Uplevel Dairy Podcast
by Peggy Coffeen
Latest episode
399 | The Future of Dairy: AI, Innovation and What's Next with Aidan…
399 | The Future of Dairy: AI, Innovation and What's Next with Aidan…
About this podcast
Welcome to the Uplevel Dairy Podcast - the podcast for dairy producers and professionals who are committed to moving our industry forward. Each week, Peggy Coffeen brings you the leaders, lessons, and real-world stories from the people who have built the dairy business we know today, and those who are shaping its future.
© 2026 Uplevel Companies LLC. All rights reserved. Original content from Uplevel Dairy Podcast. Reproduction or republication of copyrighted material requires prior written permission. Content is for informational purposes only; guest opinions are their own.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 395 episodes
- 399 | The Future of Dairy: AI, Innovation and What's Next with Aidan Connolly · 34 min · Season 4 Episode 399Today on Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen invites dairy producers and decision-makers to attend Dairy Strong 2027, hosted by Voice of Milk on January 13–14 at Lambeau Field…
- 398 | Barely Breaking Even? Where Dairy Farms Are Losing Money · 17 min · Season 4 Episode 398This week on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy welcomes back Pauly Paul of Complete Management Consulting to discuss dairies that are barely breaking even after Q3 financials and…
- 397 | The Mindset Behind a Dairy That's Always One Step Ahead · 32 min · Season 3 Episode 397What does it take to build a dairy legacy that continues to move the industry forward? For Pat Maddox's of RuAnn Dairy and Maddox Dairy in California, innovation has been part of…
- 396 | Finding Your Path in Agribusiness: Lessons in Leadership and Mentorship · 28 min · Season 3 Episode 396Leadership doesn't always begin in a boardroom. For Taylor Novak of EA Risk, formerly Ever.Ag, it started with showing beef cattle, taking on leadership opportunities at Iowa…
- 395 | Building, Buying or Transitioning? Know What Your Dairy Is Worth · 24 min · Season 3 Episode 395What is your dairy farm really worth—and does investing $1 million in facilities mean you’ve added $1 million in value? On this episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy…
- 394 | The Breeders' Table: A Candid Conversation with Three of the Most Brilliant Minds in Dairy Cattle Breeding · 1 h 4 min · Season 3 Episode 394What makes a great cow—and which breeding decisions shape the future of the Holstein breed? Recorded live during World Dairy Expo, this special edition of the Uplevel Dairy…
- 393 | 100 Miles Running, 100 Miles Biking: Jordan Matthews' Mission Beyond the Miles · 43 min · Season 45 Episode 393What motivates someone to run 100 miles and bike another 100? For Jordan Matthews of Rosy-Lane Holsteins, the challenge was about more than endurance. It was an opportunity to…
- 392 | How This Father-Son Team is Transitioning the Family Dairy Farm · 47 min · Season 3 Episode 392What does it take to prepare the next generation to lead a dairy farm before ownership officially changes hands? Peggy Coffeen visits B&B Dairy near Waupun, Wisconsin, to talk…
- 391 | Beyond the Banner: Breeding Champions and Building Character with Katie DiGangi, Darlington Ridge Farms · 23 min · Season 4 Episode 391In this final Showbox Stories Live from the Tanbark episode filmed at World Dairy Expo, Peggy Coffeen and Tim Abbott of Showbox Sires interview Katie DiGangi of Darlington Ridge…
- 390 | The Veterinarian of Champions with Dr. Sheila McGuirk · 19 min · Season 4 Episode 390In Part 4 of Showbox Stories Live from the Tanbark at World Dairy Expo, Peggy Coffeen and Tim Abbott of Showbox Sires welcome Dr. Sheila McGuirk from the University of Wisconsin…
- 389 | Legends of the Colored Shavings with Clark Woodmansee and Bryan Voegeli, featuring Tara Bohnert · 38 min · Season 4 Episode 389Filmed live at World Dairy Expo for Showbox Stories: Live from the Tanbark, Peggy Coffeen and Tim Abbott welcome Clark Woodmansee and Bryan Voegeli to share unforgettable Expo…
- 388 | From Show String to Sale Ring with Chris Hill, featuring Dr. Lori Nagel · 31 min · Season 4 Episode 388Welcome to Part 2 of Showbox Stories Live from the Tanbark at World Dairy Expo, where Peggy Coffeen and Tim Abbott sit down with Chris Hill of MD Hillbrook, as he recounts…
- 387 | Showbox Stories: How Brian Leslie Turned a Dream into International Dairy Week · 39 min · Season 4 Episode 387Recorded live at World Dairy Expo, this kickoff episode of a five-part Showbox Stories series features Uplevel Dairy, Tim Abbott of Showbox Sires, and presenting sponsor…
- 386 | From 100 Cows…to Milking 100 Cows Every 8.2 Minutes with Rodney Elliott · 1 h 5 min · Season 4 Episode 386In this episode of the High-Performance Mindset Series powered by Nedap, Peggy Coffeen interviews Rodney Elliot, an Irish-born dairy farmer who, alongside his wife Dorothy and…
- 385 | A Workforce Fix for Dairy? Congressman GT Thompson on What Comes Next · 15 minLive from World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, Peggy Coffeen interviews House Agriculture Committee Chair Congressman G.T. Thompson ahead of his roundtable with the American…
