Dairy Stream

Farmer experience using artificial intelligence (AI) on the farm

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it,” is a quote from this episode focused on artificial intelligence (AI). Two Wisconsin dairy farmers, Nathan Brandt and Mitch Breunig, share what they are tracking and how it has impacted the dairy farm. Dairy Stream host Joanna Guza dives into the topics below with Nathan and Mitch:

• 1:26: Technology on the farm
• 2:41: When the farm implemented AI
• 6:10: How AI is implemented
• 11:04: How all the platforms come together
• 13:25: What is being tracked with AI
• 16:57: Focus on lactating cows
• 18:08: Is it easy to understand
• 20:26: Identifying trends in data
• 23:19: Challenges with AI
• 25:40: Can AI be wrong?
• 28:13: Game-changer experiences with AI
• 32:26: AI helps with consistency
• 34:26: Future of AI
• 39:08: Educating youth
• 41:01: Concerns about the future of AI
• 41:50: What’s next for your AI journey

Special thanks to Connecterra for sponsoring this episode.

About the guests

• Nathan Brandt is the Dairy Herd Manager at Four Cubs Farm where they milk 980 cows with 16 robots in a retrofit free stall. Nathan’s role is managing the cow-side of the operation and utilizing the data that AI helps sort on the dairy.   
• Mitch Breunig is the owner of Mystic Valley Dairy where they milk 450 cows in a double 14 parallel parlor. Mitch’s manages the day to day and oversee the AI on the farm.  

This podcast is co-produced by the Dairy Business Association and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, sister organizations that fight for effective dairy policy in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.  Become a sponsor, share an idea or feedback by emailing podcast@dairyforward.com. 

Attend Dairy Strong on Jan. 16-18 in Green Bay, Wisconsin to gain firsthand inspiration and discover the challenges and solutions experienced by other farmers when implementing sustainable practices. Gain practical knowledge and motivation to implement practices that will make a positive impact on the environment and farms. Learn more and register at dairystrong.org.

Dairy Streamlet: Farmer experience using artificial intelligence (AI) on the farm

Two Wisconsin dairy farmers share experiences about how AI is keeping their dairy farms consistent through tracking routine items and the health of the cows. Nathan and Mitch share the implementation, comprehension, challenges, game-changer experiences and the future of AI.

Special thanks to Connecterra for sponsoring this episode.

About the guests

• Nathan Brandt is the Dairy Herd Manager at Four Cubs Farm where they milk 980 cows with 16 Lely robots in a retrofit free stall. Nathan’s role is managing the cow-side of the operation and utilizing the data that AI helps sort on the dairy.   
• Mitch Breunig is the owner of Mystic Valley Dairy where they milk 450 cows in a double 14 parallel parlor. Mitch’s manages the day to day on the farm and oversee the AI on the farm.  

This podcast is co-produced by the Dairy Business Association and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, sister organizations that fight for effective dairy policy in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.  Become a sponsor, share an idea or feedback by emailing podcast@dairyforward.com. 

Attend Dairy Strong on Jan. 16-18 in Green Bay, Wisconsin to gain firsthand inspiration and discover the challenges and solutions experienced by other farmers when implementing sustainable practices. Gain practical knowledge and motivation to implement practices that will make a positive impact on the environment and farms. Learn more and register at dairystrong.org.

Succession planning and creating generational wealth

Early, often and transparent was a common theme in the conversation on succession planning and generational wealth. Jud Snyder and Brad Guse of BMO share insight on competing in the new normal, basic succession planning conversations, “killer D’s,” generational wealth process, liquidity, adding new family members and advice. Dairy Stream host Joanna Guza dives into the topics below with Jud and Brad:

• 1:55: What succession planning used to look like and what we are seeing now
• 3:19: Can your farm compete in the ‘new normal’
• 4:54: Basic succession planning conversations
• 7:15: Emotions involved in succession planning
• 8:46: Perfect time to exit
• 10:50: Ideal time to end the farm with no successor
• 13:20: Keep an eye on macroeconomics   
• 14:01: Considerations when selling to a third party
• 15:25: Preparing for the unexpected, ‘Killer D’s’
• 18:15: Process of generational wealth and how it’s generated
• 20:36: The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act doubled the lifetime estate and gift tax exemption and set to expire Jan. 1, 2026, how does this impact succession planning
• 22.19: Who should be involved in succession planning
• 24:01: What is liquidity and why is it important
• 26:04:  Considerations with marriage and new family members
• 27:14: Multiple siblings but only select few taking over the farm, what about the other non-farming children
• 29:54: When does life insurance play a role
• 32:10: How to keep the older generation involved
• 34:48: Final advice on succession planning

Special thanks to BMO for sponsoring this episode.

