As dairy producers look to maximize profitability, every pregnancy needs a strategic lens. Join Jeremy Howard of Simplot Animal Sciences and Lauren Kimble of Select Sires as they discuss strategic breeding, beef-on-dairy opportunities, the growing value of uniform, consistent genetics to help producers capture value today and prepare for tomorrow's market demands.

Learn more about SimVitro® Cattle Embryos

This episode is sponsored by Simplot Animal Sciences.

Stacy Rethman joins guest host Audrey Schmitz in this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast to discuss how she returned to her family’s dairy, Rottinghaus Holstein Farm in Seneca, Kansas. After teaching middle school science, she now helps manage their herd while educating consumers about dairy farming through outreach and social media.

Episode breakdown:

• 0:40 – Rethman’s connection to farming
• 4:00 – Journey from teaching to dairying
• 8:00 – Similarities between teaching and dairying
• 10:00 – Returning to the farm full time
• 12:40 – Difficult seasons
• 15:20 – Steepest learning curve
• 16:50 – Finding balance between farming and family
• 18:45 – Advice for other young women
• 20:40 – Sharing farm life on social media

Healthy calves begin with a healthy environment, and sometimes the most important challenges are found right at bedding level. In this episode, calf producer and researcher Dr. Dave Casper discusses what led him to investigate ammonia in calf hutches and the results of his research evaluating SurpHace® (sodium bisulfate) as an environmental management tool. He shares what the study revealed about ammonia concentrations and calf growth, and observations surrounding fly pressure. A great listen for producers looking for proactive ways to create a healthier calf environment.

Episode highlights:

01:34 – Why Study Ammonia in Calf Hutches?

Dave explains what first made him question ammonia levels in outdoor calf hutches.

03:44 – Reducing Ammonia with SurpHace

The study showed lower ammonia levels, along with observations of reduced fly pressure.

05:23 – Improving Calf Growth

Calves gained more than a tenth of a pound per day, resulting in about eight pounds of additional gain.

06:03 – Evaluating Ammonia at Calf Level

Dave explains why producers should assess air quality where the calf actually rests.

07:07 – What’s Next for SurpHace Research?

Ongoing work is evaluating whether once-weekly applications can provide effective ammonia control.

This episode is sponsored by Jones-Hamilton.

Tara Hill and Emma Hill-Macmillan join guest host Audrey Schmitz in this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast to chat about how dairywomen find balance between the farm and caring for their families. Learn how they work side by side on Charles Hill and Son Dairy in Central Onslow, Nova Scotia, and have a shared work ethic and passion for agriculture to advance their family farm.

Episode breakdown:

• 0:45 – Connection to dairy farming
• 4:45 – Finding balance between farming and family
• 6:50 – Difficult seasons and moments it felt worth it
• 10:00 – Differences in farming between generations
• 13:25 – Working relationship between mother and daughter
• 16:55 – Leadership strengths women bring to the dairy industry

Rick Boyer is the dairy/agriculture account manager for Vaughan Company.

Rick has been with Vaughan Company since 2012, where he started in the manure department, and his expertise is manure.

He has had a hand in most dairy and ag applications offering suggestions and solutions, from large commercial operations to small farms.

This episode is sponsored by Vaughan Company.

Visit the Vaughan Company website

Artificial intelligence (AI) and big data are revolutionizing industries—so why is dairy only now catching up?

In this episode, we explore:

• Why the dairy value chain is embracing AI now
• How DDW is using data to support smarter, more sustainable dairy operations
• The journey from raw farm data to actionable AI insights

Don’t miss this conversation on the future of dairy tech!

This episode is sponsored by Dairy Data Warehouse.

At Dairy Data Warehouse (DDW), we unlock the full potential of data on dairy farms across the globe to enable the industry to harness big data and AI for sustainable and more profitable farming. DDW collects farm data from the herd management software and other sources on farm. We ensure high data quality by cleaning and transforming it into a unified, comparable set for AI driven strategic decision-making, benchmarking and insights. Our solutions support key stakeholders in nutrition, genetics, animal health, cow monitoring, and milking equipment. Let’s connect to explore how data can drive your business forward.

Join host Matti McBride as she chats with dairy producer Erica Hermonot in this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast. Learn about Hermonot’s dairy, operating a farm store, welcoming kids to the farm each year and hosting the local county fair birthing center. Hermonot also touches on the importance of community outreach for dairy producers. Listen to learn more.

Episode breakdown:

• 1:00 – Rapid-fire questions
• 2:40 – Fairhom Farm
• 5:30 – Farm store
• 8:40 – Kids camp
• 12:50 – Adding value to Fairholm Farm
• 14:15 – Interesting questions Erica has been asked
• 15:00 – Managing the birthing center at local county fair
• 21:30 – Traits Fairhom Farm selects for, how they maintain longevity in herd
• 27:50 – Describing modern dairy technology to consumers
• 30:30 – Advice for others interested in agritourism

Every day, dairy producers balance countless decisions across people, cows and operations. As technology continues to evolve, the challenge isn't access to information. It's knowing what matters most and what action to take next. In this episode, Mark Moran and Jennifer Stamey of VAS join Walt Cooley of Progressive Dairy to discuss how connected systems can help bring clarity to complex operations, support more confident decision-making and unlock new opportunities for the future of dairy management. From predictive insights and automation to creating the context needed for better decisions, the conversation explores what's next for the modern dairy.

Show Highlights:

• 02:47 | Dairy has more data than ever. Now what?
• 04:48 | The gap between data collection and decision making
• 13:02 | Why connected systems matter on today’s dairy
• 18:06 | Using technology to anticipate change on the dairy
• 23:28 | Building the team, technology and strategy for the future

Mark Moran, PhD, SM, MBA, serves as Chief Product and Technology Officer at VAS, bringing more than two decades of experience in agtech spanning information technology, manufacturing, marketing, product engineering and emerging technology. He has spent most of the last decade focused on AI, Mobile, Cloud, IoT and autonomous systems. Throughout his career, he has led teams focused on innovation, connected systems and digital transformation. At VAS, Mark helps guide the company's product and technology strategy with a focus on delivering practical solutions that help dairy producers operate with greater confidence, efficiency and insight.

Jennifer Stamey, PhD, is a Senior Product Manager at VAS with a background spanning dairy nutrition, herd management and dairy technology. Before moving into product management, Jennifer worked closely with producers and consultants to help dairies use data to improve decision-making and operational performance. Today, she helps shape the future of herd management software at VAS, combining practical dairy experience with a deep understanding of the technologies that support modern dairy operations.

Walt Cooley, MBA, served as editor-in-chief of the industry-leading publication Progressive Dairy (www.progressivedairy.com) for 16 years. He is still a contributing editor to the magazine and now serves as vice president of publishing. Additionally, he is the founder and editor of The Cow Tech Report (www.cowtechreport.com), a global newsletter covering emerging technologies for cows. He is a learner and futurist passionate about technology and its application for farms and livestock.

This episode is sponsored by VAS.

VAS is a global leader in dairy management software and the company behind DairyComp, the industry's trusted herd management platform. For more than 40 years, VAS has helped producers collect, connect and act on their farm data with insights that support confident management decisions. Visit VAS.com to learn more.