- 384 | People First: The Leadership Philosophy Behind a Growing Dairy · 56 min · Season 4 Episode 384Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen is onsite with Josh Webb, at multi-generational Heglar Creek Dairy near Declo, Idaho, a fifth-generation family operation that…
- 383 | Help Them Believe in Themselves | Peter Coyne on Coaching and Mentoring Dairy's Next Generation · 49 min · Season 4 Episode 383Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy interviews longtime dairy industry leader Peter Coyne about the relationships that shaped his life and his responsibility to “pay it…
- 382 | Transforming Dairy Risk Management with Jim Matthews and Duane Banderob · 31 min · Season 4 Episode 382Today, on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen talks with Duane Banderob and Jim Matthews about Ever.Ag separating into two standalone organizations. EA Risk, formerly…
- 381 | Beyond the Protocol: Why People Are the Key to Better Animal Care · 50 min · Season 4 Episode 381Today, Peggy Coffeen is onsite as she welcomes Dr. Tera Barnhardt to the Uplevel Dairy Podcast to discuss leadership, communication, and navigating hard seasons in production…
- 380 | From Vegetarian to Dairy Advocate: How Jill Houin Found Her Place in Dairy · 39 min · Season 4 Episode 380Peggy Coffeen interviews Jill Houin at Homestead Dairy in Plymouth, Indiana, where the family milks 5,000 cows across three sites, including a 2,200-cow robotic dairy with 36…
- 379 | Join us for Showbox Stories Live at World Dairy Expo 2026! · 22 min · Season 4 Episode 379Peggy Coffeen is joined today by Tim Abbott of Showbox Sires and Jared Krull of CowManager on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast to announce that the popular Showbox Stories series will…
- 378 | Gear up for World Dairy Expo 2026 with Showbox Stories Ft. Jeff Butler, Butlerview Farm · 33 min · Season 4 Episode 378As we gear up for World Dairy Expo 2026, we’re bringing back a favorite from the Showbox Stories series recorded at World Dairy Expo. In this episode, Peggy Coffeen and Tim…
- 377 | The Future of Holstein Genetics and Efficient Dairy Management with Seagull Bay Dairy and WinStar Genetics · 1 h 6 min · Season 4 Episode 377What does the dairy cow of the future need to do better and what tools will help get her there? Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen visits Seagull Bay Dairy in…
- 376 | Stewardship in Action: Building a Dairy for the Next Generation · 29 min · Season 4 Episode 376What does it really take to build a dairy that can thrive for generations? In this episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen sits down with Mitch Perkins of Perkins…
- 375 | When the Farm Is Your 401(k): Can the Next Generation Afford Your Retirement? · 24 min · Season 4 Episode 375On the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Pauly Paul of Complete Management Consulting discusses why many dairy transition plans fail financially even after legal ownership is transferred…
- 374 | 2026 Industry Person of the Year: Corey Geiger · 35 min · Season 4 Episode 374In this special collaboration episode of World Dairy Expo’s The Dairy Show podcast and Uplevel Dairy, Peggy Coffeen interviews Cory Geiger, who was named World Dairy Expo’s 2026…
- 373 | 2026 International Person of the Year: Robert Chicoine · 37 min · Season 4 Episode 373Today, Peggy Coffeen interviews Robert Chicoine, World Dairy Expo’s 2026 International Person of the Year, in a collaboration with The Dairy Show. Chicoine recounts how a…
- 372 | From Days to Hours: The Future of Dairy Diagnostics · 50 min · Season 4 Episode 372Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen interviews Dr. Kyle Becker, a Heritage Vet Partners veterinarian and former Indiana dairy farm kid who learned to AI cows at 12…
- 371 | Breeding for the Bottom Line: Genetics That Work in the Real World · 26 min · Season 4 Episode 371Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy sits down with Luke Getty of Ideal Dairy and Cookiecutter Holsteins in Eastern New York to discuss the role of genetics, technology, and…
- 370 | What the Top 20% of Farm Businesses Do Differently with Dr. David Kohl & Lynn Paulson · 33 min · Season 4 Episode 370What will separate the most successful farm businesses from the rest over the next decade? Dr. David Kohl and Lynn Paulson of Bell Bank join Peggy Coffeen to discuss the…
- 369 | Beyond the Technology: The People Who Make Dairy Innovation Work · 32 min · Season 4 Episode 369Technology may be changing the way dairies operate, but it still takes people to make it work. Today, we visit with Bailey Beck of Automated Dairy in Jerome, Idaho, to find out…
- 368 | Sitting Down With The Next Generation of Golden E Dairy · 49 min · Season 4 Episode 368Part two of The Uplevel Dairy Podcast features Chris and Tracey Elbe’s children—Ryan, Kim, Matt, and Kyle—discussing their roles at Golden E Dairy and how their dad intentionally…