About the guests

• Jud Snyder
  Jud Snyder is Regional President of the Midwest with BMO Wealth Management and BMO’s Senior Executive for Southeast Wisconsin. 
  Jud oversees the strategic development and delivery of BMO Private Bank’s personal wealth management platform to high net worth individuals, families and organizations, including closely-held and family-owned businesses, endowments and foundations throughout the Midwest. Jud joined the Bank in 1994 and has over 28 years of experience in financial services. 
  Prior to taking his current role, he spent much of his career in Commercial Banking. He was responsible for leading the growth and development of M&I’s Equipment Finance Company. This included strategic and managerial responsibility for sales, operations, underwriting and equipment management capabilities within Equipment Finance. In 2010, he was named M&I’s Head of Specialized Industries. In this role he was responsible for Equipment Finance, Global Trade, Health Care, Dealer Finance, Agribusiness and Sponsor Finance. Following the BMO acquisition in 2011, he moved back into the head role at BMO Equipment Finance with the mandate to leverage the business across BMO and grow the business to scale. 
  Jud obtained his BA in Russian and Economics from UW Madison (’94). He serves on the Board of Directors for The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee (Trustee), United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, Milwaukee World Festival, Froedtert Health Systems (Chair), and Teach for America Milwaukee. He was previously a Director and Chair of the Milwaukee Ballet (2012-2019) and a past Chairman and Officer of the ELFA (Equipment Leasing and Finance Association) (2010-2020). 
  Jud lives in River Hills, Wisconsin with his wife, Amy and their children. 
• Brad Guse
  As an agricultural banking officer for BMO Commercial Bank - Marshfield, Brad Guse manages a portfolio of diverse production agricultural relationships made up of primarily dairy farm accounts. Guse has ten years of experience in the dairy nutrition field and over twenty - eight years of experience in agricultural banking. He was appointed by Wisconsin’s Governor to serve on the Dairy 2.0 task force as well as to serve on the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) board of directors.
  He’s very involved in the Ag community serving as the school director and an instructor for the Wisconsin Bankers Association agricultural lending schools as well as serving on the American Bankers Association’s Ag and Rural Banking conference committee to name just a few.
  Brad served 21 years in the Wisconsin Army National Guard, retiring in 2004 after his unit’s successful deployment to Afghanistan. Guse holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. 

This podcast is co-produced by the Dairy Business Association and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, sister organizations that fight for effective dairy policy in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.  Become a sponsor, share an idea or feedback by emailing podcast@dairyforward.com. 

Attend Dairy Strong on Jan. 16-18 in Green Bay, Wisconsin to gain firsthand inspiration and discover the challenges and solutions experienced by other farmers when implementing sustainable practices. Gain practical knowledge and motivation to implement practices that will make a positive impact on the environment and farms. Learn more and register at dairystrong.org.

Dairy Streamlet: Succession planning and creating generational wealth

The Dairy Streamlet is a new, condensed version of Dairy Stream that takes the long episode and covers just the high-level points of the conversation. If this topic interest you, we encourage you to listen to the full episode on Nov. 8.

Dairy Stream host Joanna Guza talks with Jud Snyder and Brad Guse of BMO about competing in the new normal, succession planning conversations, perfect time to exit, process of generational wealth, importance of liquidity, future planning advice and more.

Special thanks to BMO for sponsoring this episode.

