Leadership

A Place to Work and a Place to Live: How One Dairy Provides Housing for Nearly All of Its Employees

Fri, 15 May 2026 16:50:55 GMT

On dairy farms across the country, the labor challenge no longer stops at hiring. Producers are working to build operations where employees want to stay long term, raise families and create a life in rural communities.

But in some areas, one of the biggest obstacles has become housing. Affordable rentals are scarce and employees willing to work on farms often struggle to find a place to live nearby.

At Brey Cycle Farm in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., employee housing has become part of the long-term business strategy. What started with one farmhouse has grown into a network of homes, apartments and rentals that now house nearly the farm’s entire workforce.

“Providing housing has become a huge part of what we do,” says Moriah Brey, one of the farm’s four owners. “At the end of the day, farming is about people too. If I can help someone build a better life and give their family a safe place to call home, that’s incredibly rewarding for me.”

For the Breys, employee housing has become another part of running the dairy. Alongside managing cows, crops and employees, the family now manages a growing network of homes tied closely to the farm’s workforce.

(Brey Cycle Farm)

More Than a Place to Live

Brey and her family milk 1,500 cows, raise their own youngstock and operate a direct-to-consumer beef business. Along the way, they’ve also built an employee housing program that has become a central part of how the farm operates day to day and supports the people behind it.

“We have about 25 employees and we house 23 of them,” Brey explains. “Thirteen of them live with their families, and then 10 live as individual guys.”

To make that work, the farm owns 11 houses and rents another five. That’s 16 homes to manage alongside everything else the dairy requires.

“We joke that we’ve become a property management company,” Brey says with a laugh. “Honestly, we probably do need to hire someone for it. Managing all the houses and properties has become a big part of what we do.”

But behind the joke is a serious reality. Housing has become a big part of how they support and retain their workforce.

Why They Stepped into Housing

Brey Cycle Farm has had employee housing in some form for nearly two decades. But things really took off when the family began using the TN visa program to bring in workers from Mexico.

“As we started using the TN visa program, one of the requirements is that you provide housing,” Brey says. “That really got things going. We’ve always had one house on the farm that an employee has lived in. But as the farm has grown, the housing has grown with it.”

(Brey Cycle Farm)

Today, many of their employees came through that program, and most arrived alone at first.

“At first, when people come here through the TN visa program, they’re usually arriving on their own,” Brey explains. “In those first few weeks, they typically live in housing near the farm. Once their families join them, each family moves into their own house.”

Brey emphasizes the housing they provide is designed for privacy and stability, not shared living.

“We make sure the housing fits their situation,” she says. “Everyone has their own room, and when families arrive, we move them into a home of their own, whether that’s a house we own or one we rent.”

In Door County, where the farm sits, tourism drives up demand for rentals, and vacancy rates are low, leaving few affordable options close to work.

“Up here, it can be really difficult to find a place to stay,” Brey says. “We’re not close to an urban area, and Door County has about a 1.5% apartment vacancy rate. It’s extremely low, so finding housing is a real challenge and it’s part of why this has become so necessary.”

From Farmhouses to New Housing Options

Over time, the Breys have built a patchwork of housing. One recent addition came together in Sturgeon Bay, where they added a four-plex with four apartments and a shared outdoor space that has quickly become a gathering spot for employee families.

“It’s got four two-bedroom apartments in this really cute building with a big backyard where we’re going to put a swing set,” Brey says. “The group of employees who moved there were just so grateful. There are a few places where people naturally hang out, and this has become one of them. It really feels like a little family there.”

Brey Cycle Farm

(Brey Cycle Farm)

At another property, one employee now lives close enough that his children ride the same school bus as the Brey children.

“We moved this gentleman to a mobile home down the road from us,” Brey says. “So now his kids are on the same bus as my kids, and it’s just so cool.”

For the Breys, each home is more than just a property. It’s tied to the people who help run the farm and the relationships they’ve built over time.

Rent, Utilities and Expectations

Housing on the Brey farm is not free, but it comes at a reduced cost. The goal, Brey says, is to keep housing affordable while still asking employees to take care of where they live.

“We do charge rent, but it’s heavily subsidized,” Brey explains. “If you live as a family, you pay a little more. If you live as an individual, you pay a little less. But it’s still well below what a house would normally cost.”

The farm also covers many of the utilities in most homes, including heat, propane and internet. With that setup, expectations around upkeep become part of the day-to-day conversation. Small things like thermostats, trash and general housekeeping can add up quickly if they are not addressed early.

“Just assuming everyone is going to do things the way you would is not how it works,” Brey says. “Sometimes we go into a house and find the heat turned way up or a smoke detector unplugged.”

To stay ahead of those issues, the farm relies on frequent communication and simple reminders shared with employees to reinforce expectations around upkeep and utilities.

“We started putting reminders in their paychecks to keep things top of mind,” she explains.

(Brey Cycle Farm)

More recently, the farm has also adjusted how they handle some utility costs, including charging employees for a portion of electricity use tied to each home.

“We started charging for a portion of electricity use because it’s something we can track by house,” she says. “Other utilities are harder to separate out, so we still cover those.”

Even with those adjustments, Brey says the goal is not to police employees, but to create a system that is practical and easy to manage for everyone involved.

“These people are very capable,” Brey says. “It’s really just about making the system simple and workable for everyone.”

Spreadsheets, Clipboards and Managing the Homes

Managing 16 homes has added an entirely new layer to the dairy’s operation. Between utilities, maintenance, repairs and communication with employees, housing now requires regular organization and oversight.

“We have this huge spreadsheet,” Brey says. “Every house is different. One has forced air, another has a boiler and another has electric heat. We’re tracking things like smoke detectors, furnace filters, propane deliveries, utility bills and maintenance schedules. When you’re managing that many houses, there’s just a lot to keep organized and stay on top of.”

Much of the coordination happens through the farm office, where employees can report maintenance issues or ask questions about utilities and housing needs. The farm’s leadership team also meets regularly to review housing concerns and stay ahead of repairs and upkeep.

(Lori Hays)

“We meet at least once a month and go through everything,” Brey says. “We try to make sure something is always moving forward with the houses.”

Twice a year, the farm also does more formal walk throughs of the properties to check things like filters, smoke detectors and general maintenance.

“We try to go through every house a couple times a year and double check everything,” she says. “But honestly, we’re involved all the time because people call us whenever something comes up.”

Even with systems in place, Brey admits housing management is still a work in progress.

“I don’t know how we manage it sometimes, to be honest with you,” Brey laughs. “At some point, we’ll probably need someone dedicated to property management. So far, it’s worked, but we’re still figuring out the best way to organize everything.”

Culture, Not Just Housing

Ask Brey why employee turnover is so low, and she talks about relationships and the culture they have built on the farm.

“Culture is our game,” she says. “We try to be really responsive to what people need. They’re like our friends, truly.”

That mindset shapes everything from housing decisions to the way employees settle into life around the farm. Brey says many employees take pride in making the houses feel like home, whether that means planting a garden or raising chickens in the backyard.

“We call it their house, and they call it their house,” Brey says. “When people can really settle in and make it feel like home, that’s important to us.”

Employee Housing

(Lori Hays)

The housing program has also grown alongside the farm’s relationships through the TN visa program. Many employees arrived in the U.S. with agricultural degrees and strong experience working with livestock.

“They all have four-year degrees in an agricultural field,” Brey says. “We have veterinarians by trade working here. They really care about the animals and they care about the farm.”

Over time, many employees have taken on more responsibility throughout the operation, building careers and deeper connections to the dairy along the way. Stories like those are part of why housing feels bigger than just another employee benefit for the Breys.

“A lot of them have stories that most of us could never imagine,” Brey says. “It’s rewarding to know they have a safe place to live and that their families are doing well here.”

Advice for Other Producers

(Brey Cycle Farm)

Not every dairy will be able to provide employee housing on this scale. But as labor remains tight and affordable rural housing stays difficult to find, more farms are starting to think differently about what it takes to support and retain employees long term.

Brey says farms considering employee housing need to understand that it takes time, communication and a willingness to stay involved. Her advice centers on three things:

• Go in knowing it will take time and effort. “There’s pros and cons for sure,” Brey says. “It takes a lot of time, but it’s also a rewarding part of what you do. You can’t expect it to be maintenance free.”

• Treat employees like neighbors, not just workers. “The biggest thing is really getting to know people and their families,” she says. “We know the employees, we know their kids and we know what works best for each family. When you take the time to understand people and what they need, it changes the whole relationship.”

• Communicate expectations early and often. “Just assuming everyone is going to do things the way you would is not how it works,” Brey says. “Having conversations, sending reminders and putting expectations in writing is really important.”

For Brey, the housing program ultimately comes back to relationships and creating stability for the people who help keep the dairy running.

“This whole farm was built on relationships,” Brey says. “Relationships with employees, relationships with the community and relationships with the people who help us every day. That’s what makes everything work.”

She says some of the most rewarding moments come from seeing employees and their families truly settle into life around the farm, whether that means children riding the school bus together, families gathering outside after work or employees taking pride in a place that feels like home.

“If we can keep providing people with a safe and secure place to live, that’s probably all I could ever ask for,” she says. “We’re thankful for the people who work here, and they’ve become a really important part of our lives.”

A Decade at the Helm: IDFA CEO Michael Dykes to Retire in 2026

Fri, 15 May 2026 16:59:13 GMT

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) is preparing for a major leadership transition after President and CEO Michael Dykes, D.V.M., announced plans to retire at the end of 2026, closing out a decade at the helm of the organization.

The announcement sets in motion a formal succession process, with IDFA’s Executive Council officer group forming a committee to oversee the selection of the association’s next president and CEO. Dykes will remain in his role through Dec. 31, 2026, ensuring continuity as the organization navigates the transition.

“Michael has been a transformational leader for IDFA and for the U.S. dairy industry,” says Daragh Maccabee, chair of the IDFA Executive Council. “Over the past decade, he has strengthened IDFA’s credibility, expanded its influence, and helped position the association and the dairy industry for long-term success. Under his leadership, IDFA has built one of the strongest advocacy teams in Washington, strengthened its financial position, expanded industry engagement across the supply chain, and helped deliver extraordinary momentum for dairy both domestically and globally. The organization is exceptionally well positioned for the future.”

Dykes joined International Dairy Foods Association in 2017, stepping into the role at a time when the industry was facing big questions around policy, trade and consumer perception. Since then, he’s helped steer the organization through a period of steady growth and some of its most visible policy wins in recent years.

“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve America’s dairy industry and to lead this outstanding organization,” Dykes says. “Together, our members, board leaders, and talented team have strengthened dairy’s voice, expanded opportunities for our industry, and positioned dairy as an essential part of America’s future. I have never been more optimistic about the trajectory of the U.S. dairy industry or the strength of IDFA heading into the next decade.”

Under his leadership, IDFA expanded its membership and worked to better connect the full dairy supply chain under one umbrella, strengthening how the industry speaks on policy issues in Washington. That work helped elevate dairy’s role in nutrition policy, including recent federal dietary guidelines that reaffirmed dairy as a core food group and recognized dairy foods across fat levels as part of healthy dietary patterns.

The association also played a key role in advancing the bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which restored whole and reduced-fat milk options in schools and expanded choices for students and families.

On the trade side, Dykes pushed to strengthen U.S. dairy’s position in global markets, including through advisory roles with the Office of the United States Trade Representative and the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee. Those efforts have been part of a broader push to keep U.S. dairy competitive internationally.

More recently, he helped launch the IDFA Foundation in 2022 and expanded nutrition incentive programs tied to SNAP, aimed at improving access to dairy as an affordable, nutrient-dense food.

His tenure also included leading through major disruptions, including the COVID-19 pandemic, when dairy plants were deemed essential infrastructure to keep food moving, and during Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza outbreaks, when the industry worked closely with government to maintain confidence in dairy safety and supply chains.

Dykes will stay on through the end of 2026 as the search for his successor moves forward.

