 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 that glass of milk left for Santa. The families who produce your food and how Land O’Lakes turns it into those iconic products, like our butter, that wind up on grocery store shelves. Join host Kim Olson as she welcomes guests Heather Anfang, Senior Vice President of U.S. Dairy Foods and Land O’Lakes farmer-owner Lauren Evangelo. 

Something Greater

From Farmer to Fork: The family farmers who make your butter and how the cooperative gets it to your dinner table.

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 reality is, more people are moving away from small towns than they are moving in. Land O'Lakes, Inc. works directly with many of its ag business members to recruit talent to their small towns. When farmers do better, their local grain cooperatives and country stores do better. Therefore, their communities thrive which, if you eat food is good for all of us. This episode outlines the difficulties in bringing talent to small towns and how Land O’Lakes, Inc. is committed to rural vitality. 

The small town labor shortage: How Land O'Lakes works to introduce new workers to Rural America

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 connectivity is crucial. Land O’Lakes is working with Microsoft on all of these intersecting issues – bridging the digital divide and connecting farmers with the latest technology. Join host Kim Olson and Land O’Lakes Chief Technology Officer Teddy Bekele in a conversation with Ranveer Chandra, Chief Scientist of Microsoft Azure Global about our new strategic alliance.

Connecting rural America: An agtech alliance for the future with Land O'Lakes and Microsoft

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 in their knowledgeable field. Join host Kim Olson and Land O’Lakes Farmer-Owners Suzanne Vold and Josie Peters on how this unique program is bringing new income opportunities to the families that provide your food. 

Opportunity beyond the farm: Putting our Co-op model to work

COVID-19 is impacting everyone, globally. Whether it’s the virus itself or protective measures taken by countries, states, local government – 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 Agriculture. This episode digs into the challenges, the realities, and shares stories about our front line workers helping to keep the shelves stocked during a pandemic. 

An essential service in a time of crisis: COVID-19 and the food supply

Content recorded 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 are roughly 4,000 member-owners part of the Land O’Lakes cooperative. Hear from them directly about what’s important to them on their farms and in their communities – and what drives them to do what they do every day. 

Road to 100: Where our cooperative values are rooted

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 an episode for farmers and anyone who might want to seek help or know someone they want to help. Land O’Lakes hosted events in rural communities called Harvesting Hope – which helped educate farmers about the signs of stress and where to seek help if needed. We&apos;re continuing work to make the necessary connections to help farmers and their families through difficult times. 

The Struggle: A mental health crisis in rural America

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 that – and as a cooperative, Land O'Lakes, Inc. Is all about farmers helping farmers - wherever they are. Its work is in the name, 37 is the percentage of our Earth’s land where farmers grow their crops and raise livestock. The venture? Working across continents, cultures, and markets to help farmers realize their full potential while sustaining the health of our soil, water, and air. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Land O’Lakes Venture 37 helps connect farmers to new markets through locally-led agricultural development ventures – all while leveraging the expertise, talent, and innovation of Land O’Lakes, Inc. Join host Kim Olson and guest Dai Harvey who is the Regional Program Director based in Africa. Hear how Venture 37 is strengthening ag economies across the globe and improving food security.  

Handshakes over hand outs: Why building sustainable Ag across the globe is good for the American farmer

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 of Feeding Human Progress – from policy, to crop management, sustainable farming and getting communities connected via high-speed internet. During the holidays we’re giving thanks to the farmers and families out there who make our mission possible by being a part of the cooperative. In this episode join host Kim Olson as she reflects on some of the best and most meaningful moments from the podcast thus far. Brand new episodes and topics will be back for the next episode release in late January 2020. 

Holiday Roundup: The soul of our business and the best moments of Something Greater

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 are doing the work in supporting rural communities and providing food to those in need. Join host Kim Olson as she welcomes Land O’Lakes, Inc. CEO Beth Ford, Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America and Allison O’Toole, CEO of Second Harvest Heartland, to talk about the sometimes surprising problems and creative solutions in feeding a growing population and addressing hunger in rural communities. 

Meaningful Work: Tackling hunger in the communities we care about

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, internet providers and stakeholders to bridge the gap. In this episode host Kim Olson sits down Chakravarthy Sankaraiah, Director of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence at Land O’Lakes, Inc. Also, one of our farmer-owners – Pat Lunemann, is involved with a pilot program to bring more connectivity to the countryside. 

Disconnected: Disparities between rural and urban broadband internet connection

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 units at Land O'Lakes, Inc. which creates animal nutrition solutions, for mainly game and farm animals including urban flock. It’s a big year for Purina as it celebrates 125 years of business by looking back and innovating for the future. 

Innovation from the ground up: How animal nutrition helps create a healthier food system.

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 our Winfield United business – a company that makes sure millions of acres of crops have the best possible outputs; the cooperative is our strength. Join host Kim Olson along with President of WinField United and Senior Vice President of Land O'Lakes, Brett Bruggeman.

Cooperative strength: Combining national scale with local community impact

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 sustainable practices. Land O'Lakes, Inc. and SUSTAIN are breaking down those barriers. Join host Kim Olson and guest Matt Carstens - the Senior Vice President of Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN for the latest episode of Something Greater.© Land O'Lakes, Inc.

Sustainability is not a buzzword: How our farmers are working to protect the planet

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&apos;s also a chance to see what other parts of the Land O&apos;Lakes, Inc. business are doing on their behalf.As a farmer owned cooperative - it’s important we celebrate our members and recognize the challenges of the current dairy market and agriculture industry.The meeting was held over the course of two days in Minneapolis – where our farmer members and retail owners reviewed business performance of 2018 and looked ahead to 2019 alongside Co-op leadership. © Land O&apos;Lakes, Inc.

Bonus Episode: Our co-op soul and the farmers who feed human progress

Connection to the Land O’Lakes, Inc. co-op means being part of something greater than yourself – working to benefit the communities around us and advancing technology to feed human progress. As a farmer owned cooperative we're a different kind of company united in a common cause.Join host Kim Olson as we explore the farmer-to-fork community in a range of topics and guests. Episodes are released monthly.Production copyright 2019 Land O'Lakes, Inc.

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Something Greater

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