About the guests

• Jud Snyder
  Jud Snyder is Regional President of the Midwest with BMO Wealth Management and BMO’s Senior Executive for Southeast Wisconsin. 
  Jud oversees the strategic development and delivery of BMO Private Bank’s personal wealth management platform to high net worth individuals, families and organizations, including closely-held and family-owned businesses, endowments and foundations throughout the Midwest. Jud joined the Bank in 1994 and has over 28 years of experience in financial services. 
  Prior to taking his current role, he spent much of his career in Commercial Banking. He was responsible for leading the growth and development of M&I’s Equipment Finance Company. This included strategic and managerial responsibility for sales, operations, underwriting and equipment management capabilities within Equipment Finance. In 2010, he was named M&I’s Head of Specialized Industries. In this role he was responsible for Equipment Finance, Global Trade, Health Care, Dealer Finance, Agribusiness and Sponsor Finance. Following the BMO acquisition in 2011, he moved back into the head role at BMO Equipment Finance with the mandate to leverage the business across BMO and grow the business to scale. 
  Jud obtained his BA in Russian and Economics from UW Madison (’94). He serves on the Board of Directors for The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee (Trustee), United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, Milwaukee World Festival, Froedtert Health Systems (Chair), and Teach for America Milwaukee. He was previously a Director and Chair of the Milwaukee Ballet (2012-2019) and a past Chairman and Officer of the ELFA (Equipment Leasing and Finance Association) (2010-2020). 
  Jud lives in River Hills, Wisconsin with his wife, Amy and their children. 
• Brad Guse
  As an agricultural banking officer for BMO Commercial Bank - Marshfield, Brad Guse manages a portfolio of diverse production agricultural relationships made up of primarily dairy farm accounts. Guse has ten years of experience in the dairy nutrition field and over twenty - eight years of experience in agricultural banking. He was appointed by Wisconsin’s Governor to serve on the Dairy 2.0 task force as well as to serve on the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) board of directors.
  He’s very involved in the Ag community serving as the school director and an instructor for the Wisconsin Bankers Association agricultural lending schools as well as serving on the American Bankers Association’s Ag and Rural Banking conference committee to name just a few.
  Brad served 21 years in the Wisconsin Army National Guard, retiring in 2004 after his unit’s successful deployment to Afghanistan. Guse holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. 

This podcast is co-produced by the Dairy Business Association and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, sister organizations that fight for effective dairy policy in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.  Become a sponsor, share an idea or feedback by emailing podcast@dairyforward.com. 

Attend Dairy Strong on Jan. 16-18 in Green Bay, Wisconsin to gain firsthand inspiration and discover the challenges and solutions experienced by other farmers when implementing sustainable practices. Gain practical knowledge and motivation to implement practices that will make a positive impact on the environment and farms. Learn more and register at dairystrong.org.

Feed management strategies to reduce methane emissions

Innovative feed management strategies could be a part of your plan to reduce methane emissions on the farm. Lead Dairy Scientist Dr. Partha Ray of the Nature Conservancy shares about the 3-year study he is currently involved in to help explore feed management strategies, such as feed additives, to reduce methane in dairy cattle. Dairy Stream host Joanna Guza dives into the topics below with Dr. Ray:

• 2:02: What has been done with the study so far
• 4:23: Walk us through the study and what is being done
•  7:10: What is feed management
• 8:37: Feed management practices being used in the study
• 9:43: About feed additives
• 11:37: How feed additives are fed
• 13:15: Cost with feed additives  
• 15:55: What types of feed rations reduce methane
• 20:40: Most interesting finding so far
• 23:40: Research keeping up with net zero goals
• 25:01: How a farm could start a feed management strategy
• 27:11: Balancing feed cost and methane reduction
• 29:35: How does feed management fit into net zero
• 33:18: How farms can participate in the study
• 36:55: Next 10 years of feed management

Special thanks to The Nature Conservancy for sponsoring this episode.

About the guest

• Dr. Partha Ray, lead dairy scientist at The Nature Conservancy
  Dr. Partha Ray is a dairy scientist and a veterinarian with over 10 years of experience working with dairy production stakeholders to develop on-farm and system level solutions to improve dairy production sustainability. Following a B.S. in Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry and a M.S. of Veterinary Science, Animal Nutrition in India, he received his Ph.D. in Animal Sciences, Dairy from Virginia Tech. 

PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY

If you are a dairy farmer in Wisconsin or Michigan and would like to participate in this study focused on feed management strategies, please contact Alisha Staggs at alisha.staggs@TNC.ORG. Additional information on the study can be found here.

This podcast is co-produced by the Dairy Business Association and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, sister organizations that fight for effective dairy policy in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.  Become a sponsor, share an idea or feedback by emailing podcast@dairyforward.com. 

Attend Dairy Strong on Jan. 16-18 in Green Bay, Wisconsin to gain firsthand inspiration and discover the challenges and solutions experienced by other farmers when implementing sustainable practices. Gain practical knowledge and motivation to implement practices that will make a positive impact on the environment and farms. Learn more and register at dairystrong.org.

Dairy Streamlet: Feed management strategies to reduce methane emissions

The Dairy Streamlet is a new, condensed version of Dairy Stream that takes the long episode and covers just the high-level points of the conversation. If this topic interest you, we encourage you to listen to the full episode on October 18.

Dairy Stream host Joanna Guza talks with Dr. Partha Ray, a dairy scientist and veterinarian, about a 3-year study being done to reduce methane emissions in dairy cattle. They talk about the study, feed management strategies and how it fits into the plan of being net zero.

