Weigel, a Wisconsin farm-raised entrepreneur who started raising show pigs at 12 and later entered risk management through a 4-H club connection. Weigel explains his role managing grain sell-side risk, dairy feed buying risk, and beef-on-dairy price risk, contrasting grain cashflow-driven sales with year-round dairy feed purchasing. He discusses major industry shifts he has observed in his career thus far, including rapid growth in beef-on-dairy breeding and increased market volatility.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/.01:40 Farm Roots and Show Pigs03:44 Entrepreneurship at 1204:08 4-H Connection to Ever.Ag04:53 Job Shadow to Career07:10 Day to Day Risk Advisor08:39 Lessons and Mentors10:51 Grain vs. Feed Strategy11:41 Market Shifts and Volatility14:07 Emotion vs. Fundamentals15:50 2026 Outlook Beef and Feed18:20 Rapid Fire and Wrap Up