When Good Employees Create Hard Decisions

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 19:41:08 GMT

You notice a good employee starting to show up late a few mornings in a row, or someone who is usually steady seems distracted and not quite themselves. Nothing is clearly wrong, but enough has changed that you know something is going on, and you’re not sure what to do next.

Do you have a conversation with them?
Do you start handing out consequences?
Or is this something more serious that could eventually lead to letting them go?

This is the kind of situation management coach Don Taylor calls an ethical dilemma.

“An ethical dilemma is when you’re trying to make a call between two or more options, and none of them feel clearly right or clearly wrong from an ethics standpoint,” Taylor said during a Professional Dairy Producers podcast.

This is not a black-and-white situation. Taylor notes that when someone clearly crosses the line, the decision is usually straightforward.

“There are some situations where someone clearly crosses the line, and we know right away it’s an immediate termination,” Taylor says. “Those cases are straightforward. That’s not what we’re talking about here.”

More often, these situations involve good employees when something in their life changes and it is not clear what is going on or how to respond. In those moments, farm leaders are balancing two things: supporting the person while protecting the operation.

Recognize When Something is Off

The first step is recognizing you are dealing with an ethical dilemma in the first place. In many cases, it starts with a gut check.

“Sometimes it’s just a gut feeling that something is off. It doesn’t feel right, and it’s not what you expect from that person,” Taylor says. “In those moments, it really tests your judgment and how you handle people.”

When something does not fit normal patterns or expectations, it usually means you need to pause and get more information before making a decision.

Focus on Facts, Not Assumptions

Once a concern is identified, it’s time to gather information. This starts with making sure decisions are not driven by bias or incomplete observations.

“We want to make sure personal blind spots or biases are not getting in the way. The goal is to gather as much accurate information as we can,” Taylor says.

This often means separating what is known from what is assumed and keeping conversations focused on what can be seen or verified, not opinions.

“We’re going to focus on the facts. If someone starts adding opinions, we’ll steer the conversation back to what we actually know,” Taylor says.

Listen Before Deciding

After information is gathered, the next step is to continue the conversation with the employee.

“Tell your employee, ‘I’m just curious, can you share anything else with me about what’s going on? Whatever is going on in your life is affecting your work, and I have an obligation to understand what that is,” Taylor says.

He emphasizes that in many of these situations, there is often more going on than what you see at first. Taking the time to listen helps you understand the full picture. That way, you are making a decision based on what is really happening, not just what it looks like on the surface.

“When we’re actively listening, we are taking ourselves completely out of the equation,” Taylor says. “All that we’re doing is processing information.”

Use Policy as a Guide

After understanding the situation, leaders should review company policies and past practices. Consistency is important, but rigid rules do not always account for real life circumstances.

Taylor cautions against overly strict approaches in areas where situations can vary significantly.

“I’m not a big fan of zero tolerance policies for this exact reason. If it’s zero tolerance, it’s zero tolerance,” Taylor says.

Instead, he recommends building in room for judgment.

“Unique situations should be handled on a case-by-case basis by the owner,” Taylor says.

That flexibility allows leaders to respond fairly while still staying aligned with the operation’s expectations.

Think Through the Options

With the facts and policies in mind, the next step is to step back and look at your options. Taylor refers to this as using “moral imagination.”

“We have to be creative, thinking up alternative options that are based on our core values, that are based on what we feel is simply the best thing to do in this situation,” Taylor says.

In practice, this means not jumping to the first or easiest answer. It might not be as simple as discipline or doing nothing. There may be a middle ground, like adjusting schedules, setting clear expectations, or putting a short-term plan in place while you learn more.

It also means thinking through how each option affects the rest of the team. Will others see the decision as fair? Will it create more work or tension? At the same time, consider what the employee needs and whether the decision gives them a realistic chance to improve.

At the end of the day, you need to pick an option you can stand behind. One that fits how you run your operation and how you expect people to be treated every day.

If You Miss it, Adjust

Not every situation is going to be handled perfectly, and that is part of working through these kinds of decisions. Taylor says what matters is being willing to look back, learn from it and make adjustments going forward.

“We own it. It’s our responsibility. We made the decision we admit that we could have done better,” Taylor says.

In the end, these situations come down to how you lead people day to day. Taking the time to understand what is going on, working through your options and being willing to adjust when needed helps build trust with your team and keeps the operation moving forward.

10 Leadership Habits That Make Employees Want to Stay

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:01:33 GMT

Hiring good employees is only half the battle. Keeping them engaged, motivated and committed to the job often depends on the relationship they have with their employer. Pay matters, but day-to-day interactions, clear communication and trust can have just as much influence on whether employees stay and perform at a high level.

Management and leadership expert Bob Milligan says supervisors who focus on strengthening relationships with their teams often see gains in productivity, motivation and long-term employee retention.

“We focus on improving our relationship and mutual trust with family and friends,” Milligan says. “It is easy to forget that the supervisor-employee relationship is also an interpersonal relationship.”

He outlines 10 practical strategies farm leaders can use to build stronger, more effective workplaces.

1. Practice Active Listening

When people think about communication, they often think about speaking. Milligan says listening is just as important, particularly for employers.

“Active listening means you are listening with all your senses,” he explains. “You are listening to understand both the message that is being delivered and the underlying emotions.”

Because farm leaders hold a position of authority, employees may hesitate to speak openly. Failing to listen can send the message that their input is not valued.

2. Ask Questions

Employees are more likely to share ideas and concerns when they are invited into the conversation.

“The best way to involve them is to ask questions,” Milligan says.

Two simple questions he recommends asking regularly are: ‘What is going well?’ and ‘What could be going better?’

These prompts help employees reflect on their work and provide constructive feedback.

3. Encourage Employees to Share More

Even when employees begin sharing their thoughts, they may stop before fully explaining their perspective.

“To be certain you have everything, ask ‘tell me more’ or another variation ‘and what else,’” Milligan explains. “I have found this question almost always yields additional valuable information.”

This approach signals genuine interest and helps managers better understand the full situation.

4. Circle Back After Important Conversations

After meaningful or emotional discussions, a quick follow-up can reinforce trust.

“In these situations, it is good to circle back in a day or two to check in,” Milligan says.

The purpose isn’t to restart the conversation but to see if the employee has additional thoughts or unresolved concerns.

5. Strengthen Employee Decision-Making

When employees ask how to complete a task, supervisors often provide a quick answer. Milligan suggests using these moments as opportunities for development.

Ask the employee how they would handle the situation.

“You are providing an opportunity to think, which improves decision making,” he says. “The other big advantage is that next time the employee may not have to come to you.”

6. Introduce New Responsibilities in Small Steps

Employees often want to grow in their roles but may hesitate to take on more responsibility because they fear failure.

“Research into human behavior shows that part of human nature is to grow,” Milligan explains.

To reduce that fear, he recommends introducing new responsibilities gradually.

“You cannot get to Z without going through A, B, C, D, E, and F,” he says.

Breaking responsibilities into manageable steps allows employees to build confidence as they develop new skills.

7. Be Transparent About Follow-up

Some supervisors avoid checking in after training or feedback because they worry it will feel like micromanaging. Milligan recommends setting expectations ahead of time.

“To avoid this concern, inform the employee in advance that you will be following up to answer questions or provide anything else they need,” he says.

When employees expect follow-up, it becomes a supportive step rather than unwanted oversight.

8. Set Clear Expectations

Unclear expectations can quickly create frustration and damage trust.

“Think about a time when you were unclear about what was being expected of you,” Milligan says. “I suspect you were frustrated and potentially lost trust with the person not providing clarity.”

Clearly outlining expectations for behavior and performance helps employees understand their roles and responsibilities.

9. Provide Quality Feedback

Effective supervisors use three types of feedback: positive, redirection and negative.

“High quality, specific positive feedback enhances the employee’s confidence and desire to continue to excel,” Milligan explains.

Redirection feedback helps employees learn and improve, while negative feedback should be used sparingly and framed around choices and consequences rather than reprimands.

10. Lead by Example

The final tip focuses on actions rather than words.

“It is crucial that you ‘practice what you preach’ or ‘walk the talk,’” Milligan says.

When leaders fail to follow the same expectations they set for employees, trust erodes quickly. Modeling the behaviors you expect reinforces credibility and strengthens the workplace culture.

Together, these strategies highlight how everyday leadership habits can shape workplace relationships. By listening carefully, communicating clearly and modeling strong behavior, supervisors can create environments where employees feel respected, supported and motivated to perform their best.

Valuable Tips to Build a World-Class Dairy Workforce

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:14:24 GMT

In the dairy industry, the conversation around labor has shifted. It is no longer enough to simply find a milker to fill a shift. As dairies grow in scale and complexity, the focus has moved toward organizational development, cultural transformation and the science of human behavior.

At the High Plains Dairy Conference in Amarillo, Texas, in a panel moderated by Ryan DeWit of Twin Circle Dairy, three experts — Jorge Delgado, Jorge M. Estrada, and Tom Wall — shared a blueprint for moving a workforce from basic hiring to high-performance results.

The Foundation of “Why": Relevancy and Understanding

Delgado with Alltech kicked off the discussion by addressing the psychology of the dairy worker. He argues effective training is built on three pillars:

Relevancy
No Anonymity
Measurement

According to Delgado, the most powerful tool in a manager’s arsenal is the answer to one question: “Why do you do what you do?” For the vast majority of dairy workers, the answer is familia. When training is framed as a way to protect the farm’s success — and by extension, the worker’s ability to provide for their family — the relevancy of a milking protocol or a biosecurity measure skyrockets.

Delgado also emphasizes the need for no anonymity. High-performance teams are built when every member participates and feels seen. To move from participation to true understanding, Delgado uses visual and tactile tools, such as 3D models of udders and biological cells, to show workers the unseen impact of their actions. This is supported by modern technology, such as QR-code-based training modules (Knowby) and bilingual on-farm support posters that provide five-step rules for everything from cow movement to calving protocols.

The Systems Approach: Organizational Development

While Delgado focuses on the individual worker, Estrada of Leadership Coaching International takes a large systems view of the dairy. Estrada’s approach to organizational development is a structured, six-month journey designed to move a dairy from its current state to a desired state.

“Organizational transformation isn’t an event; it’s a process,” Estrada notes.

His model begins with a deep needs assessment and a culture/leadership audit. From there, he designs interventions that include on-site practice, dialogic approaches and intensive executive coaching.

The goal is to increase awareness of how behavior impacts the bottom line. By the end of the six-month program, the dairy should see observable changes in behavior and a new culture where leadership and transformation are integrated into the daily routine. Estrada’s message to owners was clear: if you want high-performance results, you must first design an organization capable of producing them.

The Coach’s Playbook: COR-4 and the Results Pyramid

Wall, known as “The Dairy Coach” and founder of PeopleCor, brought the panel home with a focus on the mechanics of management. Wall’s philosophy is centered on the COR-4 model:

Clarify
Communicate
Connect
Recognize

Wall argues many labor problems are actually clarity problems. If an employee doesn’t know exactly what is expected of them, they cannot be held accountable. This led to his results pyramid model.

At the base of the pyramid are the three essentials: clarity, discipline, and accountability. These three foundations support the development of habits. Once the right habits are ingrained in the workforce, the results follow naturally at the top of the pyramid.

Wall’s approach emphasizes that management is a daily discipline. Connect refers to the relationship between the manager and the worker, while recognize ensures high performance is incentivized and rewarded. Without the base of the pyramid — clarity — the habits will be inconsistent, and the results will be mediocre.

The consensus of the panel was that the high performance dairy of the future is one that treats people as its most valuable asset. By combining Delgado’s focus on the why and visual learning, Estrada’s systematic organizational design and Wall’s disciplined management playbook, producers can build a workforce that is not only efficient but deeply resilient.

As DeWit concluded, moving from hiring to high performance requires a shift in mindset. It’s about moving away from managing tasks and toward leading people.

