We're a cooperative rooted in 100-years of forward-thinking. We're a different kind of company, grounded in a common cause ever since our founding in 1921 we have remained a cooperative. Land O'Lakes, Inc. is placing its owners, both farmers and local retailers at the heart of creating a sustainable food future. Join host Kim Olson for stories, interviews, and insight - welcoming new guests on each monthly episode. Production copyright 2022 Land O'Lakes, Inc.Formerly "Something Greater."
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Ag trends to come: With futurist Jack Uldrich
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In this episode Kim welcomes on guest Jack Uldrich. Jack was a guest speaker this year at the Land O'Lakes, Inc. midyear meeting with farmers and members of the cooperative. He's a global futurist and keynote speaker that analyzes past industry shifts to help people and companies anticipate major consumer shifts and business trends to stay relevant…
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Telling the story of agriculture: A co-op member discussion with Land O’Lakes, CEO Beth Ford
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The annual Mid-Year meeting at Land O’Lakes brings farmers and thought leaders together to discuss the future and current state of agriculture. In this episode we’re pulling back the curtain on what is typically a closed door discussion. Land O’Lakes, Inc. CEO Beth Ford moderates a discussion with three farmers to talk about the importance of telli…
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Climate friendly isn't always cost effective: Removing risk for farmers to be part of the climate change solution.
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36:12
Sustainable farming practices are essential for modern farmers to adopt on their land. However, changing an on-farm practice can cost a family farm a fortune or, put their crops and profits at risk. Doing the right thing for the environment also means not doing the wrong thing to ensure their family farm survives. In this episode, Brett Bruggeman, …
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The Dairy Equation: A family. A farmer. A cooperative. Celebrating dairy month and the people who bring you the butter.
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In this episode, we break down the challenges facing the dairy industry and the ways Land O’Lakes continues to innovate and adapt to meet the moment on behalf of our farmer-owners.. Our guest for the episode is Heather Anfang, Senior Vice President of US Dairy Foods at Land O’Lakes, Inc. Get to know some of our Farmers at LandOLakes.com/our-farmers…
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The mom. The Farmer. The advocate; Driving policy change by getting personal.
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As a farmer-owned cooperative, Land O'Lakes, Inc. Government Relations plays a key role in supporting the food and agriculture industry that thrives in rural communities. Part of the work is helping its members and local farmers advocate on their behalf, tell their stories to lawmakers and drive policy change that benefits consumers. It's about inc…
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Rooted In Tomorrow: How a 100 year old cooperative sees it's future.
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36:46
In this episode, Land O’Lakes Chief Marketing Officer Heather Malenshek joins us to discuss how we're helping bring to life the stories of our cooperative and position Land O’Lakes Inc. as a powerful enterprise working in service of our farmer and retailer owners. Today, Land O’Lakes is a diverse agribusiness spanning crop inputs, animal nutrition,…
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Bringing connectivity to every corner and cornfield.
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In this episode, we illustrate the often eye-opening issues facing those without broadband connectivity and the work to get communities better connected. Bringing every American broadband access is the moonshot challenge of this generation. It's the focus of our American Connection Project. As we hear from our guests, connectivity is not a luxury, …
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Combating climate change. Creating a sustainable future.
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Guests on this episode: Truterra President Jason Weller and Nebraska farmer Lukas Fricke join host Kim Olson. Everywhere you look, organizations are making announcements about carbon markets. While some are talking a big game, Land O’Lakes - through its Truterra business - has been hard at work empowering farmers to not only do the right thing for …
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The podcast is back in 2022 with new episodes! Here's what we have in store.
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Something Greater is back in 2022 with new episodes and guests! As the world was interrupted by COVID, farmers pressed on, producing food for a world facing countless challenges. This season, Something Greater features the innovators, the forward thinkers, and small-town leaders guiding Land O’Lakes into its second century and taking on some of the…
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From Farmer to Fork: The family farmers who make your butter and how the cooperative gets it to your dinner table.