Special thanks to The Nature Conservancy for sponsoring this episode.

About the guest

• Dr. Partha Ray, lead dairy scientist at The Nature Conservancy
  Dr. Partha Ray is a dairy scientist and a veterinarian with over 10 years of experience working with dairy production stakeholders to develop on-farm and system level solutions to improve dairy production sustainability. Following a B.S. in Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry and a M.S. of Veterinary Science, Animal Nutrition in India, he received his Ph.D. in Animal Sciences, Dairy from Virginia Tech. 

PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY

If you are a dairy farmer in Wisconsin or Michigan and would like to participate in this study focused on feed management strategies, please contact Alisha Staggs at alisha.staggs@TNC.ORG. Additional information on the study can be found here.

This podcast is co-produced by the Dairy Business Association and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, sister organizations that fight for effective dairy policy in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.  Become a sponsor, share an idea or feedback by emailing podcast@dairyforward.com. 

Attend Dairy Strong on Jan. 16-18 in Green Bay, Wisconsin to gain firsthand inspiration and discover the challenges and solutions experienced by other farmers when implementing sustainable practices. Gain practical knowledge and motivation to implement practices that will make a positive impact on the environment and farms. Learn more and register at dairystrong.org.

 

 

Building trust with the media and consumers

Gen Z prioritizes purpose and social elements and the farmers voice carries a lot of value when sharing that message during media interviews. Experienced communication professional Liz Fitzsimmons of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin shares the impact of farmer media interviews and how to prepare for them. Dairy Stream host Joanna Guza dives into the topics below with Liz:

• 1:20: Impact of farmers doing media interviews
• 2:30: Content the public is most interested in
• 4:05: Image farms should be showcasing
• 6:19: What types of media are important to dairy
• 8:07: What types of media DFW focuses on  
• 9:40: Social media presence  
• 10:43: Showcasing dairy during the holidays
• 11:50: When is the best timeframe to do an interview
• 14:15: Building a relationship with local media
• 16:13: How to prepare for an interview
• 18:55: How to handle a difficult question
• 20:53: What to avoid during an interview
• 21:52: Know the media personality
• 25:05: Never off the record
• 26:01: How to end an interview

Special thanks to Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin for sponsoring this episode.

About the guest

• Liz Fitzsimmons
  Liz is an experienced communication professional who has worked on behalf of Wisconsin's dairy farmers for nearly three decades. During her tenure, Liz has worked in almost every aspect of marketing and promotion. She has extensive experience working directly with farmers, grassroots organizations and volunteers across the state in addition to event planning, video production and leading successful campaigns that use a blend of paid and earned media. If you're a national reporter or producer wanting to talk to a Wisconsin dairy farmer, Liz is your gal! She is an expert at media training and coordinating interviews that help tell the story of Wisconsin's dedicated dairy farmers for audiences and outlets of all sizes.

This podcast is co-produced by the Dairy Business Association and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, sister organizations that fight for effective dairy policy in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.  Become a sponsor, share an idea or feedback by emailing podcast@dairyforward.com. 

Attend Dairy Strong on Jan. 16-18 in Green Bay, Wisconsin to gain firsthand inspiration and discover the challenges and solutions experienced by other farmers when implementing sustainable practices. Gain practical knowledge and motivation to implement practices that will make a positive impact on the environment and farms. Learn more and register at dairystrong.org.

Dairy Streamlet: Building trust with the media and consumers

The Dairy Streamlet is a new, condensed version of Dairy Stream that takes the long episode and covers just the high-level points of the conversation. If this topic interest you, we encourage you to listen to the full episode on September 27.

Dairy Stream host Joanna Guza talks with Liz Fitzsimmons, an experienced communication professional, about the impact of media interviews, content the public is interested in, preparing for an interview, handling a difficult situation and more.

Special thanks to Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin for sponsoring this episode.

About the guest

• Liz Fitzsimmons
  Liz is an experienced communication professional who has worked on behalf of Wisconsin's dairy farmers for nearly three decades. During her tenure, Liz has worked in almost every aspect of marketing and promotion. She has extensive experience working directly with farmers, grassroots organizations and volunteers across the state in addition to event planning, video production and leading successful campaigns that use a blend of paid and earned media. If you're a national reporter or producer wanting to talk to a Wisconsin dairy farmer, Liz is your gal! She is an expert at media training and coordinating interviews that help tell the story of Wisconsin's dedicated dairy farmers for audiences and outlets of all sizes.

This podcast is co-produced by the Dairy Business Association and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, sister organizations that fight for effective dairy policy in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. 