Beyond the Blame Game: Navigate the Mental Toll of Modern Ag

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:55:10 GMT

When market pressures mount, it is easy to succumb to the “blame game.” Yet, the most resilient operations are those that anchor themselves in a mission larger than the current balance sheet. For leaders like James Burgum and Lamar Steiger, coping with stress isn’t just about managing the books, it’s about managing the mindset.

The Many Hats of the Modern Producer

James Burgum, CEO of The Arthur Companies, believes the first step in managing stress is acknowledging the sheer weight of the roles farmers play.

“One of the things I did when I stepped into my role is an exercise where I said to our team, ‘Help me understand all the hats on the farm – farmworker, agronomist, grain merchandiser, mechanic, truck driver, snow removal lead, banker, economist,’” Burgum said during a discussion at Top Producer Summit. “You start to go down the list, and its dozens and dozens of roles that an individual farmer plays.”

By recognizing the complexity of these roles, Burgum argues that producers can move toward servant leadership—prioritizing the team’s needs.

“There are things that are much more important and much bigger than the challenges we’re wrestling with on the job every day,” Burgum says. “It’s hard to juggle all the balls, but at the end of the day, we want everyone on our team to make sure they get home at night and be there for their families.”

Choosing Abundance Over Scarcity

Lamar Steiger, owner of The 808 Ranch, learned about stress through the lens of his father, a man who seemed to face every possible setback: health crises, financial downturns and missed market peaks.

The farm struggled during times of high interest rates in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s and his father was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, Guillain-Barre, that left him paralyzed for six months.

Still, his dad always had an attitude of abundance, not scarcity, Steiger says.

“With my brothers holding other obligations, I was left to milk the cows,” Steiger says. “We were so far behind, and all my dad would say is, ‘It could be worse.’”

Breaking the Silence

Eventually, his family lost the dairy. After hitting rock bottom and battling depression , Steiger realized that the “tough it out” mentality was a liability, not an asset.

“When the stresses pile up, you’ve got to find help,” Steiger says. “I wasn’t ‘man enough’ to step up and say, ‘Hey, something’s wrong here.’ I should have said, ‘Time out—this is not working.’”

Steiger’s advice for those feeling the weight of the current market is simple: Find your “who.” Whether it is a spouse, a neighbor or a professional, talking through the stress is the only way to separate your self-worth from the volatility of the markets.

“In agriculture, we’re so reliant on outside forces,” Steiger says. “You’ve got to have an attitude that it’s going to work out. As my Dad would say, ‘Well, we never missed a meal.’ That was his bottom line for ‘It’s okay.’”

From Constraints to Catalysts: How Ag Leaders Turn Hardships into Strategy

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:19:04 GMT

In an industry defined by “one-year-at-a-time” cycles, the greatest threat to a growing operation isn’t just a market downturn—it’s the inertia that comes with size. Farm Journal CEO Prescott Shibles argues that long-term survival requires a rare blend of faith and agility. To maintain an entrepreneurial mindset, leaders must lean into “conviction” as the core of a strategy that survives the lows.

Here is how four industry leaders are turning today’s constraints into tomorrow’s differentiators.

1. Build when times are hard.

When Brent Smith, president and CEO of NewLeaf Symbiotics, joined the company in 2023, the grain market was entering a significant down cycle. While some saw a risky time to lead a startup, he saw an opportunity.

“I learned in my first startup that the best time to build a business is in hard times,” Smith said said during a discussion at Top Producer Summit. “Because if you can’t withstand tough times, you’re not going to survive long term.”

For Smith, survival meant doubling down on the company’s core: science. Despite the pressure to cut costs, NewLeaf continues to spend half of its operating expenses on science.

“It would be very easy to peel that back,” he admits. “But we focused on projects that make the most impact the quickest, while keeping an eye on the long-term innovation in our pipeline.”

2. Control what you can control.

Farmers face the ultimate constraint every year: the weather. Scott Beck, president of Beck’s Hybrids, recalls the planting crisis of 2019 when constant rains kept tractors out of the fields well into May.

“I was concerned for our customers not being able to plant, but also for us not being able to plant our seed for the next year,” Beck says. “There was nothing that we could do to control the weather, but we could control how we interacted with our customers.”

Rather than retreating, the Beck’s team focused on transparency and empathy, using video series to connect with farmers and even forming small groups for prayer and support. Ultimately, they wanted farmers to know they cared and were there to support them however they could.

Despite the financial reality of what could happen if farmers didn’t plant and returned seed, Beck’s decided their course of action would not include employee layoffs. Instead, they prepared to sell land to protect their people.

“Fortunately, the weather broke and everybody was able to get planted,” he says. “Then the second miracle happened. We had the second warmest September on record, and that’s what brought the crop through to enable 2019 to not turn out as bad as it started.”

3. Turn disadvantages into advantages.

In 2014, Lamar Steiger, owner of The 808 Ranch, was tasked with a monumental challenge: helping Walmart reinvent its beef supply chain. At the time, the retail giant was at a disadvantage, forced to accept whatever the major meatpackers provided.

Steiger’s strategy was to turn that lack of control into a new kind of independence.

“I convinced the Walmart team to go around the traditional supply chain,” Steiger says. Today, Walmart sources 28% of its beef from its own “farm-to-table” supply chain.

There’s no question that decision was really good for Walmart. But Steiger says it was also really good for him personally.

“It reminded me that no matter how big you are, there are always challenges,” he says.

4. Create “white space” for the future.

When the day-to-day tasks of an operation become overwhelming, long-term strategy is often the first thing to go. James Burgum, CEO of The Arthur Companies, believes leaders must intentionally carve out “white space” for their teams.

“It’s important to find ways where people can actually spend their time working on the business, not just in the business,” he says.

By protecting time for team members to execute ideas that are three to five years out, Burgum manages the tension between short-term urgency and long-term viability.

“It’s hard to step away from the daily fires you’ll face in your operation, but it’s important,” he adds. “How we manage that tension of short term and long term is creating that white space and making sure that we consciously work on the business.

The Long Game

Ultimately, resilience in agriculture is about knowing when to push and when to pivot.

“You have to know when to put the gas down, and you need to know when to tap the brake,” Smith says. “And regardless of what you are doing, you need to stay focused on what you’re doing.”

Whether it is investing in science during a downturn or choosing customer empathy over the bottom line, these leaders say constraints don’t have to be roadblocks; they can be the very catalysts that drive an operation forward.

The CEO Mindset: Leadership, Culture and the Metrics of Success

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:34:13 GMT

In the modern dairy industry, the line between a farmer and a corporate executive has all but vanished. For top-performing producers like Greg Bethard of High Plains Ponderosa Dairy, Plains, Kan.; TJ Tuls of Tuls Dairy in Rising City, Neb.; and Hank Hafliger of Cedar Ridge Dairy in Filer, Idaho, success is no longer defined solely by the bulk tank. Instead, it is built on a foundation of sophisticated leadership, intentional culture and a relentless focus on specific business metrics.

Leadership Through Culture

For these three producers, the most critical input on the dairy isn’t feed or fuel — it’s people. In an era of labor volatility, they have shifted their focus from merely hiring hands to cultivating a professional culture.

Greg Bethard, who transitioned from a career in consulting to becoming a dairy producer later in life, views culture as the ultimate stabilizer.

“It’s about creating an environment where we treat people well and offer stability,” Bethard says. He notes for many employees, a consistent paycheck and a respectful workplace are more valuable than a high-stress environment with slightly higher pay.

TJ Tuls, a fourth-generation dairyman, takes this a step further by focusing on the power of moments. He emphasizes the first day, week and month of an employee’s tenure are critical. Tuls uses a two-person interview process to ensure every new hire fits the core values of the team.

“People want to be seen, heard and know that someone cares,” Tuls explains. This focus on retention directly impacts the bottom line. Lower turnover leads to better animal welfare and higher production.

KPIs: Beyond the Milk Check

While every dairy tracks production, these leaders have identified specific key performance indicators (KPIs) that serve as early warning systems for their businesses.

Break-Even Milk Price: For Bethard, this is the ultimate metric. “From an overall business standpoint, we are just trying to lower our break-even. If we achieve that, nothing else matters much,” he notes.
Static Variable Margin: Bethard also tracks a daily margin — income over feed cost minus variable costs — to ensure the barn is generating enough cash to cover fixed costs like depreciation and interest.
Employee Turnover & Feed Efficiency: Tuls monitors these two metrics above all else. By tracking a 26-metric scorecard every week with site managers, he can identify a six-week trend and make adjustments before a small issue becomes a crisis.
Collaborative Management: Hank Hafliger, who manages a multi-partner family operation in Idaho, credits their success to a unified management structure. By running three dairies as a single unit with specialized partners (nutrition, farming and banking), they eliminate the internal competition that often plagues family businesses.

The Cost of Tuition

Leadership also means owning mistakes. Each producer speaks of hard-knock lessons that shaped their current success. Tuls recalled a $600,000 repair bill on a separator building he had neglected to monitor closely as a young manager — a mistake his father famously called “tuition.” Bethard spoke of the “tail-kicking” he received during his first expansion in 2018. The takeaway for all three was the same: In dairy, education is never free, and the most valuable lessons usually come from the most expensive mistakes.

Ultimately, the CEO mindset demonstrated by Bethard, Tuls and Hafliger is more than a management style; it is a survival strategy for a volatile global market. By shifting the focus from the barn to the boardroom, these producers are proving the future of dairy belongs to those who prioritize cultural stability, rigorous data analysis and the humility to learn from costly tuition. As the industry moves forward, their success serves as a blueprint for the next generation of dairy executives — proving that while the cows provide the milk, it is the systems, the people and the leadership that truly sustain the operation.

The Infinite Business Model: Strategic Ownership and the Future of Dairy Expansion

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 13:03:09 GMT

In the high-stakes world of dairy expansion, the most critical decision a producer makes isn’t which parlor to build or which cows to buy; it’s how they structure the business for the next 50 years.

During a recent panel at the Milk Business Conference, Greg Bethard of High Plains Ponderosa Dairy, TJ Tuls of Tuls Dairy and Hank Hafliger of Cedar Ridge Dairy shared a candid look at the infinite business model and why they are choosing strategic partnerships over private equity.

Partners Versus Investors

As dairies grow in scale, the need for capital often brings outside investors to the table. However, Greg Bethard is wary of the traditional private-equity model. For Bethard, the dairy business is a multigenerational marathon, while private equity is often a sprint toward a five-year exit.

“Our model has been taking on partners as we grow to provide capital, but we’ve elected not to go with private equity,” he explains. “Private equity typically wants to get out in five to seven years. We use an infinite business model; we want to be here in 40 or 50 years. We are looking for partners, not investors.”

This philosophy ensures every stakeholder is aligned with the long-term health of the operation rather than short-term dividends. By seeking out partners who already have successful track records in agribusiness, these producers ensure their backers understand the inherent volatility and biological timelines of the dairy industry.

The Tuition of Failure

Success in the dairy industry is rarely a straight line. Each panelist noted their most valuable insights came from expensive, “hard-knock” lessons — what Tuls’ father famously called “tuition.”

Tuls recalls a pivotal moment as a young manager in Wisconsin when he neglected to closely monitor a new separator building. Four years later, the oversight resulted in a $600,000 refit bill.

“My dad just looked at me and said, ‘That’s the tuition I’m going to have to pay for you. We won’t make that mistake again,’” he says.

Bethard shares a similar sentiment regarding the steep learning curve of expansion. After “getting his tail kicked” during his first expansion in 2018, he realized that persistence is the only way through the struggle. He points to the importance of time spent in the trenches to achieve operational mastery.

“We have our 10,000 hours of experience now,” Bethard says, referencing the mastery concept popularized by Malcolm Gladwell. “We’re going to screw stuff up. There are going to be bad days. There’s going to be stuff that doesn’t work right. But we just keep going at it, and we’ll get it figured out.”