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Land O’Lakes, Inc. includes 1,711 dairy family farmers. They are the backbone of our farmer-owned cooperative that has expanded to much more than butter in its nearly 100-year history. Before your food winds up on your dinner table, it takes a farmer to fork journey. In this episode, we trace the humble beginnings of that holiday cheese plate and t…
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The small town labor shortage: How Land O'Lakes works to introduce new workers to Rural America
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Bringing new workers, new families and new ideas to rural small towns mean that the town, its businesses, and schools can thrive for years to come. But recruiting new workers to those small towns can be a challenge. The talent pool is smaller Vs. large urban areas. The visibility for those jobs may not be as apparent in online job postings. The rea…
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Connecting rural America: An agtech alliance for the future with Land O'Lakes and Microsoft
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33:16
Agriculture is more high-tech than ever before. From artificial intelligence to cloud computing technologies, there is so much innovation out there to support farmers in their efforts to be both profitable and sustainable. In order to leverage agtech to its full potential and feed the world’s growing population, expanding rural broadband connectivi…
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Opportunity beyond the farm: Putting our Co-op model to work
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As a farmer-owned cooperative Land O’Lakes has a vast network of farmers and families whose professional skillset exceeds farm work. In a challenging farm economy, Land O’Lakes launched its ‘Supplemental Work Program’ where our farmers or their families who may have IT, accounting – or other business-related skills can be hired as part-time workers…
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An essential service in a time of crisis: COVID-19 and the food supply
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COVID-19 is impacting everyone, globally. Whether it’s the virus itself or protective measures taken by countries, states, local governments – and businesses to ensure the health and safety of its population and workforce. As part of the food supply Land O’Lakes, Inc. is deemed an essential service by the Federal Government and the U.S. Dept. of Ag…
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Road to 100: Where our cooperative values are rooted
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Content recorded in person before the COVID-19 pandemic. For the 99th time Land O’Lakes, Inc. hosted its Annual Meeting in Minneapolis. Farmers from around the country that are part of our cooperative network gathered to talk about the business, gain insight from consumer panels – and find ways to be better farmers for our future, together. There a…
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The Struggle: A mental health crisis in rural America
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The challenging farm economy can bring uncertainty, stress, and anxiety. This can lead to negative effects on health --, particularly mental health. While often seen as taboo, having help and support for people experiencing mental health struggles is critical. Advocating for farmers and supporting them is part of the Land O’Lakes, Inc. DNA. This is…
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Handshakes over hand outs: Why building sustainable Ag across the globe is good for the American farmer
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Note to our listeners: Something Greater has changed its name to the Rooted In Tomorrow podcast. The name change is effective April 2022. Listeners won't need to resubscribe. Building well-connected, strong agricultural markets around the world are critical for global food security and creating strong economies. Land O’Lakes Venture37 does just tha…
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Holiday Roundup: The soul of our business and the best moments of Something Greater
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Note to our listeners: Something Greater has changed its name to the Rooted In Tomorrow podcast. The name change is effective April 2022. Listeners won't need to resubscribe. It’s been a little more than a year since Land O’Lakes, Inc. launched Something Greater. We’ve had several guests from inside and outside the company talking about our mission…
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Meaningful Work: Tackling hunger in the communities we care about
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Three-quarters of counties with the highest rates of food insecurity exist in rural areas – and yet these small farming communities produce much of the food for the nation. The challenges of feeding a rural population are unique from that in an urban setting. Land O’Lakes, Inc. along with its partners, Feeding America and Second Harvest Heartland a…
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Disconnected: Disparities between rural and urban broadband internet connection
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About a quarter of Americans in rural areas believe high-speed internet and the lack thereof, is a major problem. Access to rural broadband disproportionally affects those in rural areas – and having that access is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity for work and overall quality of life. Land O’Lakes, Inc. is working with its cooperative members, …
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Innovation from the ground up: How animal nutrition helps create a healthier food system.
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Innovation isn't something reserved for the big tech companies of the world - Purina Animal Nutrition innovates every day. Many times those innovations happen at the microscopic level and might get overlooked. They can have big impacts on animal health, the environment, and farming practices. Purina Animal Nutrition is one of the four business unit…
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Cooperative strength: Combining national scale with local community impact
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Being a cooperative – Land O’Lakes has unique competitive advantages in creating and distributing products in agriculture. With a 100-year-old "Reverse Ownership" model, retail owns Land O'Lakes, Inc. Farmers still make decisions about the direction of the company – and hold leadership accountable. That model also presents a unique advantage. In ou…
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Sustainability is not a buzzword: How our farmers are working to protect the planet
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As a cooperative, Land O’Lakes, Inc. is a leading conservation solutions provider. We created SUSTAIN in 2016 which is a division of Land O’Lakes, Inc. that focuses solely on renewable and sustainable farming methods. What sustainability looks like - especially in agriculture isn't always clear. A challenge, is also measuring the positive impact of…
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Bonus Episode: Our co-op soul and the farmers who feed human progress
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The 98th Annual Meeting of the members of Land O’Lakes, Inc. is an opportunity to meet with fellow farmers from across the country, see new Land O’Lakes products made from their milk and hear directly from business leaders. It's also a chance to see what other parts of the Land O'Lakes, Inc. business are doing on their behalf. As a farmer-owned coo…
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Farming of the future: How agtech is shaping our business
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Land O'Lakes, Inc. is innovating with technology to help farmers do more with less. We are a data-driven and insights-backed agriculture company that is using things like - voice technology, satellite imaging, and tools to show farmers how sustainable their on-farm practices are. Teddy Bekele our Chief Technology Officer shares insights about our n…
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All Together Better: Marketing and the cooperative
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Marketing was one of our founding principles when we began in 1921. Our new Dairy Foods campaign kicked off this fall; All Together Better with the rewriting of one of the most iconic songs in farming - Old McDonald. From E-I-O to She-I-O we wanted to pay tribute to the nearly one million women in farming according to the USDA. Everyone contributes…
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From An Owner: The power of member engagement
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Pete Kappelman is a fourth-generation Wisconsin dairy farmer who was named 2018 Dairyman of The Year at The World Dairy Expo, crediting his success to never thinking you have all the answers. Pete is also retiring after 15 years as the Land O'Lakes, Inc. Chairman of the board; a governing group made entirely of farmers. Pete has set an example not …
During an uncertain time for agriculture, public policy matters more than ever. Land O'Lakes, Inc. is on the front lines educating lawmakers and advocating for our members while supporting the food and agriculture industry. Something Greater has changed its name to Rooted In Tomorrow. The podcast name change is effective April 2022. Subscribers wil…