DAIRY NEWS – Kevin Griswold was honored as the fifth recipient of the Dean Strauss Leadership Award on Thur., March 13, at the 2025 Professional Dairy Producers® (PDP) Business Conference in Madison, Wis. Griswold co-owns and operates Tag Lane Dairy, Ixonia, Wis., with his wife, Chris, and other family members.
Griswold was recognized for his years of dedication to the dairy sector in addition to his far-reaching visionary thinking and servant leadership across his community, the dairy industry and beyond.
Griswold grew up on his family’s farm with four siblings. His leadership in agriculture and the dairy industry began at a young age, with involvement in 4-H and FFA, serving as president of the FFA chapter and captain of dairy judging team at Oconomowoc High School. He attended college at University of Wisconsin-Madison, earning degrees in dairy science and ag economics and taking on leadership role at Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and Badger Dairy Club.
After graduation, he moved to Hartford, Wis., to work for Tri-Star Dairy Breeders before returning to the family dairy farm in 1992. Griswold has focused on sustainable growth at Tag Lane Dairy over the past three decades, expanding the operation from 100 cows in 1992 to 1,750 cows with facilities focused on animal health and wellbeing.
“Kevin is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met and is truly selfless when it comes to helping other people and supporting the dairy community,” said Shelly Mayer, executive director of PDP. “He played an instrumental role in several important initiatives including animal wellbeing for dairy cows and establishing Dairy’s Foundation.”
Griswold served on the Professional Dairy Producers board from 2002-2008, and as president from 2004 through 2007. He also served as a board member of Dairy’s Foundation, the only public-held national foundation that supports dairy education and initiatives across the entire dairy-industry food chain.
The Griswolds have four children and two grandchildren; daughters Stacey and Briana, and sons Bradley and Ryan, both of whom have returned to the dairy and serve as parlor operations manager and crop operations manager, respectively. Granddaughters Maxine and Madeline, children of Stacey and son-in-law Calvin, round out the current crew.
The Dean Strauss Leadership Award was established by the PDP Board of Directors in 2021 in honor of Dean Strauss, a Wisconsin dairy farmer and industry leader who unexpectedly passed away in 2019 at the age of 48. The owner of Majestic Meadows Dairy, LLC, near Sheboygan Falls, Wis., Strauss was active in a number of dairy organizations and leadership boards, including PDP’s board, on which he served as president.
The 2025 Professional Dairy Producers Business Conference was held March 12-13, 2025, at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis. Dairy producers gathered for professional development and networking with fellow producers and other industry professionals. PDP is a dairy-producer-led organization that provides educational programs and services to dairy producers and other industry professionals.
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