Strategic Location: The New Map

If these producers were to build a brand-new dairy in the next five to 10 years, their criteria for where that would be has fundamentally changed. The days of building a dairy and waiting for a processor to knock on the door are over.

“You have to have a contract before you can even build now,” Bethard notes. Beyond the milk market, his checklist for a new location is focused on risk mitigation: “I’d choose a place with low environmental risk and a place without a lot of people.”

Tuls’ answer is even more direct: “Close to a milk plant.” As transportation costs and regional milk marketing orders become more complex, the proximity to processing is the ultimate hedge against logistics volatility.

The Next Generation

For Hafliger, the infinite nature of the business is personified by his family. With 16 grandchildren, some of whom are already starting to count cows, the focus is on creating a viable structure they can inherit.

Hafliger’s best strategic move was moving to Idaho and partnering with his son and sons-in-law to run three dairies as a single, unified unit.

“By running them as one, we don’t have that ‘my dairy is doing better than yours’ conflict,” Hafliger says. “It’s about maturity, learning to relax and let things happen rather than trying to force them. That makes the business much more rewarding.”

The infinite business model isn’t just about milk production; it’s about the endurance of the ag-entrepreneur. By avoiding the short-term pressures of private equity, embracing the costly “tuition” of their mistakes and strategically positioning themselves near processing hubs, these producers are ensuring that their operations are built to last for the next half-century.

Check In on Your Health Before It Checks Out

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 22:05:31 GMT

Long hours, unpredictable schedules and physically demanding work mean farmers and ranchers often put their own health last. Erin Martinez, a Kansas State University expert in adult development and aging, says it doesn’t have to be that way. A simple annual medical exam can help catch problems before they get out of hand.

“Farmers and ranchers are very good at taking care of their livestock and land, but they sometimes forget to take care of themselves,” Martinez says. “A yearly checkup is an important step in catching potential health concerns early.”

Why Preventive Care Matters
Farming is physically demanding and unpredictable. Long hours and seasonal peaks make it easy to push doctor visits aside. But routine exams allow healthcare providers to monitor important measures like blood pressure, cholesterol and other warning signs to catch potential health issues before they become serious.

“Preventive care lets providers look at the full picture of someone’s health,” Martinez says. “When we see patients regularly, we can identify changes sooner and address them before they become bigger issues.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, farmers and ranchers face higher rates of heart disease, high blood pressure and musculoskeletal injuries compared with the general population.

Take Action Before Things Get Busier

Martinez encourages producers to schedule checkups before the busy season begins. Planting, harvest and livestock seasonality can quickly push personal healthcare to the bottom of the to-do list.

“Taking the time for a yearly checkup is just like investing in your farm,” she says. “Catching potential health concerns early keeps you able to manage your operation and reduces the risk of bigger problems later.”

Routine exams also give farmers a chance to address mental health. Farming can be isolating, and stress, anxiety and depression are common in rural communities. A healthcare visit allows producers to check in on both physical and mental well-being.

Practical Tips

Taking care of yourself should be just as important as taking care of the farm. Planning ahead and making routine health care a habit helps prevent small issues from turning into bigger problems. Martinez offers a few practical ways for producers to stay on top of their health:

Schedule appointments during slower times of the year.
Ask about screenings, vaccinations, and preventive care.
Keep a record of blood pressure, cholesterol, and other key health metrics.
Involve family members to make regular checkups part of farm life.

“Farmers are usually the last ones to put themselves on the calendar,” Martinez says. “But staying on top of your health before things get busy can prevent problems that are harder to manage later.”

A Legacy of Strategic Strength: Barbara O’Brien Announces Retirement from Dairy Management Inc.

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 16:42:51 GMT

After a career defined by strategic transformation and a relentless focus on the U.S. dairy farmer, Barbara O’Brien, president and CEO of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, has announced she will retire at the conclusion of her five-year term this fall.

O’Brien’s tenure, which began with a unanimous board appointment in October 2021, has been marked by a shift toward unified action. Under her leadership, the dairy checkoff evolved from a collection of individual efforts into a synchronized powerhouse, aligning domestic marketing, nutrition science and global exports under a singular vision.

A Deliberate Departure

True to her reputation for meticulous planning, O’Brien emphasizes her retirement is not an ending, but a handoff from a position of organizational health.

“As we looked ahead, we knew this is the right and responsible time to give the organization ample runway for a well-managed transition as the DMI board and search committee plan from a position of strength,” O’Brien said.

This sentiment echoes her long-standing philosophy on leadership. In previous discussions regarding the industry’s future, O’Brien has often noted “the strength of the checkoff lies in its ability to adapt before the market demands it.” By initiating this transition now, she ensures the momentum of the current three-year unified plan remains undisturbed.

Driving Measurable Impact

O’Brien’s impact is perhaps most visible through her work with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. She successfully bridged the gap between the farm gate and the corporate boardroom, bringing together 28 dairy companies to collaborate on precompetitive initiatives. A hallmark of her leadership was the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment, which has now been adopted by 39 companies representing 77% of U.S. milk production.

Marilyn Hershey, a Pennsylvania dairy farmer and chair of DMI, says O’Brien’s ability to unite the value chain has been pivotal.

“Barbara has led the dairy checkoff with vision, integrity and a relentless focus on results for dairy farmers,” Hershey says. “Her ability to unite organizations, strengthen partnerships and build momentum around a clear strategy has positioned the checkoff and the broader dairy community for continued success.”

The Mission Remains

While the leadership may change, O’Brien is adamant the trajectory of the organization is set. She has spent the last several years building a deep bench of talent within the staff and fostering the next generation of dairy farmer leaders to ensure the work continues.

“I want to be very clear: our work does not slow down, shift or lose focus,” O’Brien says. “The mission does not change. The priorities remain clear. And the work continues without interruption.”

As the DMI board begins its search for a successor, O’Brien will continue to lead through the fall, ensuring the transition is as seamless as the strategic alignment she spent her career building.

Leadership Is Costing You More Than You Think

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 15:04:55 GMT

When deciding how to make ranches more profitable, there is often one overlooked area of improvement — leadership. Strong leadership on ranches impacts profitability through improved employee retention, continued learning and more confident decision-making. Tom and Terryn Drieling are true examples of how investing in leadership builds a more profitable ranch and an enjoyable lifestyle.

“I think it’s our role as ranch managers to provide an opportunity for the next generation. It’s our responsibility for everybody to have an opportunity regardless of what their background is,” explains Tom.

He has managed a unit of a ranch in the Nebraska Sandhills for more than 10 years, and Terryn works as seasonal help in addition to operating her own business, which helps people in rural communities improve their own lifestyles and leadership skills.

“I think that having good leadership is so important because it kind of sets the tone for the rest of the crew,” says Terryn. “If you have somebody in the leadership role that can create a good work environment and bring everybody together, you’re going to have a more enjoyable workplace and improved production and efficiency.”

Tom has been very intentional about improving his own leadership skills, and the results are clear to both his crew and general manager.

He shares, “The work I was doing for myself was extravagant enough that my boss saw it. We saw that in profitability, the motivation of our guys, the production of our herds and the way we interacted with the other units.”

He is a big believer in utilizing continuing education opportunities to improve leadership, but making the decision to do introspective leadership work is what has made the biggest difference.

“When we first started here and Tom took over the unit manager position, there was definitely some communication hangups,” shares Terryn. “But over the years, Tom has really done a great job of being introspective and doing some inner work, and learning different ways to communicate with people.”

He spent time learning not only which communication styles work best for him but also those he works with on the ranch.

She says, “Watching that transformation has been really cool…the culture has shifted and now everyone else is starting to do the work too. It’s fun when we crew up.”

While impactful, this wasn’t an overnight shift. It took time and lots of effort.

Tom says, “Now I’m kind of working on my tone and my delivery when I communicate, and I’m not going to lie to you, it’s taken time, it’s taken a ton of work.”

Improving leadership on operations starts with you and doing a self-audit of sorts.

“In stockmanship, the first thing that we need to have to handle our cattle in a low-stress manner is self-awareness. We need to be aware of our energy and what that is conveying to our animals,” explains Terryn. “The second thing is social awareness. We need to be aware of what our animals are telling us. And animals are really good at reflecting things back to us…start there.”

Animals can tell you if you came into a situation with big energy, angry, anxious or calm.

Terryn says, “And then you can take it back to your human-to-human interactions and you can see how people respond to you and reflect back and see what’s going on inside of you and use that as information to improve your own leadership.”

During this process, it’s important to remember that nobody gets it right all the time. We are humans.

“You’re not going to have perfect communication all the time. What’s important is repair,” says Terryn. “If you come into a situation and it doesn’t go well, you can always go back and say, ‘Hey, I am really sorry. I came in really hot and I’m sure that did not feel good.’”

In situations where leadership from employers feels lacking, remember to lead up!

She shares, “You can kind of foster some of that leadership within yourself by asking the right questions, opening lines of communication and providing positivity in a slew of negativity. Because I really do believe in the stockmanship phrase, ‘good movement draws good movement,’ and good movement starts with us.”

As Tom reflects on the benefits he’s seen from improving his own leadership skills, he encourages others to invest in their employees and genuinely care about their well-being.

He says, “Always be continuing education. Invest in yourself, invest in your employees. I don’t think enough credit is given to the guys that are operational. I think they get taken for granted. Invest in those people.”

Employees have lives outside of work, and that can’t be forgotten.

He says, “I want my guys to come home at the end of the day, 100% healthy. They have their own lives… I want to do everything I can to leave those guys to do their job, but supply them with the ability and the tools to know I have their back. If you need something, call me. If you need a direction, call me. If you need a tool, call me.”

Transparency in communication also can’t be overlooked.

“Try to be transparent in as many things as you can, but attitude is everything and the tone that you come to work with and the tone that you interact with your employees sets the entire tone for your company as a culture,” Tom shares.

Remember, good ranch leadership doesn’t just impact today’s generation, it impacts the ones to come too.

Tom says, “I think it’s our duty as leaders and ranch managers or production agricultural people to help the next generation be more qualified for our roles than what we are. They’re going to have to provide more with less.”

Listen to the full conversation on the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast .

The Succession Gap: Why Two-Thirds of Farms Face an Uncertain Future

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 20:18:09 GMT

Farm Journal recently reported that 44 million acres of U.S. farmland are expected to change hands in the coming years - nearly 15% of American cropland by 2030.

That’s a staggering number. But what concerns me most isn’t just the acreage. It’s what that number represents: leadership transition, ownership transition and decision-making transition happening all at once across the country.

When I look at the accompanying data, I see both opportunity and vulnerability.

According to the Farm Journal Seed & Planting Survey and Consolidation Index Predictive Model Analysis, only 34% of growing operations have a formal succession plan. Among benchmark producers, that number drops to 29%. For operations identified as at-risk, just 21% have a documented succession plan in place.

Let that sink in.

Even among farms positioned for growth, two-thirds do not have a formal plan for how leadership and ownership will transition. And nearly four out of five at-risk farms are operating without one.

At the same time, consolidation risk is not limited to smaller operations. Farms under $250,000 in gross income show a 58% consolidation risk. Farms between $250,000 and $500,000 show 48%. But even operations in the $1 million to $2.5 million range carry a 32% risk. And those between $2.5 million and $10 million still sit in a baseline consolidation risk zone of roughly 27–30%.

In other words, income alone does not protect you.

Succession gaps, management transitions and strategic exits are driving consolidation regardless of size.

I’ve spent my career working with agricultural families navigating generational transition, and I can tell you this: consolidation rarely happens overnight. It happens when pressure meets unpreparedness. A health event. A lender conversation. A market downturn. A disagreement that was never resolved. A next generation that was never fully developed or clearly empowered to lead.

Agriculture has always been unpredictable. We all understand that. Weather changes. Markets move. Policies shift. But what feels different right now is how layered the uncertainty has become. Interest rates have restructured balance sheets. Input costs remain volatile. Capital demands continue to rise. Technology expectations are accelerating. And the average age of the American farmer keeps climbing.