- 367 | Golden E Dairy: Building Dreams From the Ground Up · 42 min · Season 4 Episode 367On the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen visits with the family behind Golden E Dairy in Kewaskum, Wisconsin, where first-generation farmers Chris and Tracey Elbe describe…
- 366 | Service Before Self: A Dairy Veterinarian's Calling · 32 min · Season 4 Episode 365Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen talks with Dr. Jared Risser of Dairy Veterinary and Management Services in Goshen, Indiana, about dairy veterinary work as a…
- 365 | When Cash Gets Tight—Leading Through a Cash Flow Crunch · 17 min · Season 4 Episode 365Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy interviews Pauly Paul of Complete Management Consulting about dairy farms facing tight cash flow, growing accounts payable, and…
- 364 | What Every Dairy Producer Needs to Know About New World Screwworm · 23 min · Season 4 Episode 364This episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast features entomologist Dr. Mike Catangui, Ph.D., with MWI Animal Health, who discusses the return of the New World screwworm and why…
- 363 | Go All In: Lessons from an Idaho Dairy Nutrition Consultant · 42 min · Season 4 Episode 363Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen interviews Josh Peters of Standard Dairy Consultants about earning dairy producers’ trust without a dairy-farm background and…
- 362 | Tax and Legal Strategies for Farm Transition with Menn Law · 29 min · Season 4 Episode 362On the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen concludes a three-part Farm Forward listener Q&A series with Will McKinley of Menn Law and Pat Sturz, a retired CPA and longtime…
- 361 | The Biggest Mistake Families Make with Land with Will McKinley · 23 min · Season 4 Episode 361Today's conversation tackles one of the most emotional and misunderstood topics in farm succession planning: how do you provide for non-farming children without putting the…
- 360 | Why Farm Transitions Fail with Will McKinley · 33 min · Season 4 Episode 360Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen interviews attorney Will McKinley of Menn Law in a three-part follow-up to the Farm Forward conference, focusing on why farm…
- 359 | Ask the Expert: Next-Level Dairy Cow Immune Support · 11 min · Season 4 Episode 359Today, Peggy sits down for an exclusive, 'Ask the Expert' feature with veterinarian Dr. Jan van Dijk of AHV discusses how common stressors in dairy cows, such as calving…
- 358 | Making a $4 Million Impact: Dairy Cares of Wisconsin · 22 min · Season 4 Episode 358Today, Peggy Coffeen sits down with Jim Ostrom, president and CEO of Milk Source and co-founder of Dairy Cares of Wisconsin, to discuss how a backyard gathering in Wisconsin grew…
- 357 | Inside the Minds of Dairy's Next Generation | Junior Advisory Committee Roundtable · 30 min · Season 4 Episode 357What’s inside the minds of the next generation of dairy leaders? We found out last week at the National Holstein Convention, where we sat down with 3 young leaders in the…
- 356 | Rebuilding After Tragedy: Four Cubs Farm's Story of Resilience · 36 min · Season 4 Episode 356When a devastating barn fire destroyed the heart of Four Cubs Farms in November 2017, the Peterson family faced a decision that would shape the future of their business for…
- 355 | Leadership Across Generations: Creating a Dairy Business Built to Last · 35 min · Season 4 Episode 355For nearly 150 years, Four Cubs Farms in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, has been built on a simple principle: people matter. In this episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen…
- 354 | Lessons from a Father-Daughter Vet Duo: The Next Generation of Dairy Care · 38 min · Season 4 Episode 354Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen visits with father-daughter veterinarians Dr. Paul Meagher and Dr. Amanda Onan of United Veterinary Services in Northeast…
- 353 | The Young Dairy Manager Changing Herd Health One Insight at a Time · 24 min · Season 3 Episode 353Shelby Jacquier Washburn, is a fourth-generation dairy farmer and managing partner at Laurel Brook Farm in East Canaan, Connecticut, describes returning from an equine business…
- 352 | Redefining What Leadership Looks Like on the Dairy with Annie Vannurden · 37 min · Season 4 Episode 352How do you lead multiple dairy operations, oversee teams across several states, and still make it home for supper with three young children waiting for you? In this episode of…
- 351 | Robots, Faith and Resilience: Transforming Tradition at Silver Spirit Farm · 34 min · Season 4 Episode 351Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy sits down with Sam Fessenden, a Cornell dairy science graduate with a PhD focused on the CNCPS model who worked with nutritionists…
- 350 | Ice Cream, Show Cows and Family Values: The Vandoske Dairy Farms Story · 38 min · Season 4 Episode 350Today, Peggy Coffeen visits Bob and Tara Vandoske at Vandoske Dairy Farms in Cleveland, Wisconsin, to discuss how their 700-cow family dairy farm has grown into diverse business…
