Leadership
From genetics and marketing to policy and production, meet the four young professionals being added to the Dairy Hall of Fame for their transformative early-career impact.
A tech-forward Colorado dairy, a Wisconsin producer growing her farm and giving back to her community, and a nearly 30-year farm veteran show three sides of dairy leadership.
From affordable housing to citizenship ceremonies, discover how one of the nation’s largest dairy operations is using agricultural opportunity to build a new generation of American leaders.
People, insurance and having a plan in place are easy to overlook, but they can have a big impact when the unexpected happens.
A willingness to take risks, test new ideas and learn from failure can help farms keep improving and reach their goals.
From struggling through a difficult season, selling the herd or watching a loved one lose their ability to farm through dementia, farm loss can look different for every family.
A football coach and a farmer may seem worlds apart, but both teach the same lessons about showing up, caring for people and leaving something behind.
A farm’s future is stronger when the next generation has a voice in the dream.
After hardship reshaped their path, Dalton Farms built a business rooted in local food and the next generation.
When siblings build a farm together, the hardest decisions can come when their children, spouses and different visions for the future enter the picture.
Passing the farm to the next generation takes more than deciding who gets what. The right estate plan can help avoid family conflict, unexpected costs and headaches down the road.
At Riverview’s five-state dairy operation, ‘Be Kind’ isn’t just painted on the walls — it’s a safety protocol, a business strategy and the reason 26 interns came for the cows but stayed for the people.
As you move beyond sentiment to strategy, these financial stress tests and creative internal financing tools can help engineer a successful, bankable dairy farm transition.
As AI, land wars with tech giants and labor mandates redefine the industry, producers are trading the commodity mindset for high-stakes strategy.
The dairy farm fix-it man reveals what separates farms that survive financial pressure from those that don’t.
From new friendships to hands-on learning, a week of summer camp helps middle school students explore modern dairy farming, agriculture technology and the many career paths that keep the industry moving.
Finding skilled labor is a major challenge. But there are strategies farmers can use to make their operations more attractive workplaces, and it doesn’t necessarily require offering higher pay.
To stay competitive in the labor market, consider adding a strong paid time off policy to your farm as a way to support employees and improve retention.
In agriculture—and in football—it’s not what’s said that earns trust, but the consistency of the work you do when no one’s watching.
As dairy farms look for new ways to hire skilled managers, some are turning to TN visas to bring in trained talent and strengthen leadership across their teams.
Succession planning often gets pushed aside. But the decisions made in the next 90 days can shape ownership, leadership and the future of the operation.
Strong employees are not always strong managers, and the difference often comes down to whether they’ve been prepared to lead people, not just do the job.
From conferences to a quick word of appreciation, dairy producers are finding that investing in employees helps keep good people and strengthen teams.
As rural housing becomes harder to find, one Wisconsin dairy is building more than a workforce by providing homes for nearly all of its employees and helping families put down roots in the community.
After 10 years of growth and policy momentum, IDFA will begin a search for new leadership as Michael Dykes plans to retire in 2026.
When a good employee’s behavior changes, knowing how to respond can be challenging, especially when the right answer is not clear.
Keeping good employees is not always about pay. Trust, communication and everyday interactions play a bigger role in whether employees stay engaged and committed to their work.