Jeff Ditzenberger

If you spend your days in a tractor cab, you know the truth. Dairy farming is not just a job. It is a lifestyle defined by volatility. One week, milk prices might look stable. The next, global markets shift unexpectedly. Maybe a sudden storm hits your county. Suddenly, you cannot move milk off the farm. […]

Celebrating Our 2025 Scholarship Winners! FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative is proud to announce the recipients of our 2025 Scholarships. These hardworking students represent the next generation of leaders in agriculture and beyond, and we’re honored to support their education. Congratulations to: Now Accepting Applications for 2026! If you’re pursuing higher education and have ties to the

Every summer for the past 24 years, the Slowey family of Westfield, Wisconsin, has hosted a “Neighborhood Party” on their farm as a way to thank the community and build strong relationships with their neighbors. What started in 2001 with just 75 guests has grown into a major annual event, drawing nearly 400 attendees from

Josh Steiner, a dairy farmer in Monroe, Wisconsin, is a strong advocate for open communication in rural communities, especially concerning mental health. This conviction stems from his own profound personal tragedy: the loss of a child due to a rare pregnancy complication. During that difficult time, Steiner admits he “put that mental fence up,” isolating

On May 15th, a series of 14 tornadoes tore through Wisconsin, devastating several dairy farms, including those of Brenda and Jeff Elsinger in Lomira and the Schwandt family near Juneau. The Elsingers’ freestall barn was destroyed by an EF1 tornado, a heartbreaking loss for Brenda who had dedicated 36 years to building their dairy operation.

Over 25 years, Tom and Kelli Cull transformed Budjon Farms from humble beginnings into a world-renowned Holstein breeding, showing, and boarding operation. Leveraging Tom’s farm background and Kelli’s extensive AI industry experience, they pioneered a diversified business model focused on elite show cattle care, moving beyond traditional dairy reliance. Their success stems from innovation (like

Meet Adam and Marie Vanden Wymelenberg of De Pere, Wisconsin – recent first runners-up in the state’s Outstanding Young Farmer contest! What makes their story special? They built their thriving dairy farm dream entirely from scratch, despite neither growing up on a commercial dairy. Their journey began in 2009 when Adam bought his grandparents’ old