Uplevel Dairy Podcast
Uplevel Dairy Podcast
Peggy Coffeen
346 | From the Battlefield to the Barn: Leadership, Teams and Tough Decisions with Greg Shoemaker, Cargill
51 minutes Posted May 19, 2026 at 8:48 am.
Greg's Role at Cargill03:40 What Army Rangers Do05:08 From Military to Cargill07:16 Life in Dairy Consulting08:59 Mission and Values Leadership12:38 Building Culture and Trust15:49 Leading Under Pressure19:18 No Decision Is a Decision21:35 Infinite Game Mindset25:10 Better Questions Better Leadership26:20 Execute Iterate Lesson27:51 Vision for the Team29:11 Rallying Through Tough Times33:49 Morning Routine and Journals35:43 Nonnegotiables and Balance37:11 Hardest Leadership Lesson39:16 Purpose in Dairy Industry40:50 Rapid Fire Leadership Round47:18 Problem Solving and OODA Loop
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Show notes
Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen interviews Greg Shoemaker, Cargill’s Commercial Director for North America Dairy Nutrition, about leading teams that support dairy producers through nutrition strategy, technology, and on-farm partnership across the US and Canada. Shoemaker shares how his path from rural Pennsylvania roots to a career as a US Army Ranger shaped his leadership approach today ensuring dairy farmers' success.Greg details the power of building trust, clarity and acting as a multiplier by removing barriers. He discusses learning from mistakes, investing in culture during normal times to withstand hard times, maintaining composure under stress, and adopting an “infinite game” mindset focused on long-term success in dairy.This episode is brought to you by Cargill Dairy Nutrition.No two dairies are alike, Cargill Dairy doesn’t expect them to be. When your dairy faces challenges, you need a partner with an original approach. Cargill has their own world-class research labs, developed their own proprietary nutrition software, and fostered an original team approach… all to deliver profitability on YOUR terms. Partner with a nutrition company as original as you are: cargillanimalnutrition.com/original02:31 Greg's Role at Cargill03:40 What Army Rangers Do05:08 From Military to Cargill07:16 Life in Dairy Consulting08:59 Mission and Values Leadership12:38 Building Culture and Trust15:49 Leading Under Pressure19:18 No Decision Is a Decision21:35 Infinite Game Mindset25:10 Better Questions Better Leadership26:20 Execute Iterate Lesson27:51 Vision for the Team29:11 Rallying Through Tough Times33:49 Morning Routine and Journals35:43 Nonnegotiables and Balance37:11 Hardest Leadership Lesson39:16 Purpose in Dairy Industry40:50 Rapid Fire Leadership Round47:18 Problem Solving and OODA Loop