Today, Peggy Coffeen sits down with Jim Ostrom, president and CEO of Milk Source and co-founder of Dairy Cares of Wisconsin, to discuss how a backyard gathering in Wisconsin grew over 17 years into an event drawing 450–550 people and raising more than $4 million for Children’s Wisconsin, a world-class hospital network with 18 branches. Ostrom explains Dairy Cares’ purpose and highlights gratitude, welcoming new participants, and inspiring a next generation through youth donations and fundraising efforts.
He credits the impact to teamwork, hard work, and shared passion, and shares leadership approaches like envisioning “what could be” and relying on strong partners and teams. Ostrom reflects on tough commodity cycles in dairy, opportunities in beef and efficiency-driven export competitiveness, his personal advice to “compare yourself to yourself yesterday,” his interest in AI, and ways to get involved with a goal to raise $500,000 this year.
To get involved in Dairy Cares of Wisconsin’s continual impact,
- Make a donation at dairycaresofwisconsin.org
- Join us for the annual Dairy Cares Garden Party, July 25, De Pere, Wis.
- Support through the virtual auction: https://pro.gofundme.
com/live/register/2026-dairy- cares-of-wisconsin-garden- party/4c24640e-e3ed-4dc9-aa29- d175b99cfe27
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/
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