Generational turnover is not something we can push off for “someday.” It is happening now.

So, here’s the question I would ask any farm leader reading this: If something unexpected happened tomorrow, would your operation be okay?

Would there be clarity about who makes decisions? Would ownership be clearly defined? Would compensation and reinvestment policies be understood? Would lenders feel confident in your continuity? Would your successors be prepared - not just present - to lead?

If you hesitate in answering that, you are not alone. But hesitation is a signal.

The data in the Farm Journal analysis tells an important story. Growing operations are more likely to try new technology. They are more likely to plan land investment. And they are more likely to have formal succession plans in place. That is not coincidence. It reflects intentional leadership.

The leaders that plan tend to think about the long term - not just the next growing season. They understand their profitability by enterprise. They are disciplined about capital allocation. They define leadership roles. They have hard conversations before circumstances force communication. They build clarity into the business so that transition strengthens it rather than destabilizes it.

Succession planning is often misunderstood.

It is not simply an estate planning document. It is not a will tucked in a drawer. It is not something you address only when someone retires. It is a business discipline.

It requires clarity about management transfer and ownership transfer - and those are not always the same thing. It requires fairness, which is not necessarily equality. It requires governance structure so family conversations don’t become a business crises. It requires intentional development of the next generation so leadership transition feels earned and prepared, not assumed.

And perhaps most importantly, it requires timing.

Consolidation favors clarity. It favors farms that reduce ambiguity before outside forces expose it. It favors operations that are structured - not just successful.

One of the most revealing pieces of the consolidation data is that even higher-income farms carry measurable risk. A $3 million or $5 million operation is not immune. Scale does not eliminate vulnerability if leadership transition is unclear or strategic direction is undefined.

The 44 million acres projected to change hands represent a defining moment for American agriculture. Some families will use this season to strengthen continuity and expand. Others will find themselves reacting - not because they lacked work ethic or competence, but because they delayed putting structure in place.

Planning does not eliminate uncertainty - but it does provide framework and stability.

It allows you to make proactive decisions rather than reactive ones. It gives lenders confidence. It gives the next generation clarity. It protects family relationships. And it preserves optionality.

If your farm is truly okay - strategically aligned, financially transparent, leadership-ready - then planning becomes a growth tool.

If it’s not, planning becomes urgent.

Either way, it matters.

Knowing the data should never create paralysis. Understanding your consolidation risk, your succession gaps and your financial position gives you something incredibly valuable: choice. When your business structure is clear and your succession plan is thoughtful but flexible, you can pivot as markets shift, opportunities emerge or circumstances change. You may not be able to eliminate uncertainty - but you can position yourself to move through it with confidence.

Getting Ready for Next Season: Using Debriefs to Smooth Out the Rough Spots

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 17:57:20 GMT

As the pace of winter settles in this is the ideal moment to look back at the season behind you. Not with blame, and not with storytelling that drifts wherever the coffee takes it—but with a structured, practical debrief that helps you shape the year ahead.

Most of the coming year’s headaches are already visible in the rearview mirror. The trick isn’t predicting the future. It’s paying attention to the past in a way that pulls your team into the process and turns those frustrations into system improvements. Debriefs do just that.

A good debrief is simple. Bring in the key employees who actually lived the season—the feeders, breeders, calf team, crop guy, lead milkers. Keep the meeting small enough to encourage honest conversation, but broad enough that you’re hearing from the people closest to the work. Tell them the goal up front: identify the root (underlying) problems from last season so we don’t repeat them this season.

Then ask three questions, and stay disciplined about sticking to them:

What went well that we want to continue?
Too often we skip this part, but it gives people confidence and highlights the things that are actually working.
What didn’t go well?
This is where the real value sits. You’ll hear patterns: communication gaps on weekend shifts, equipment that’s always down at the worst moment, and protocols everyone interprets a little differently.
What needs to change?
Don’t let the meeting drift into long explanations or defenses. Focus on solutions. Small, practical fixes are usually the most powerful—rewriting a protocol so it’s crystal clear, changing how information is passed between shifts, setting a specific time each week for the feeder and herdsman to align.

As you work through the discussion, stay out of the weeds. Look for the root cause, not the symptoms. Your job is not to solve every problem on the spot. Your job is to set the tone: direct, respectful, and focused on improvement rather than pinning the blame. Your best employees often have the solutions so resist the urge and just let them do the talking. Just encourage them and take notes.

When I walk dairies through this process, the turning point usually comes when employees realize you’re not asking these questions “for show” or trying to pin blame. You’re genuinely looking for friction points so the season ahead can run smoother for everyone—cows included.

Before wrapping up, summarize the key issues and assign owners to fix the problem. Not in a punitive way—simply clarifying who will follow up, by when, and with what solution. Ownership is what turns a good meeting into change that actually sticks.

Getting ready for next year doesn’t start in the field. It starts in a room, with your people, talking honestly about what got in the way last year and deciding—together—that this year will be even better.

The Best Leaders Share These Three Behaviors

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 21:25:23 GMT

Leadership might sound like a big, formal word, but on the farm it’s really just about how you work with people every day. It’s how you talk to your team, how you handle mistakes and how you treat people when things get stressful.

When you’re just starting out, being a leader doesn’t mean you need all the answers or that you have to run everything perfectly. It’s okay to learn as you go. According to Marcel Schwantes, author of “ Humane Leadership: Lead with Radical Love, Be a Kick-ass Boss ,” when you’re just starting out, being a leader doesn’t mean you need all the answers or that you have to run everything perfectly. It’s okay to learn as you go.

He suggests regardless of the operation or title, strong leaders consistently rely on a small set of practical skills that can be learned, practiced and improved over time.

These skills include:

Show Real Interest in Your People

Take time to get to know the people who work for you, not just the job they were hired to do. Ask what they enjoy, where they want to improve and what they hope to learn next. That might mean running new equipment, taking on more responsibility or growing into a leadership role themselves.

“The best leaders genuinely want their people to thrive,” Schwantes says. “They’re willing to put the team’s needs first, share credit freely and take responsibility when things go sideways.”

He recommends supporting raises and added responsibility when they are earned and looking for chances to stretch people’s skills instead of keeping them in the same position. When employees feel genuinely valued, they take more pride in their work and show up differently every day.

Have Empathy

Many farm leaders were raised to believe emotions stay out of the workplace. Unfortunately in agriculture, empathy is often misunderstood as being too soft or letting things slide. But Schwantes notes empathy is actually one of the strongest leadership characteristics a person can have, because it helps leaders understand problems sooner and lead more effectively.

“Empathic leaders don’t just hear what people say; they understand the context, emotions and challenges behind it,” he says. “That perspective creates psychological safety, and safety unlocks creativity, problem-solving and collaboration.”

On a farm, this might look like noticing when a team member is struggling, checking in when someone seems overwhelmed or understanding the pressures your employees face at home. It’s about listening, recognizing stress and creating an environment where people feel safe asking for help.

Be Clear and Transparent

On a farm, clear communication makes everything run smoother. When your team knows what’s expected and why decisions are being made, they can work more confidently and avoid mistakes.

“A transparent culture builds trust and fosters collaboration,” Schwantes says. “When people feel safe voicing their thoughts, it deepens engagement and creates a more resilient, trustworthy team dynamic.”

Transparency also means being honest about challenges and inviting input. If something’s not working, your team should feel comfortable speaking up. The more open you are, the more trust you build — and the better your crew can handle the ups and downs.

Lead by Serving Your Team

A leadership role can feel overwhelming in some workplaces, but on the farm it doesn’t have to be complicated. Schwantes says it comes down to a few core skills — showing real interest in your people, practicing empathy and being clear and transparent.

Strong farms are built on strong teams, and strong teams are built by leaders who serve first. A leader who’s willing to jump in, listen and set a positive tone creates an environment where everyone can do their best work. And over time, that kind of leadership builds trust and creates a crew that’s ready to take on whatever comes their way.

It’s Time to Break Up with the Bad Employee

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 18:00:53 GMT

Having the right employees on your team is essential to keeping the farm running smoothly. Yet in many cases, workers are hired to fill an urgent labor gap and aren’t given the training or resources they need to succeed. When that happens, even well‑intentioned employees may struggle to fit the role or the team—ultimately leading to a labor “breakup.”

Jorge Delgado, a training and talent development specialist with Alltech, says the reluctance to address these situations is often emotional and more costly than managers realize. In a recent conversation, he compared it to staying in a romantic relationship long after it is clear it is not working.

Why Do Farms Struggle to Let Go?

For many farm owners, the biggest barrier to firing a poor-fit employee is fear.

“One fear that many farmers have is that they are not going to be able to find another employee to replace the person they are letting go,” Delgado explains.

This fear intensifies in specialized roles where skills are harder to find.

“This can especially be true for middle management positions,” Delgado adds. “These are more technical positions, and it can be really hard to find people to fill that role. Sometimes, that makes management hesitate to get rid of that person, even though it’s hurting production and numbers at the farm.”

Family and social ties on the farm add another complication. Delgado says it’s not uncommon for employees to be related, or tightly connected, to others on the crew.

“Sometimes these guys, they have family involved,” he adds. “The owners or managers are afraid that if they let go of oner person, these guys will take their family or friends with them.”

The result is a kind of emotional hostage situation. Even when the employee clearly doesn’t fit the culture or role, management feels stuck, hoping the situation will somehow improve on its own.

Have Clear Expectations

Many employee challenges on farms can be traced back to what did or did not happen on the first day of work. Delgado says problems often begin long before performance issues show up, simply because expectations were never clearly laid out.

“You have to have rules and regulations really clear and established on a far,” Delgado says. “Most of the farmers hire people on the spot, get them trained and get them going. These people don’t necessarily go through a formal onboarding process where they go through the expectations, the rules and regulations, and so they don’t know anything about it.”

When those expectations are never clearly explained, performance conversations and eventual terminations can feel unfair on both sides. Employees feel blindsided, and managers feel frustrated. In many cases, the breakdown started on the first day the employee walked onto the farm.

He also stresses the value of doing basic reference checks before hiring, an often-skipped step in agriculture.

“Sometimes we just hire the individual that is right at the door, and we don’t do any research,” Delgado says. “But that research can be an early sign that this individual is not the right fit for my culture.”

The Three-Strike Approach

Before any tough decision is made, farmers need a clear framework for addressing performance issues. Delgado recommends a structured, professional process—one that gives employees fair warning while protecting the farm.

He suggests a simple three-strike policy:

Verbal warning - Delgado stresses that this first step should be a clear, calm and deliberate conversation. The manager needs to sit down with the employee and explain exactly what behavior or performance issue needs to change, why it matters to the operation and what improvement looks like.

He encourages farmers to avoid vague statements like “you need to do better” and instead focus on specific, measurable expectations. The employee should leave the conversation knowing precisely what needs to change and the timeframe to correct it.

Written warning - If the issue continues after the verbal warning, Delgado says it is time to move to formal documentation. This step should be more structured and intentional, signaling to the employee that the concern is serious and must be addressed.

“You need to sit down with the person and explain what’s going on,” Delgado says. “It becomes more structuralized, because the person and both parties should sign a document saying, ‘Look, this is the second time you did this, and these are going to be the consequences if you do it for the third time.’”

Termination -If the behavior does not change after verbal and written warnings, Delgado says it is time to part ways. By this point, the employee has been given clear expectations, opportunities to improve, and formal notice that the issue is serious.

Delgado encourages farmers to handle this step professionally and directly. The conversation should be private, respectful and brief. The manager should clearly state that the employee is being let go, reference the previous warnings, and avoid turning the meeting into a debate or long explanation.

Watch for Red Flags

Every farm has its own internal culture. Employees work closely together, talk with one another and often recognize problems long before management does.

“In this small circle, things travel fast, especially trouble,” Delgado says. “When there is a person who is not behaving properly or doing something wrong, the team will try to get rid of this person. And the first sign is they will communicate with management.”