Become a sponsor, share an idea or feedback by emailing podcast@dairyforward.com. 

Check out the Dairy Strong conference Jan. 16-18 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Learn more and register at dairystrong.org. 

Genomic study proves profitability, methane reduction

Genetics in the dairy industry are making big strides. Project leaders Lauren Brey and Dr. Dan Weigel share about a collaborative project between Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, Farmers for Sustainable Food, Zoetis, and 8 aligned farms, showed how focusing on genetic improvement correlates to not only lifetime profitability but reductions in methane intensity, antibiotic usage and feed use on the farm. Dairy Stream host Joanna Guza dives into the topics below with Lauren and Dan:

• 1:50: How the project got started
• 2:43: How the farms were selected
• 5:04: Dairy Wellness Profit Index and how it was used
• 7:55: Process of collecting and analyzing the data
• 9:40: The study had 43 percent reduction in antibiotic usage
• 13:38: The study had 23 percent reduction in the number of replacement heifers
• 15:00: The study had 15.8 metrics tons of methane reduced per 1,000-cow herd
• 16:48: The study had a decrease in feed used
• 19:52: If farms want to participate, what is the timeline and ROI
• 22:51: How does the research impact the future of sustainable food
• 25:00: What’s next for the future of research and genetics

Special thanks to Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative for sponsoring this episode.

About the guests

• Lauren Brey
  Lauren is the director of strategic partnerships and sustainability for the Dairy Business Association (DBA) and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative. In this role, she serves as managing director of Farmers for Sustainable Food (FSF) and directs their support of farmer-led conservation groups and sustainability projects. Brey is also responsible for fostering relationships with other organizations to bring more value and resources to the members of DBA and Edge. She previously served as the director of marketing and research and worked as a scientist for a cheese company prior to DBA, Edge and FSF.  
• Dr. Dan Weigel
  Dan grew up in Iowa on the family farm (Weigeline Holsteins) and graduated from Iowa State University with a BS in Dairy Science.  He received both his MS and PhD from Virginia Tech, with his dissertation focusing on the prediction of genetic merit for lifetime profitability in Holsteins.  Before joining the R&D group of Zoetis (formerly Pfizer Animal Health) in 1995, Dr. Weigel served as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Guelph working on the implementation of Multiple Across Country Evaluations (MACE) for conformation traits of Holstein sires.  Dr. Weigel’s current role with Zoetis is in Outcomes Research and he also remains active as a breeder of dairy cattle. 

This podcast is co-produced by the Dairy Business Association and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, sister organizations that fight for effective dairy policy in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. 

Become a sponsor, share an idea or feedback by emailing podcast@dairyforward.com. 

Dairy Streamlet: Genomic study proves profitability, methane reduction

The Dairy Streamlet is a new, condensed version of Dairy Stream that takes the long episode and covers just the high-level points of the conversation. If this topic interests you, we encourage you to listen to the full episode on September 6.

Dairy Stream host Joanna Guza talks with project leaders Lauren Brey and Dr. Dan Weigel about a collaborative project focusing on how genetic improvement correlates to not only lifetime profitability but reductions in methane intensity, antibiotic usage and feed use on the farm.

Special thanks to Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative for sponsoring this episode.

About the guests

• Lauren Brey
  Lauren is the director of strategic partnerships and sustainability for the Dairy Business Association (DBA) and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative. In this role, she serves as managing director of Farmers for Sustainable Food (FSF) and directs their support of farmer-led conservation groups and sustainability projects. Brey is also responsible for fostering relationships with other organizations to bring more value and resources to the members of DBA and Edge. She previously served as the director of marketing and research and worked as a scientist for a cheese company prior to DBA, Edge and FSF.  
• Dr. Dan Weigel
  Dan grew up in Iowa on the family farm (Weigeline Holsteins) and graduated from Iowa State University with a BS in Dairy Science.  He received both his MS and PhD from Virginia Tech, with his dissertation focusing on the prediction of genetic merit for lifetime profitability in Holsteins.  Before joining the R&D group of Zoetis (formerly Pfizer Animal Health) in 1995, Dr. Weigel served as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Guelph working on the implementation of Multiple Across Country Evaluations (MACE) for conformation traits of Holstein sires.  Dr. Weigel’s current role with Zoetis is in Outcomes Research and he also remains active as a breeder of dairy cattle. 

This podcast is co-produced by the Dairy Business Association and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, sister organizations that fight for effective dairy policy in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. 

Become a sponsor, share an idea or feedback by emailing podcast@dairyforward.com.