Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy talks with veterans, Matt Taber, a retired Marine and co-owner of Donley Farms in Shoshone, Idaho, and Kelsey DeBoer, a former U.S. Army Reserve construction engineer and now senior marketing manager at Zoetis, about how military service shapes leadership and perspective.
Kelsey explains Zoetis’ Patriots Pledge partnership with Folds of Honor, donating a percentage of sales from select products from Memorial Day through Veterans Day to fund scholarships for families of fallen or disabled service members, and also law enforcement and first responders.
They both discuss teamwork, accountability and sacrifice as lessons applied to their respective dairy work today, as they also reflect with gratitude on their time in service and the powerful perspective that lives on through the way they lead.

Zoetis’ Patriots’ Pledge program supports Folds of Honor. Folds of Honor is a non-profit organization that provides education scholarships for spouses and children of America’s fallen or injured service members and first responders. The Patriots’ Pledge program from Zoetis designates a portion of sales from select products between Memorial Day and Veterans Day each year. Learn more here:

https://www.zoetisus.com/services-and-programs/patriots-pledge/

This episode is brought to you by Zoetis. As the world’s leading animal health company, Zoetis is dedicated to helping producers achieve healthy animals, healthy dairies and healthy food through their world-class portfolio. For more information, visit ⁠DairyWellness.com.⁠

• 03:02 Meet Matt & Kelsey
• 04:13 Matt Journey in the Marines
• 05:48 Deployments and Iwo Jima
• 07:26 Kelsey's Path in the Army Reserve
• 10:23 Dairy After Service
• 15:20 Military Lessons in Dairy
• 18:40 Accountability at Zoetis
• 21:05 Deployment Perspective Shift
• 23:30 First World vs Third World
• 25:39 Advice to Younger Self
• 28:26 What Service Really Means
• 30:02 Brotherhood and Sacrifice
• 36:37 Lessons to Live By

Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen interviews Greg Shoemaker, Cargill’s Commercial Director for North America Dairy Nutrition, about leading teams that support dairy producers through nutrition strategy, technology, and on-farm partnership across the US and Canada. Shoemaker shares how his path from rural Pennsylvania roots to a career as a US Army Ranger shaped his leadership approach today ensuring dairy farmers' success.
Greg details the power of building trust, clarity and acting as a multiplier by removing barriers. He discusses learning from mistakes, investing in culture during normal times to withstand hard times, maintaining composure under stress, and adopting an “infinite game” mindset focused on long-term success in dairy.

This episode is brought to you by Cargill Dairy Nutrition.

No two dairies are alike, Cargill Dairy doesn’t expect them to be. When your dairy faces challenges, you need a partner with an original approach. Cargill has their own world-class research labs, developed their own proprietary nutrition software, and fostered an original team approach… all to deliver profitability on YOUR terms. Partner with a nutrition company as original as you are: cargillanimalnutrition.com/original

• 02:31 Greg's Role at Cargill
• 03:40 What Army Rangers Do
• 05:08 From Military to Cargill
• 07:16 Life in Dairy Consulting
• 08:59 Mission and Values Leadership
• 12:38 Building Culture and Trust
• 15:49 Leading Under Pressure
• 19:18 No Decision Is a Decision
• 21:35 Infinite Game Mindset
• 25:10 Better Questions Better Leadership
• 26:20 Execute Iterate Lesson
• 27:51 Vision for the Team
• 29:11 Rallying Through Tough Times
• 33:49 Morning Routine and Journals
• 35:43 Nonnegotiables and Balance
• 37:11 Hardest Leadership Lesson
• 39:16 Purpose in Dairy Industry
• 40:50 Rapid Fire Leadership Round
• 47:18 Problem Solving and OODA Loop

At Central Plains Dairy Expo, Peggy Coffeen caught up with Ever.Ag risk advisor, Brandon Weigel, a Wisconsin farm-raised entrepreneur who started raising show pigs at 12 and later entered risk management through a 4-H club connection. Weigel explains his role managing grain sell-side risk, dairy feed buying risk, and beef-on-dairy price risk, contrasting grain cashflow-driven sales with year-round dairy feed purchasing. He discusses major industry shifts he has observed in his career thus far, including rapid growth in beef-on-dairy breeding and increased market volatility.

Ever.Ag partners with dairy producers to build customized risk management plans that help protect margins in any market environment. With dedicated advisors, industry leading technology, and proven tools like Dairy Revenue Protection, we help farms reduce uncertainty and secure long‑term financial strength. Learn more at https://ever.ag/.

01:40 Farm Roots and Show Pigs

03:44 Entrepreneurship at 12

04:08 4-H Connection to Ever.Ag

04:53 Job Shadow to Career

07:10 Day to Day Risk Advisor

08:39 Lessons and Mentors

10:51 Grain vs. Feed Strategy

11:41 Market Shifts and Volatility

14:07 Emotion vs. Fundamentals

15:50 2026 Outlook Beef and Feed

18:20 Rapid Fire and Wrap Up