Delgado adds that the mistake many managers make is brushing off those early comments or complaints. When multiple employees start raising concerns about the same person, it is often an early warning sign that something is not working and needs attention before it affects the whole crew.

“Many times, the managers avoid these signs,” Delgado say. “They think, ‘Just let it go. Everything’s fine. We’ll take care of this later’ and they totally avoid the problem. By the time they realize it is a big issue, it’s too late.”

Common red flags include chronic lateness, cutting corners, skipping protocols and poor communication. These patterns aren’t only unprofessional, but they can create extra work and frustration for the dependable employees.

“At some point you have to say, ‘What’s going on here?’” Delgado notes. “Don’t ignore the red flags and sweep them under the rug.”

When You Have to Fire on the Spot

Not every situation needs to follow a step-by-step process. Sometimes, inappropriate behavior or actions require immediate dismissal.

“Sometimes you have to get rid of somebody on the spot,” Delgado says. “For example, someone mistreating animals, damaging equipment, mistreating coworkers, stealing or causing serious disruption needs to be let go of immediately. When behavior like drugs, alcohol, sexual harassment or anything else begins to change the culture and environment of the farm, there are no second chances.”

In these cases, keeping the wrong person sends the wrong message to the rest of the team. It makes it look like serious issues can be overlooked or tolerated. It creates frustration for employees who follow the rules, do their jobs well and expect the same standards from others.

Check In, Listen and Make Employees Feel Valued

Preventing tough breakups with employees starts well before any termination talk. Regular check-ins—both formal and informal—can catch small issues before they grow into major problems.

“Formal reviews need to be mandatory,” Delgado says. “But they often aren’t regular. Also, survey your culture. Anonymous surveys usually get people to speak up, and you’ll learn a lot about the reality of your team and the culture.”

One simple question he likes to ask employees is: Would you recommend a friend or family member to work here?

“If the answer is no, something is off,” he adds. “You need to fix that now rather than dealing with the fallout later and having to let too many people go.”

Beyond systems and surveys, many farm employees simply don’t feel valued.

“Ask an employee what their role is, and they often say, ‘I just do ‘fill in the blank’” Delgado says. “They don’t see the big picture, and it’s our job to make them feel relevant.”

That means communicating mission, purpose and appreciation—much like in a healthy marriage.

“If you aren’t telling your spouse you appreciate them, you can’t be surprised when the relationship fails if you only point out the negatives,” he adds

Breaking Up the Right Way

Running a farm isn’t just about managing equipment, crops and livestock. It also means managing people. And while you can’t control every employee’s choice, you can:

Set clear expectations from day one
Document verbal and written warnings
Pay attention to the “inner community” of employees
Use reviews and surveys to monitor morale and culture
Communicate how valuable and relevant your team members are

And when it becomes clear that someone isn’t a fit, you owe it to your business and your team to act.

Do You Think You’ve Had Hard Times Yet?

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 16:58:11 GMT

While interviewing Tom Gerrits of Country Aire Farms, I challenged him to choose one question he most wanted me to ask his sons. He didn’t mention herd size, technology or milk markets. He said, “Ask them this: Do you think you’ve had hard times yet?”

It wasn’t meant to challenge effort or minimize pressure. It was meant to spark perspective.

Because dairy farming has never been easy. But the nature of its challenges has changed with every generation.

As Tom and his brother Mike could recall, they once milked 80 cows alongside their parents in a stall barn near Greenleaf, Wis. Physically, the work was hard. And as the two brothers choose farming for their own career paths, their father Budd Gerrits taught them not only how to roll up their sleeves, but to operate with excellence and to think strategically.

These lessons prepared the two brothers in ways they didn’t know yet would be necessary for the challenges their generation would face as they took over the family farm.

Tom and Mike entered the era of growth and expansion. A trip to the Southwest in the 1990s opened their eyes to new ways of dairying. Over the coming years, Country Aire Farms would lead the region in technology, with a rotary milking parlor, while growing the herd exponentially. And with this came its own “hard.” A more complex business, more volatile milk markets, reliance on outside labor. Work ethic was still a necessity, however, business management became equally essential.

Today, the next generation has stepped into management and leadership at Country Aire Farms. Tom’s sons Nick and Craig, and Mike’s sons Matt and Jon, carry forward the acumen for both work and business they learned from their fathers and grandfather, as they now milk roughly 6,000 cows on their home site.

To build up their managerial skills and their grit, each took a turn managing a 600-cow dairy at a second location. “Hard” during that training phase became learning what it was like to have full responsibility of cows, equipment and people, to manage employees and even to jump in the parlor if someone didn’t show up for a milking shift on a Saturday night. And that “hard” built the character and the skills for the challenges these four face today and going forward, whether its tight margins, social pressures, or government regulations.

Each generation tends to define hardship by its own experiences. But the reality is this: dairy farming has not become easier. What’s hard has just changed.

So when one generation asks the next, “Do you think you’ve hit hard times yet?” the question isn’t about comparison. It’s about continuity. And on hard days, these reflections on the past may serve as a hopeful reminder that those who came before us had some pretty tough days that they were able to rise above too.

Because every generation in dairy is called to face the “hard” of its era—and to build something strong enough to carry the next one forward.

Grit, Sweat and the Grind: The Relentless Parallel Between Pro Football and Dairy Farming

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 14:52:19 GMT

Whether we’re talking about sports or farming, you don’t last long unless you’re willing to do what others won’t. There is no offseason. Not in football. And certainly not in dairy.

With football, the calendar may show a break between seasons, but the work never really stops. The games end, but preparation begins again almost immediately. A true professional is never out of shape. You recover, you reset and you stay disciplined year-round because you know someone is always working to take your job.

Similarly, producers care for their herd year-round, 365 days a year ensuring the best care possible. Nutrition, comfort, hydration, veterinary access. The correlation between athletes and dairy cows is closer than most people realize.

The first person I met when I walked into the Carolina Panthers dining facility was the team dietitian.

“Nutrition means everything here, your performance depends on it” she told me. That sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

The work is relentless, whether it’s on the field or in the field. Early mornings and long days in the August heat can feel like an NFL training camp on the dairy when nothing seems to be going right. Equipment isn’t working, something expensive breaks, animals are sick, barn roof needs repaired, milk prices are dropping… again, and that’s just a normal Tuesday.

What makes us get up and do it again on Wednesday is grit. It takes grit to be a pro, and it takes grit to be a producer. Calloused hands are earned. Whether on the farm or in the New York Giants weight room, we are not afraid of it. In fact, the work is why we do what we do.

Most of the time it goes unnoticed. Protesters yell on social media, fans boo after a loss. They’ve never stepped in our boots or our cleats, yet they know how to run a farm and play this incredibly physical game, but we don’t mind. We keep grinding. We do what needs done so they can eat three meals a day and be entertained on Sunday. And that too is why we do what we do. We put the work in, so others don’t have to.

I’ve been waived by NFL teams several times, and I know producers forced to sell their herds. In those times, when it felt like all we knew was slipping away, we would have welcomed the boo birds and protesters. We’d do anything to keep grinding, play one more game or feed one more calf. It’s what made the sweat, the grit and the grind all worth it.

To watch Mark Inkrott’s full interview on the Unscripted Podcast, click here .

Leading Through a Challenging Year

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 19:31:02 GMT

Farming has always come with its challenges, and 2026 is no exception. Markets feel unpredictable, input costs continue to creep up, and it feels like there is almost no room for error. In times like these, everyone looks to the person in charge to keep the operation steady and moving forward.

Steven Armstrong, author of “You Can’t Lead From Behind,” says the way leaders handle themselves on the farm and at home sets the tone for everyone around them.

“If you are a leader, you are responsible for navigating challenging times as your conduct impacts not only those in your personal life but also your employees,” Armstrong says.

During a tough season, Armstrong reminds leaders that staying levelheaded, focused and present can help your operation and your employees get through a hard stretch.

Lead Yourself First

Before leaders can take care of anyone else, they have to take care of themselves. Armstrong believes that how a leader shows up day to day matters, especially when stress is running high.

“Your employees deserve better than you being an ass,” Armstrong says.

He advises leaders to keep an eye on their own stress and stay grounded. Tough market outlooks and rising costs can spark anxiety, but that doesn’t mean you have to let it take over how you manage your operation.

“Nothing is gained from adding stress and anxiety to the situation,” he adds.

For Armstrong, taking care of yourself does not mean stepping away from responsibility. It’s about making sure you are in the right headspace to lead well. That includes paying attention to basic habits that are often the first to slide when pressure builds.

“Eat well, exercise and carve out some ‘you time’ — this is not a selfish notion,” he notes. “It will help to ensure that your decision-making remains sound.”

And while tough stretches can feel like there is no end in sight, Armstrong reminds leaders that hard times don’t last forever. Even when the timeline is unclear, keeping a longer view can help steady both perspective and morale.

“Know that it will end,” he adds. “Raise your chin just a bit, look out further and remind yourself that time will move on and things will improve.”

Leading Your Family

Leadership doesn’t stop when you pull off your work boots at the end of the day. During challenging times, the stress of running the farm often flows into home life, and family members feel it too. How you manage that pressure sets the tone not just for your team but for everyone who depends on you.

“Don’t get too caught up in the business of it all,” Armstrong cautions. “Your kids need to see a parental role model who projects strength and calmness. Your significant other needs a full partner.”

Presence, he explains, is more than just being physically there. It means showing up in a way that people notice and feel.

“You don’t need to have all the answers,” he says. “You need to be there, not just in body, but fully present with your heart, mind and ears.”

He also talks about the power of sticking together. Leaning on your family or your team, talking things through and sharing the load can make the tough days a lot easier and help everyone feel more supported.

“We can often draw great strength from our family and friends, and we should openly turn to them at times of stress,” he adds.

Leading Your Operation

Even with tight markets and negative financial forecasts, Armstrong says tough times can create opportunities. Challenges on the farm can show where improvements are possible and where leaders can step up.

“Adversity sometimes gives us the kick in the rear needed to make changes we should have made long ago,” he says.

Uncertain times can also shed light on how farm employees handle challenges. It’s a chance to see who steps up, who is dependable and who might need some extra guidance.

“Make sure to note those staff members who show up ready to help when you need it most,” Armstrong says. “These moments give you a chance to see who your real stars are, the people you want to invest in and rely on for the long haul.”

How you treat your employees during tough times can stick with them long after the season passes. The way you handle stress, talk through problems and show up every day sets the tone for the whole farm. Armstrong reminds leaders to keep that in mind.

“You are on stage right now. Your employees are watching how you respond,” he reminds leaders. “Thoughtful acts of kindness and understanding will be magnified and remembered, so act accordingly.”

Staying Grounded

The way you show up during tough times will be remembered long after the stress passes. Staying calm and present helps the farm keep moving and gives your team the confidence to get through the hard stretches with you.

“How you show up matters more than the challenges themselves,” Armstrong says. “When you stay calm and focused, your team notices, and it makes getting through the rough patches a lot easier for everyone.”

Worry can spread quickly, especially when conditions are uncertain or margins are tight. Leaders need to focus on staying calm, clear and consistent. How you respond in those moments sets the tone for everyone around you, from your employees to your family, and can make the difference between a team that feels supported and one that feels uncertain.

How Victory Farms Uses Smart Tech and Beef-on-Dairy to Boost Profit

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:22:16 GMT

In the heart of Milbank, S.D., Victory Farms stands as a testament to strategic adaptation and unwavering dedication in the U.S. dairy industry. A trifecta of families — Kevin Souza, Dave Nuss, and Peter Orrade — has fostered this flourishing dairy operation. Amid an industry often characterized by fluctuating milk checks and rising costs, Souza and his team are charting a compelling path forward, marked by technological prowess, genetic advancement, a vibrant community spirit and sharp business acumen.

