Progressive Dairy Podcast

Hillcrest Farms is home to Georgia’s first robotic dairy farm. Hillcrest Farms started in 1941 on the perimeter of Dearing, Georgia. It has continued to be owned and operated by the Rodgers family and is now on its fourth generation, three of which still work on the farm today. In this episode, you’ll have the opportunity to hear from Mark Rodgers about his family’s involvement on the farm. With the future generations in mind and to help with their labor challenges, the family made the decision in 2019 to install five DeLaval VMS V300 robots into their retrofit barn. Their herd currently sits above a 90-pound average milk production, with a positive outlook on growing that number even more. Recently, Hillcrest Farms opened up their farm for agritourism. Mark shares about the agritourism experience on their farm and shares some insight on the future of his farm with robots in this new podcast episode.  This episode is brought to you by DeLaval. If you’re interested in learning more about the DeLaval VMS V300 or want to talk with a DeLaval representative, please visit our website at delaval.com.

Dr. Jennifer Walker is a former dairy veterinarian who is now the director of quality and care for Danone North America. She oversees Danone's milk quality and animal welfare programs for the 700 U.S. dairy farms that supply the company’s milk. In short, she says her job is to "make sure the cows are happy, and the milk is awesome."

On this Progressive Dairy Podcast, editor Peggy Coffeen sits down with Amy Penterman from Dutch Dairy in Thorp, Wis. She is a dairy farmer, crop insurance agent, and the newly elected president of the Dairy Business Association. Amy talks about grassroots advocating and lobbying in a virtual space and opportunities to open dialogue with the environmental community.

Wisconsin dairyman Chuck Ripp’s 900-cow farm has had a digester for more than 10 years. In this episode, you’ll hear about their recent switch over to producing renewable natural gas and whether Chuck thinks it will pay off. He’ll also explain the farm’s focus on transition cows and the protocols he uses to limit issues with fresh cows. Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, he’s using a virtual relationship with his nutritionist. He’ll talk about how that’s affected his feeding program. And finally, Chuck shares his best wisdom for younger producers from his years of dairy experience.

In this Progressive Dairy Podcast, Editor Peggy Coffeen talks to Nate Heim, herd manager at Yippee! Farms in Pennsylvania. A self-proclaimed “city slicker,” hear how his childhood job of packing apples served as a training ground for finding efficiencies on the 2,300-cow dairy he’s managed since its startup, and how his efforts are shaving time off of milking shifts to get more turns in the double-20 parlor while maintaining production, excellent cow comfort and a loyal team. 

In this podcast, Progressive Dairy Editor Peggy Coffeen sits down with Kristy Pagel from GPS Dairy Consulting LLC to talk about one of the most powerful, yet simple, tools dairy teams can use to boost morale, empower people and take things to the next level in 2021. 

Get to know Michigan Milk Producers through one of the organization's award-winning dairies. In this issue, Editor Walt Cooley talks with Tony Jandernoa and Brent Simon. Jandernoa is the District 6 representative for Michigan Milk. As a board member, he works with the show's second guest, Brent Simon. Earlier this year, Simon and his wife, Emily, were named Michigan Milk's young cooperators of the year. The Simons operate a farm with 930 cows and 2,300 acres. Brent is a graduate of the dairy management program at Michigan State University, while Emily has a bachelor’s degree from Davenport University.

In this episode, Editor Peggy Coffeen sits down with dairyman Lloyd Holterman to discuss all things genomics, from the early adoption of genetic technology to developing the cows in the Rosy-Lane Holsteins herd today. Holterman discusses how laser-focused, data-driven genetic selection has enabled him to create a more sustainable cow that that lives longer with fewer health incidents and greater feed efficiency. Learn about his strategy, and hear this dairyman’s thoughts on inbreeding, genetic research and the direction of the industry.

Our guest on today’s podcast is Pauly Paul, dairy management consultant and owner of Complete Management Consulting LLC., a hands-on dairy consulting company that specializes in assisting farms with improving their efficiency and income while decreasing operational expenses. 

Aidan Connolly, president of AgriTech Capital, joins Editor Walt Cooley in this episode. This is an exclusive interview and a follow-up to the Global Dairy Tech Startup Spotlight which was held in the first part of October 2020. Connolly played a critical role in pulling the event together. Rewatch the event by going to www.dairystartupspotlight.com. Connolly talks more about dairy tech startups and their role in the industry in the next five years.