Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Podcast Peggy Coffeen

Meet Young Leader Ytsje Andringa, a driven woman whose path seems to always lead her back to the driver’s seat of a silage truck.Ytsje shares how she shifted her career course from health care to follow her heart back to her family dairy farm, Sunrise Dairy in Clear Lake, South Dakota.She’s the daughter of Dutch immigrants, oldest of 6 and a mother to 3.This Young Leader will blow you away with her determination to do hard things and go after her dairy farming dreams every single day.In this episode, hear about:


The challenges she faces as a young dairy producer dealing with salespeople and managing employees three times her age


The one skill set she believes she must develop to be successful as a dairy producer


And a few fun silage truck-driving storiesThe Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Podcast is THE podcast series for producers and professionals in the first 5 years of their dairy careers. Find it on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, as well as its own platform, Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.Join the Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/792440762650346/

Meet the 28-year-old from Belgium who has embarked on a hands-on dairy farming journey around the globe.

Laurens Rutten challenged himself to dive into dairy on three continents, starting on a commercial grass-based dairy in New Zealand, then the world’s largest robotic dairy in Chile, and we catch up with him today on the third leg of his journey at Sunnyside Farms in New York. 

Laurens reveals the two critical questions he asked himself that spurred this adventure, and the lessons he is learning along the way, and leaves us with some solid takeaways on blazing your own trail, defining your future, and taking bold action.

The Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Podcast is THE podcast series for producers and professionals in the first 5 years of their dairy careers. Find it on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, as well as its own platform, Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.Join the Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/792440762650346/

On this Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Podcast, I’m turning the mic over to a trio of up-and-comers in dairy industry communications to interview three Dairy Challenge alumni who shared their experiences on a panel at the Midwest Dairy Challenge held in Green Bay, Wis., in February.

Social media interns interview Dairy Challenge alumni:


Nichole Gerard, Iowa State University student, interviews Crystal Prom, Cargill


Torri Burch, Iowa State University student,  interviews Tony Schmitz, Schmitz’s East Branch Dairy 




Irene Nielsen, Iowa State University student, interviews Liz Schiebelbein, Phibro Animal Health




Torri and Irene talk about their Dairy Challenge experiences, as past competitors and social media interns



Learn more about the Dairy Challenge: https://www.dairychallenge.org/

The Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Podcast is THE podcast series for producers and professionals in the first 5 years of their dairy careers. Find it on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, as well as its own platform, Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

Join the Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/792440762650346/

She manages 15 employees, 1,200 baby calves and 700 maternity cows … and she’s just 24 years old.

Our Uplevel Dairy Young Leader today is Madison Busse, Calf and Maternity Manager for Minnesota-based United Dairies. 

The Ohio native didn’t grow up on a dairy but learned to love it, and while her path was originally to become a large animal veterinarian, an internship with a calf raiser prompted a change of heart and change of direction that led her to Alexandria, Minnesota, to a position where she can’t wait to get out of bed every day … the perfect combination of being hands-on with calves and cows, working with people and being part of a culture that supports her in being successful as a young manager at United Dairies.

Find out how she is forging her path in a field that some people actually discouraged her from pursuing and why she loves giving baby calves and cows a chance to thrive,  with Madison Busse.

The Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Podcast is the special podcast series for producers and professionals in the first 5 years of their dairy careers. Find it on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, as well as its own platform, Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

Join the Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/792440762650346/

And our featured Young Leader today is Emily Shaw Schaapmann, also known as the Dairy Girl Fitness, shares the career journey that led her to starting her own business. 

Describing her initial struggles finding her place in the dairy industry and experiencing career frustration, Emily discusses how she channeled her passions for health, fitness, and dairy promotion into establishing Dairy Girl Fitness. Five years later, this business has helped more than 500 women reach their health goals and includes a team of four coaches. 

Follow Emily Shaw Schaapman on Social


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DairyGirlFitness/


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dairygirlfitness/


Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/cowgirltalk/


YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNADOKh4JsW_Lp7gGVfyyYQ


Website: https://dairygirlfitness.com/



The Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Podcast is the special podcast series for producers and professionals in the first 5 years of their dairy careers. Find it on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, as well as its own platform, Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

Join the Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/792440762650346/

If you are passionate about sharing dairy’s story with consumers and want to know how to turn that into a career, keep listening to hear how Allison Ryan has done just that.

As the marketing and communications director for MVP Dairy and McCarty Family Farms, she has brought the vision to life for an on-farm dairy learning center in Salina, Ohio, and will soon be cutting the ribbon on a second, interactive learning center near Rexford, Kansas. 

And she’s joining us today to talk about the opportunities for young professionals who want to make their passion their career, right here on the UPlevel Dairy Young Leaders Podcast.

The Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Podcast is the special podcast series for producers and professionals in the first 5 years of their dairy careers. Find it on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, as well as its own platform, Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

Join the Uplevel Dairy Young Leaders Facebook Group: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/792440762650346/⁠

Learn more about career opportunities and internships with McCarty Family Farms and MVP Dairy:

Contact Allison Ryan: aryan@mvpdairyllc.com

Visit: ⁠https://www.mccartyfamilyfarms.com/nowhiring⁠

Follow McCarty Family Farms


⁠https://www.facebook.com/McCartyFamilyFarms/⁠


⁠https://www.instagram.com/mccartyfamilyfarms/⁠


⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@mccartyfamilyfarms⁠



 Follow MVP Dairy


⁠https://www.facebook.com/mvpdairy/⁠


⁠https://www.instagram.com/mvpdairy/⁠


⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@mvpdairy⁠