Originally feed consultants hailing from California, these families entered the dairy industry ambitiously and bought an existing farm in 1998. Starting with 1,300 cows, the operation quickly expanded, adapting to the needs and challenges of the evolving dairy landscape. Currently, Victory Farm milks 5,700 mostly straight Jerseys, with plans to expand to 6,200.

Kevin Souza and Greg Bohn

(Victory Farms)

Tech-Driven Efficiency: A Farm Where Every Animal is Monitored

Victory Farms has embraced technology as a cornerstone of its operational philosophy. In 2020, the farm implemented the SenseHub collar system with sort gates for its mature cows, significantly enhancing efficiency in identifying cows for breeding and treatment.

“We wanted to find the cows that needed breeding quicker and the cows that needed treating quicker,” Souza explains.

The positive impact was so profound that a few years later they extended this activity monitoring to their calves, placing tags on every animal from birth to mature cow. Souza says this comprehensive monitoring system has yielded remarkable results.

“We were treating less calves,” he states, noting that they now use preventative measures such as rumen boluses for calves, eliminating the need for antibiotics in their youngest stock. This proactive approach has not only reduced human error and treatment costs but also demonstrated a clear return on investment, particularly in improved animal health outcomes. “Our actual treat treatments went down, and death loss went down.”

(Victory Farms)

Nurturing People and Community: The Heart of Victory Farms

Beyond advanced technology, Victory Farms thrives on a deeply ingrained culture of valuing its 48 full-time employees.

“Our motto is, take care of the cows, and they take care of you. And we’re the same way with employees,” Souza emphasizes. With long-term staff, including a herdsman who has been with them for 27 years, the farm provides housing, generous vacation and regular gestures of appreciation like monthly pizzas and Christmas dinners. Souza’s daily presence, greeting shifts, underscores a commitment to acknowledging and supporting his team, recognizing “there’s no way we could do this without them.”

This community-first approach extends beyond the farm gates through a unique 4-H leasing program. Inspired by his wife, Suzanne, an Extension specialist for Big Stone County, Minn., Victory Farms leases dairy calves to 20 local 4-H kids annually. This initiative not only provides invaluable agricultural experience to youth, including many from non-farm backgrounds, but also fosters a positive image of dairy farming.

“It just turned my whole idea around about agriculture,” one former participant shared, highlighting the program’s profound impact.

Strategic Growth and Diversification: Bright Spots Amid Industry Crossroads

Facing the U.S. dairy industry’s current challenges, Victory Farms is strategically pursuing “bright spots” to ensure long-term profitability. While maximizing milk production and components remains a top priority (with the herd averaging 70 lb. of milk at 5% fat and 4% protein), Souza has keenly embraced the lucrative beef-on-dairy market. Through an extensive embryo program, the farm strategically breeds its crossbred herd to beef semen, generating significant revenue from day-old beef-cross calves.

Souza’s goal is to eventually produce all dairy replacements through embryos, allowing more uteruses to be dedicated to beef-on-dairy. This meticulous management of heifer inventory has allowed Victory Farms to reduce its replacement heifer numbers by 1,000 while maintaining herd size, further optimizing costs. The farm’s commitment to genetics, working closely with Select Sires and genomic testing all Jerseys, ensures that only the healthiest and most productive animals contribute to the herd.

“I make bulls to send to Select Sires, to pay for my IVF program, to make better heifers,” Souza says, highlighting his dedication to genetic advancement.

A Sustainable and Optimistic Future

As Victory Farms expands to 6,200 cows, it does so as a closed herd since 2015, prioritizing sustainable, internal growth. Operating in South Dakota, Souza appreciates the “more self-contained” nature of dairying, with reliable local services and effective manure management, turning a potential challenge into a resource that local farmers eagerly request.

Despite the current volatility in milk prices, Souza remains remarkably optimistic about the future of dairy. His strategic investments in technology, his unwavering commitment to his employees and community, and his innovative approach to genetic and market diversification position Victory Farms as a beacon of adaptability and prosperity, demonstrating how a forward-thinking dairy can thrive at the industry’s crossroads.

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How to Handle Tension Before it Becomes Conflict

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 22:37:46 GMT

Conflict on farms isn’t always obvious. It doesn’t have to show up as a dramatic argument or a big blow-up moment. Most of the time, it starts as frustration over a task, strain between coworkers or even just someone quietly checking out.

While conflict can feel messy, it’s not a sign something is broken. According to Hernando Duarte, farm labor outreach specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, it’s a reality of farm work.

“In labor-intensive environments like farms and other agricultural operations, conflict between employees [and family] can happen,” Duarte explains. And on farms, that friction is hard to avoid.

Conflict Can Feel Personal

Duarte notes conflict feels uncomfortable for a reason. On a farm, long hours, physical work and constant pressure can make disagreements feel personal, even when they’re not. Sometimes, just a simple disagreement can feel like a personal attack.

“Our brains often perceive conflict as a threat, which makes it uncomfortable and leads many people to avoid it,” he says.

That instinct to avoid tough conversations is understandable, but avoiding conflict doesn’t make it disappear. According to Duarte, the difference between a farm that struggles and one that moves forward often comes down to how leaders respond when tension shows up.

Most Conflict Starts Below the Surface

Sometimes a disagreement looks like just part of the daily grind, but Duarte emphasizes that understanding what’s underneath the issue is the first step toward solving and preventing conflict in the future.

On farms, those underlying causes often include:

Misunderstandings about expectations or tasks
Different work styles and decision-making speeds
Unclear roles or responsibilities
Cultural or language barriers within diverse teams
Stress and fatigue during peak seasons
Generational differences in values and priorities

None of these are unusual in agriculture, they’re often just a natural part of running a farm. More hands and different perspectives can sometimes cause small misunderstandings, but that’s just a normal part of working together as a team.

Turning Conflict Into Progress

It can be tempting to hope tension works itself out. But Duarte warns that avoiding conflict usually makes the situation worse.

When conflict is ignored, Duarte says farms often see:

Lower morale and growing frustration
Reduced productivity and focus
Higher employee turnover
Declines in performance, quality and safety

Unresolved conflict doesn’t just go away. Left unaddressed, small tensions can grow and start affecting how the team works together.

“Conflict doesn’t have to be a negative thing,” Duarte says. “When handled properly, it can lead to stronger communication, better teamwork and long-term improvements and innovation.”

Handled well, conflict can actually move a team forward. Duarte encourages leaders to:

Create space for private, respectful conversations
Listen to all sides without interruption
Look beyond surface issues to understand the real concern
Refocus discussions on shared goals, including a safe, productive, respectful workplace
Agree on clear next steps, responsibilities and follow-up
Bring in additional support if issues repeat or escalate

Addressing conflict early helps keep small issues from turning into long-term setbacks and gives teams a chance to work better together.

Leadership Sets the Tone

At the end of the day, Duarte says resolving on-farm conflict starts with leadership. If managers ignore tension, people notice. If they step in and handle issues calmly and fairly, the whole team feels more confident.

Leading by example, communicating clearly and checking in regularly all help reduce future conflict. Training supervisors to handle small issues early can keep them from becoming bigger disruptions later.

Conflict isn’t fun, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. When it’s handled the right way, it can actually make the team stronger. It’s a chance to build trust, clear up expectations and keep everyone moving in the same direction.

Empowering Your Dairy Team: Insights on Leadership and Trust from Leading Farm Managers

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 14:15:57 GMT

Behind every successful operation stands a team of dedicated and talented leaders who make pivotal decisions daily that aid in the overall success of that dairy farm. At the 2025 Milk Business Conference, two remarkable farm managers, Jason Anderson, with Double A Dairy in Idaho, and Brandon Beavers, with Full Circle Jerseys, in Texas spoke about essential skills and approaches needed to manage complex agricultural enterprises effectively.

Anderson brings his own unique blend of expertise to the table, combining nutrition consulting and dairy management. His role demands wearing many hats, ensuring daily operations align with the farm’s goals.

“We touch base with all the managers every day,” he emphasizes, outlining the importance of regular communication to preempt potential issues.

Meanwhile, Beavers manages an extensive operation in the Texas Panhandle, encompassing dairy, beef feedlot and a custom forage business. Initially hired as the CFO due to his ag finance background, Beaver’s role has evolved to include overseeing daily management tasks.

“We’ve outsourced a lot of that functionality,” he notes, explaining the shift in his responsibilities.

Empowering Teams in Dairy Operations
A critical aspect of running a successful dairy operation is empowering the team. Both Anderson and Beavers understand that managing teams requires a combination of trust, clear communication and appreciation.

“You have to know your employees; they have to feel like you actually care about them, and then you can challenge them,” Anderson shares, noting this approach fosters an environment where employees feel valued and motivated to excel. Establishing a clear culture and setting out the vision are crucial steps in this process.

Beaver’s method involves building a culture of empowerment and trust.

“Managing teams is a big part of your day to day,” he says. Recognizing achievements and celebrating milestones, such as hosting barbecues for employees, is an integral part of this strategy.

Building Trust and Relationships
Building a strong employer-employee relationship is indispensable in the agricultural sector.

“Thank yous go a really long way,” Anderson says. This simple act of acknowledgment can strengthen workplace relationships and improve morale.

Beavers echoes this sentiment, noting how necessary it is for employees to feel like a valued part of the family.

“We ask a lot of these special people to work for us that are family,” he says, emphasizing that showing appreciation is more than just good practice; it’s essential for long-term success.

The insights shared by this duo provide a valuable glimpse into the challenges and rewards of managing complex dairy operations. Their leadership approaches demonstrate that a successful farm is not just about productivity and profits but also about fostering a supportive and empowered work environment. For anyone looking to enhance their leadership skills in the agricultural industry, these farm managers offer a blueprint for success.

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Dairy Farm Labor: Why Human Capital is Key for the New Year

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 16:04:00 GMT

The criticality of a robust labor force cannot be overstated, especially in the dairy industry. The daily rhythm of a dairy operation — from the precision of milking protocols to the meticulous care of herd health and the essential upkeep of facilities — hinges entirely on the expertise and dedication of its people. Without a skilled and committed team, the pursuit of optimal production, exemplary animal welfare and the integration of cutting-edge technologies and sustainable practices becomes an uphill battle.

Looking ahead to the new year, this reliance on human capital will only intensify. The conversation within the dairy community is increasingly centered on not just finding employees but cultivating talent. This means a sharper focus on strategies to attract new individuals to our industry, provide comprehensive training that empowers them and implement retention programs that value their contributions. Investing wisely in our dairy workforce isn’t merely a response to present needs; it’s a proactive step to fortify the future of dairy and guarantee the consistent delivery of the high-quality products consumers expect.

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Elevating Farm Financial Transparency: Empowering Employees for Success

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 15:27:37 GMT

With the fast pace of running a dairy, the significance of financial transparency cannot be overstated. Gabriella Houdek of AgriGrowth Solutions underscored its importance during her presentation at the 2025 Alltech Dairy Summit in Green Bay. At the heart of her message was the idea that farm operations thrive when those involved, especially mid-level managers and the next generation of farm operators, understand their financials.

Understanding Financial Transparency
Financial transparency on farms involves more than opening the books. Houdek clarified the focus should be on sharing relevant parts of the income statement, particularly those elements that employees can influence, such as revenue and expenses. This understanding is critical for involving team members in driving farm success.

“It does not have to be sharing every financial number,” she says. “You do not have to share everything ... what we do typically share is the line-by-line income statement that usually does end up being pretty important for understanding what expenses they have an impact over, what revenues they have an impact over.”

Why Transparency Matters
Houdek points out three central benefits of financial transparency: clarity, awareness and consistency. Shared clarity around farm goals ensures everyone understands their roles in achieving them. Increasing awareness helps managers grasp the impact of their decisions on daily operations. Consistency revolves around regular reviews of financials to ensure everyone is aligned and informed.

Fostering transparency builds trust between farm owners and employees, creating a collaborative environment aimed at common goals. Empowered employees, especially herdsmen making daily animal health decisions, can make wiser choices when they comprehend the financial implications.

