Latest News From Leadership

Drag the planters out of the shed, fire up the seed tenders, update the field maps and start your engines. This season, as you enjoy your packed lunch at 10 a.m., ponder the lessons learned from the hardwoods.

After a 30-year career, her advice to someone just getting started is to be an effective communicator, which includes developing listening skills, and invite people to the table to take in different perspectives.

Kyle Scheele shares six ways constraints can be a good thing to your operation.

Shay Foulk shares tips to help balance equipment debt, transition and economic downturn.

Vanessa O'Brien shares the similar traits held by both farmers and explorers: courage, endurance, resilience and dedication.

Sarah Beth Aubrey explores the advantages and disadvantages of early adoption in the ag industry.

“As a young person, if you’re not going to be proud of what you do, don’t waste your time," he advises. "Be proud of what you do, and everywhere you go, be excited about it and talk about it.”

Are leaders made or born? “Some people are more naturally disposed to being leaders, but it doesn’t mean they’re good at it. To be a really good leader, you're made into one through intention and exposure," she says.

As president and CEO, Ryan LeGrand's job is to develop relationships and export markets for U.S. grain farmers. His advice for those who are just getting started in their career is a bit unconventional.

As a sixth generation Iowa farmer, Pam Johnson has been sharing agriculture’s food, fiber and fuel stories her entire life.

In South Dakota, you’ll find a 130-year-old dairy operation that runs on passion, perseverance and a focus on finding the right people. This dynamic trifecta is what makes up the unparalleled culture of MoDak Dairy.

Midwestern farmer Marcia Ruff, 2023 Top Producer Women In Ag Award winner, splits her time between the classroom and the family farm — setting an example for others to lead from where they are.

Consultant Bruce Vande Steeg has found creating a vibrant farm business starts with the leadership.

Laurenio Vitorino came to America at only 15-years-old. After facing years of hardships and bullying, he found his calling working at a nearby dairy. 34 years later, he continues to bring excellence to the table.

With an enterprise mindset, MKC walks with its farmer-customers.

For long-term success, farm leaders should regularly assess the landscape of their operation and adjust their strategies accordingly.

In just a decade on the farm, Virginia dairy farmer Ben Smith's journey has been one of dedication and innovation, which is what makes him the 2023 Milk Business Young Producer Award winner.

These 10 steps can help keep your employees from walking away.

Sarah Beth Aubrey shares tips for effective communication and building influence before stepping into a leadership role.

Mark Faust shares objectives in seven key areas that can intensify your operation's vision, divergence and focus.

Fear of leadership is natural. That's why Sarah Beth Aubrey is sharing the best practices to get out of your own head.

One dairy’s unique approach to employee retention.

Think Like a Cartoonist! A Celebration of Humor and Creativity

Advocating for something you care about has risks. Step into leadership with these tips.

Travel to Carpenter, Wy., and you’ll see two-thirds of the state’s 9,000 dairy cows, who are milked at Burnett Dairy. You’ll also get to see an upcoming second-generation dairy farmer, Reese Burnett.

What do Mary Pat Sass, Whitney Larson, Callee Pellett and Zoe Kent have in common? They are four farmers who are breaking the mold and sharing about life on the farm.

“There are some things that we've adopted over the years that really aren't particularly useful and I think in some cases even detrimental to our performance,” says Dave Mitchell.

Grounded by his family but propelled by vision, Trey Wasserburger is the energetic force behind creating more processing capacity for local cattle producers.

For many growers, it can be incredibly difficult to know where to start.

Raising teens isn’t for the faint of hearts. Raising teens is not easy and while many of those years are spent watching our children thrive on and off the farm, other times we are just trying to survive.

Don’t let day-to-day farm tasks stand in your way of showing some extra gratitude to your hardworking employees.

To boost employee retention, farms need leaders who can effectively inspire and guide others. The job often requires its leaders to possess a handful of characteristics not necessarily used on other areas of the farm.

It’s one thing to tell students about livestock production; it’s another thing to show them. Here's why one Iowa school is turning heads and opening people's eyes to the opportunities in livestock production.

Jackie Applegate began her journey in 1992 as the only female chemist at a Bayer manufacturing facility in Kansas City, Mo. Since then, she’s held a variety of global roles.

In farming and in life, success can be defined in endless ways. Five farmers share their perspective.

“Our CEO will always be the Chief Risk Officer – a task it is irresponsible to delegate,” says American investor Warren Buffett.

Little steps can ease frustration and improve communication on your farm.

From 2020 to 2021, Susan Weaver Ford gained 8,900 neighbors, as the population of her county jumped 4%. “I used to farm fields that now have 40 houses,” she says. “The city is meeting us pretty quick.”

Can you smell that? It’s the aroma of fresh opportunities.

Instead of writing down these big audacious goals, Jon Acuff, an entrepreneur, speaker and best-selling author, has better advice: Set micro goals. 

Marcia Ruff, the 2023 Executive Women in Agriculture Trailblazer Award winner, delights in her many roles on the farm and the opportunity to educate and advocate for agriculture and food production in the classroom.

For 2023, set your sights on achieving your goals. Start with something small, and you will be amazed how dreams inspire dreams.

When “agvocates” do their work, the truth prevails—and farmers benefit from new opportunities.

Mentoring doesn’t come natural to all of us. Here are a few tips for evaluating a mentoring request. 

Managers tend to focus on two groups: the overachievers and the underachievers. As a result, he says, you neglect the employees who could become high performers — aka the B players. 

The 2022 Milk Business Conference keynote speaker Alex Weber will grace the stage on Wed., Dec. 14th at the Paris Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

As the leader, you can make these sessions productive and easy with a few tips. 

Farm Journal Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that recognizes today more than ever, the agricultural sector must stay on the cutting edge.

Your goal is to commit yourself to establishing a culture of thanks on your farm. Try out a few of these ideas during this season of Thanksgiving.

Learn her career path, how she synthesizes data and her best leadership lessons.