Progressive Dairy Podcast

“Dairy farming without the right data is like driving a car with a broken speedometer and without a map. You don't know where you're headed or how fast you'll get there.” Listen as Thierry Perrotin, Vice President of Nedap U.S. Dairy, shares how to harness herd data to intentionally drive your herd forward. Here’s the episode breakdown: 0:30 – Welcome, Theirry Perrotin0:40 – Explanation of car analogy 2:58 – What makes data harnessing technology intriguing? 5:00 – How does Nedap help farmers make the most of their data?8:28 – How does improved data capture and analysis benefit the entire farm?10:29 – How should dairy farmers proceed with data integration?14:58 – Where can farmers learn more about Nedap and its technology? Contact Thierry Perrotin at thierry.perrotin@nedap.com. This episode is sponsored by Nedap. Nedap develops technology for life. Technology that helps people be more successful and happier in their professional lives. For Nedap this means helping professional dairy producers run a profitable, sustainable and enjoyable business. The solutions Nedap creates enable users to automate everyday tasks and make informed decisions based on individual animal identification and data. Nedap empowers livestock producers to respond to the growing global demand for animal protein in a way that is profitable and aligned with rising standards for animal welfare, sustainability, transparency and the safety and quality of food. Learn more at https://www.nedap-livestockmanagement.com/dairy-farming/ 

Gain insights directly from Erica Tessmann, Marketing Manager for Dairy Monitoring Technology at Merck Animal Health. Learn about the evolution of SenseHub Dairy monitoring technology as Erica highlights its empowering impact on producers, herd health and labor efficiency, all with exclusive access to industry-leading people and resources at Merck Animal Health. This episode is sponsored by SenseHub Dairy. SenseHub Dairy is the leading provider of monitoring solutions that empower users to safeguard their animals’ health and well-being, while achieving optimal production outcomes for a healthy food supply. SenseHub Dairy operates fully within Merck Animal Health. Through its commitment to the Science of Healthier Animals®, Merck Animal Health offers veterinarians and farmers one of the widest ranges of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and services. Learn more about how dairy monitoring can empower your operation by visiting SenseHub-Dairy.com.

A new dairy checkoff growth program, in collaboration with pizza partners, is set to boost cheese consumption by over 12 million pounds, primarily focusing on international markets. On the domestic front, Domino’s has introduced Pepperoni Stuffed Cheesy Bread to its menu. Restaurant partnerships are a collaborative effort and a powerful means to enhance the dairy industry’s presence in the global food market. This episode is sponsored by Dairy Management Inc.

Join hosts Walt Cooley and Matti McBride as they dive into Cooley’s recent presentation “Level-Up” given at the Amelicor Herd and Feed Management Conference in this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast. Learn how to level up technology on your operation, champion an employee and ask providers tough questions. Click here to download the worksheet Cooley references in his presentation. Click here to read the article Cooley references about how to test drive technology before you buy it: Simulate technology to test-drive automation Here’s a breakdown of the episode: ~00.55: What listeners can learn from this discussion~03:50: Cooley explains his methods of presenting. ~04:55: Cooley introduces and outlines his presentation.~06:27: List and rank technologies used on your dairy. ~07:51: Cooley’s example of using this “level-up” method with his personal technology~09:38: Concept of champions~12:06: Cooley’s advice for becoming a champion~14:34: How to win and “level up” with your dairy’s technology~17:27: Cooley discusses bandwidth when it comes to adopting technology.~20:15: How to engage with your technology provider~22:15: Creating a battleboard for your technology~24:30: Looking to the future with technology~27:20: Test-drive a technology you are interested in.~29:48: A technology Cooley is excited to experiment with

Managing Director Kirk Vander Dussen explains the premise of AHV protocols and how we are doing things a little differently to allow farmers to keep more milk in the tank, address common dairy challenges, and build stronger herds to impact the bottom line. For customer experiences, go to https://ahvint.com/us/customer-experiences/ This episode is sponsored by AHV (Animal Health Vision). AHV (Animal Health Vision) is a global company that gives #PowerToTheFarmer with science-based solutions to herd health challenges. By proactively addressing bovine health, farmers can maximize production and longevity while avoiding milk and meat withdrawal. AHV provides unique products that can formulate strategic solutions to address udder health, uterine health, calves, and energy and metabolism challenges specific to your dairy. Maximize production and increase herd vitality with AHV!