Overcoming Assumptions and Improving Data Use
Keeping employees out of the financial loop can lead to assumptions and missed improvement opportunities. By sharing select financial data, employees can become aware of their role in profit generation and cost management. Houdek emphasizes the need to distinguish between financial transparency and privacy, suggesting sensitive documents remain in-house after meetings.

“Assumptions can always lead to some disconnect between goals and daily work and then lost opportunities in general,” she states.

Incentivizing Engagement and Future Goals
Success begins by identifying which employees should be included in financial discussions and what metrics to share. Define what success looks like. Is it maintaining current performance, reducing costs or achieving a new competitive edge? Regular tracking and acknowledging accomplishments forge a path to sustained improvement.

Houdek mentions incentive programs often accompany transparency efforts, rewarding employees aligned with higher-level metrics. This ensures everyone is motivated to contribute positively to the farm’s financial health. Ultimately, the goal is clear: providing employees with the insights they need to make informed decisions, fostering an environment where communication and transparency breed success.

Financial transparency is a vital component of modern farming operations. By carefully choosing what financial details to share and with whom, farm leaders can create a culture of trust, engagement and informed decision-making. Transparency not only boosts the profitability and sustainability of farms but also empowers employees to take ownership of their roles within the agriculture industry.

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Beyond the Touchdown: How Former NFL Player Mark Inkrott Found His Heroes in Dairy Farmers

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 16:03:05 GMT

Before, his heroes were Joe Montana and Michael Jordan; now, former professional football player, Mark Inkrott shares he now looks up to dairy farmers. At the 2025 MILK Business Conference in Las Vegas, Inkrott took center stage at Unscripted Live to offer a compelling narrative of perseverance and grit. His journey from the fields of professional sports to the agriculture industry serves as an inspiring beacon for anyone navigating life’s uncertainties, reminding us that purpose can be discovered in the most unexpected places.

From Football Fields to Farms
Inkrott’s journey is a tale that meanders through the unforgiving world of professional sports to the equally challenging realm of agribusiness. Originally hailing from a small town in Ohio, Inkrott’s roots were deeply embedded in agriculture, thanks to the influence of his farmer grandfather. It wasn’t just the skill of farming he learned but also the values of hard work, resilience and determination — traits that would serve him well in his later career as a professional athlete.

Although Inkrott never grew up on a farm, his experiences there shaped his outlook on life. Despite facing setbacks in his football career, including injuries and being cut from teams, his unwavering determination helped him break into the NFL, a testament to the power of perseverance.

A New Direction
After a stint in Europe and with the New York Giants, a career-ending injury forced Inkrott to reassess his path. He discovered his next chapter, ironically, as a professional athlete again, but this time in the field of softball, where the competition was as fierce as the camaraderie was rewarding. However, the realization of impermanence led him to the insurance sector after Hurricane Katrina, where he helped rebuild lives, albeit temporarily losing sight of his own purpose.

The turning point arrived with a meaningful opportunity in the dairy industry. Inkrott says he took a drastic pay cut to join the dairy industry, at ADA Mideast, and then with DMI, where he found not just a job but a renewed sense of meaning. Surrounded by the same hardworking spirit he admired in his grandfather, Inkrott once again thrived, building essential relationships with both mentors and farmers who inspired him daily.

“There was something about dairy farmers, where I just wanted to spend more time with them,” he says.

The Intersection of Athletics and Agriculture
Inkrott recalls how the lessons from his athletic career — discipline, grit and sheer doggedness — echo throughout the agricultural community. His time with high-profile athletes like Kurt Warner taught him true professionalism extends beyond the field and into every aspect of life. It’s about cooperation, adaptation and having a goal larger than oneself; a message he found resonating deeply within the community of dairy producers.

Inkrott says there is a striking similarity between the highly competitive world of professional sports and the demanding life of agriculture.

“Both fields require a relentless pursuit of excellence, a belief in oneself, and the ability to weather storms, both literal and metaphorical,” he says.

Navigating New Horizons
As Inkrott transitioned from professional sports to agribusiness, he embraced another challenging journey: entrepreneurship. Ten years into running Upfield Group, Inkrott finds fulfillment in the difficulty, as it challenges him much like his athletic career did. His journey is a powerful reminder that the pursuit of one’s calling is ongoing, and each twist and turn is part of the larger, fulfilling tapestry of life.

Inkrott tells farmers who are stuck to trust in technology, embrace continuous learning and listen to your heart.

“Recognize when it’s time to pivot and embrace what lies ahead with the same passion that led you to farming,” he says.

Inkrott’s story is a beacon for those experiencing their own ebbs and flows, proving that life’s greatest victories often come from our greatest challenges. As we continue the journey, embracing resilience and finding joy in the pursuit will always lead us toward a fulfilled and purposeful life.

To watch the full Unscripted Podcast: Unscripted Mark Inrott_milk Business Conference

MMPA's Bold Move: Acquires Leprino Foods Plant, Expands into Cottage Cheese and Fortifies Dairy Future

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 20:30:46 GMT

In a significant leap toward reinforcing its foundational values and augmenting its product offerings, the Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) just announced the acquisition of the Leprino Foods plant in Remus, Mich. This strategic endeavor not only highlights MMPA’s dedication to its member-owners but also marks an impactful expansion in the cooperative’s product lineup with the introduction of cottage cheese production.

Commitment to Growth and Community
“This acquisition represents a meaningful step forward in MMPA’s long-term strategy to grow our cooperative, invest in Michigan’s dairy industry and deliver increased value to our members,” Joe Diglio, president and CEO of MMPA said.

The move is underpinned by the support of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, further enhancing MMPA’s ability to innovate while remaining deeply connected to the Remus community.

The Remus plant, enriched with a longstanding relationship with MMPA since its original purchase in 1983, speaks volumes of a historical saga intertwined with the present. In a shift aligning with Leprino Foods’ business needs, MMPA has adeptly maneuvered to acquire this asset, ensuring it remains a vital community contributor and a catalyst for continued growth.

Lance FitzSimmons, president & CEO of Leprino Foods, noted: “We are pleased that we have been able to successfully transfer ownership of the Remus facility back to MMPA, where it will have the opportunity to be a productive asset for the community and for Michigan dairy farmers for many years to come.”

Ultrafiltered milk technology

(Michigan Milk Producers Association)

Advancements in Dairy Production
Established in 1916, MMPA stands as the ninth-largest U.S. dairy farmer-owned cooperative. With its deep-seated roots in producing high-quality, award-winning dairy products, MMPA serves members across Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin.

In tandem with the latest acquisition, MMPA is fortifying its ultrafiltered milk production at its Ovid facility, an expansion that adds a remarkable 3 million pounds of daily processing capacity. These enhancements fortify MMPA’s already robust ultrafiltered milk capabilities in Constantine, Mich. Doug Chapin, MMPA board chairman, celebrated these developments, highlighting the cooperative spirit and its competitive readiness to meet resurging market demand.

“These projects are a direct result of the commitment and investment of our member-owners,” he stated, underscoring the resilience and dedication reflected in MMPA’s high-quality standards, ensuring long-term value for its members.

The dual projects, supported by MEDC’s funding, are a testament to MMPA’s leadership in producing high-protein dairy ingredients and responding to ever-growing consumer demands. Quentin L. Messer, Jr., CEO of the MEDC, expressed gratitude toward MMPA’s continued investment in Michigan, spotlighting the economic vibrancy contributed by the agricultural industry.

As MMPA strides toward fortifying its strategic goals, the focus remains on expanding its manufacturing footprint, enhancing production capabilities, and nurturing a strengthened dairy supply chain. These initiatives are firmly anchored in a legacy nearly 110 years strong, defined by member-focused leadership and a commitment that begins on the farm and extends through MMPA’s processing facilities.

In pursuing these bold initiatives, MMPA reaffirms its dedication to innovation, community and growth, securing its pivotal role in the dairy industry of today and tomorrow.

Your Next Read:
How Do Modern Dairies Stay Ahead With Future Innovations and Sustainable Practices?

Insider Strategy Tips for Top Performing Producers

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 20:39:52 GMT

Progress on the farm rarely comes from a single breakthrough. It comes from the everyday decisions that make a dairy run smoother, smarter and more sustainably than it did the year before. For three dairymen speaking at this year’s MILK Business Conference, Greg Bethard, TJ Tuls and Hank Hafliger, success isn’t accidental, it’s intentional.

These producers offer practical, hard-earned tips for other producers, sharing the strategies that have helped their dairies stay competitive, efficient and resilient in a fast-changing industry.

Invest In Technology That Pays Its Way
Technology continues to transform how dairies operate by offering tools that streamline processes and boost efficiency. For Tuls, the principle remains clear that every investment must deliver value.

“We’re always looking for ways to make our dairies run better,” Tuls says. “Right now, we’re testing three or four different systems to see what works best.”

Some tools use cameras to monitor cow movement and employee performance. Others combine data with DairyComp to spot trends and guide better decisions. But Tuls reminds farmers technology only works if you use the data.

“At the end of the day, it’s feeding your data back into your operation and doing something with that information. And it takes good people and managers to interpret it and really apply it on your farm,” he says.

For Bethard in Kansas, his perspective comes with decades of hindsight.

“I remember 30 years ago when I started out, a 1,000-cow dairy was huge. Back then, DairyComp and headlocks were your tools to manage that many cows,” Bethard says.

Today, his list of non-negotiables to manage a larger herd has grown. Sort gates, activity collars and meters in the parlor are all essential. The philosophy behind adopting new technology, though, hasn’t changed.

“I can barely use my cell phone, so I’m not really a technology guy,” he jokes. “I’m looking for anything that’s easy to use and lowers my cost to produce milk. The key is evaluating it and embracing what makes sense for us.”

For Bethard, every piece of technology has to prove its worth. When he evaluated activity collars on his dairy, the numbers spoke for themselves. Looking ahead, he plans to follow the same approach by avoiding flashy trends and focusing on tools that truly improve efficiency and animal care.

Measuring What Matters
Across all three dairies, success is powered by key performance indicators.

Tuls’ team in Nebraska leans heavily on people-focused metrics.

“One of the biggest KPIs we track is employee turnover,” he says. “When you have a strong, experienced team, it directly improves profitability, production and cow longevity.”

Feed efficiency is another cornerstone metric for Tuls.

“You can feed a lot of different products and make a lot of milk, but if you’re spending a ton of money doing it, it doesn’t help your bottom line,” he adds. “How cows convert feed into milk, that’s a huge deal.”

Bethard’s dairy approaches metrics through the lens of business sustainability. Their guiding number is their break-even cost with no milk price factored in.

“If we achieve that, really nothing else matters much,” Bethard says.

Operationally, they track a daily static variable margin: income over feed cost minus variable expenses.

“That margin is what pays for all the other fixed costs,” Bethard says.

It’s the heartbeat of the business, and the number he relies on to maintain a healthy, resilient operation.

Winning With People
For all three dairymen, success starts with people. Hafliger says that means creating a family atmosphere on his operation.

“These guys come to work in the middle of the night when it’s snowing outside,” he says. “They’re pulling calves and caring for cows in the toughest conditions. It’s important to treat them like family.”

Tuls agrees. Watching employees grow has become one of his greatest rewards.

“Three of our managers started as cow pushers, and now they’re running dairies,” he says. “That’s fun to watch. They really are family.”

Tuls says leadership means being present, listening, checking in and making sure people know their work matters.

“They’re working at your farm by choice,” he says. “You’ve got to convince them it’s a good place to be,” he adds.

Bethard sees culture as the cornerstone for his operation.

“Culture is what keeps the wheels turning,” Bethard says. “You can have the best systems in the world, but if your team doesn’t feel respected and connected, nothing works.

The Blueprint for Success
Across three states and three management styles, one message is clear. Great dairies do not achieve success by chance. They build it through careful adoption of technology, disciplined measurement and workplaces where people feel valued and motivated.