In this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast, host Kimmi Devaney visits with Kiley Heim from Heim’s Hillcrest Dairy in Wisconsin. As the next generation on her family’s dairy farm in Wisconsin, Heim manages their calves and has taken on a few additional responsibilities from her grandma, including preparing meals for employees during the workday and accounting. Here's a breakdown of the episode: About Heim and her family’s dairy farm [~0:45]Warming and cooling rooms for their newborn calves [~2:10]Managing calves in their new calf barn [~3:40]Lung ultrasounds [~4:15]Beef on dairy [~6:10]Calf management in hutches and in the calf barn [~6:40]The most important thing Heim has learned since she started managing the calves a few years ago [~7:55]Building a network of helpful people [~9:15]Providing meals for employees [~10:30]New office with a kitchen [~12:30]Meal planning [~13:15]Why Heim decided to come back to the farm as the next generation [~14:15]Heim’s favorite part of being back on the farm [~15:25]Future goals [~15:50]Rapid-fire questions [~16:20]

The integration of beef into the dairy industry has reshaped the market as we know it today and has furthered the potential to foster the development of a sustainable beef industry. Simplot Animal Sciences has elected Luis Davalos who is a farm manager for Corrales Dairy in Roswell, New Mexico, to speak on this topic as he has extensive knowledge in what it takes to run a successful breeding program. This episode is sponsored by Simplot Animal Sciences. Simplot's Animal Sciences team uses an innovative approach to provide advanced reproductive solutions for beef and dairy cattle producers to improve efficiency, productivity, and profitability in a changing market. Combining extensive experience in agribusiness with the latest in reproductive solutions, the Animal Sciences team developed the innovative SimVitro™-branded platform for improving genetics and reproductive efficiency in dairy and beef cattle.

Would you use an intelligent system to help you make sense of farm data and apply it to improve efficiency? Or maybe you already are! In this episode we take a look at how dairy farmers can approach implementing cutting-edge tech on their dairies. What is the value to be gained and potential wins, as well as challenges and things to keep in mind when considering adoption. Highlights: [02:07] What are the challenges and pain points that bring farmers to explore and adopt new tech like AI systems on dairy farms?  Short answer: Labor shortage and big data management. [03:57] How do intelligent systems available on the market today make use of Artificial Intelligence and how does that transform dairy operations that use them? Short answer: Their processing capabilities allow them to consolidate multiple data sources and generate real value out of this data.  [10:24] How do these systems help improve efficiency and profitability on dairies? Short answer: Save time, centralize data, support analysis and informed decision making. [14:14] How has technology adoption impacted the collaboration between dairy farmers and their advisors? Short answer: When advisors have access to farm data and analysis tools it allows them to stay up to date and give better advice, even when they’re not on the farm. [17:44] What advice can you give to farmers who are considering implementing a smart system on their dairy? Short answer: Always start by identifying the main challenges you’re trying to solve and choose the solution that works best to support you with these specific issues. This episode is sponsored by Connecterra. Connecterra is an artificial intelligence company on a mission to empower the dairy industry to become more efficient while reducing impact on the planet. We are headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, with teams in Europe and the United States. Our solution is the Connecterra platform, which transforms data into intelligent digital experiences and products for farmers, advisors and dairy companies. Our customers and partners include some of the largest global brands in the dairy industry.

In this episode, hear what articles and podcast episodes stood out to Editors Kimmi Devaney, Walt Cooley, Jenn Coyne, Matti McBride and Dave Natzke in 2023. You’ll also hear about changes to Progressive Dairy’s editorial team in 2024, including Natzke’s retirement and the addition of McBride to the podcast team. The episode wraps up with entertaining answers to the rapid-fire questions from these five editors. Here’s a breakdown of the episode: Highlights from Natzke’s 40-plus-year career in ag journalism [~1:15]Natzke explains the greatest changes he has seen on farms in the last four decades [~2:45]Common characteristics of farms that have navigated change well [~4:35]Natzke’s key takeaways from many years of covering dairy policy [~5:20]Why it matters for dairy producers to be involved in the policy process [~8:00]Natzke discusses the parts of his career he is most proud of [~9:55]What Natzke is most looking forward to in retirement [~11:25]Natzke’s professional development advice for dairy producers looking to take their businesses to the next level [~13:00]McBride joins the podcast team in 2024, while Coyne focuses on other responsibilities [~14:15]Cooley and Devaney ask McBride questions about her role at Progressive Dairy, dairy background, dairy interests and more to help listeners get to know the new podcast co-host [~15:05]Editors discuss the most memorable articles and podcast episodes from 2023 [~22:55]Hear what these five editors are most excited about in 2024 [~30:50]Rapid-fire questions [~35:00]

In this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast, Dr. Devan Paulus Compart, Technical Services Manager with Papillon Agricultural Company, shares her 5-step process for selecting feed additives, how additives can be used as a tool to manage on-farm challenges, what metrics define feed additive success and how to make an informed financial decision for your operation. To learn more about how feed additives improve animal health and productivity, visit papillon-ag.com or reach out to your local Papillon representative. This episode is sponsored by Papillon Agricultural Company.