Supporting farmers on a global scale

Heather Graves

Staff

January 12, 2023

GRESHAM – For much of her life, Christa Hoffman – business development administrator with the URUS Group – has worked to highlight the importance of the farming and agriculture industries.

Whether that was as a kid growing up as the fourth generation on her family farm, living and working on her husband’s family dairy farm as fifth generation farmers or helping producers around the world gain access to basic agricultural technology through her position with URUS – Hoffman said farming is in her blood.

“I was raised as the fourth generation on my family’s farm and my children are the sixth generation farmers in my husband’s family,” she said. “The agriculture, and especially dairy, industry is a big family. There are lots of career opportunities in agriculture from on-farm work to working in an agribusiness.”

Hoffman said nothing drives her passion for agriculture more than what is closest to home – her family and their farm.

“It’s the excitement in my son’s eyes when we go outside for evening chores and he greets every cow by name,” she said. “It’s knowing that my nine-month-old daughter will have the opportunity to drive a tractor down our fields when she is older. Farming is more than a job – it’s a lifestyle. It’s our way of life.”

She said Hoffman Family Farms is a fifth-generation farm, owned and operated by her in-laws Hunts and Jenny Hoffman, husband Brad, brother-in-law Brock and her husband’s cousin Mike.

“They milk 200 cows and crop 800 acres of land with alfalfa, oats and corn to feed their cattle,” she said. “All work on the farm is done by family. I help out with evening chores as needed and ensure my children have the opportunity to grow up on the farm learning the value of hard work and the satisfaction of a job well done.”

Her day job
Farming, Hoffman said, isn’t just something she does at home – her passion for the industry expands into her career.
“I work in international development for a global cattle genetics company, URUS, based out of Shawano,” she said.

At URUS, Hoffman said she manages a $1-million grant portfolio focused on implementing improved cattle management practices with farmers worldwide.

“Working for a global cattle genetics com?pany as a business development manager, I help producers gain access to basic agricultural technology, including artificial insemination (AI),” she said. 

Hoffman said the primary goal of these programs is to assess market readiness and provide technical assistance to increase access to U.S. cattle genetics.

Hoffman Family Farms is a fifth generation owned and operated farm. The Hoffmans milk 200 cows and crop 800 acres of land with alfalfa, oats and corn to feed their cattle. Submitted Photo

“Through implementation of these projects, we provide training to farmers, AI technicians and value-chain stakeholders on the importance of using high-quality cattle genetics, how to conduct AI on farms and understand how it will impact their production output,” she said.

Hoffman said URUS was established to meet the needs of dairy and beef cattle producers around the globe today and far into the future.

“As a holding company with cooperative and private ownership, URUS connects well-established agricultural organizations – Alta Genetics, GENEX, Jetstream Genetics, PEAK, SCCL and VAS,” she said. “Each of these organizations has its own unique identity, products and services.”

As a project manager, Hoffman said she works on all aspects of grant implementation from proposal writing and administration to training development and reporting.

“I work across our organization with country sales managers, local distributors, cattle genetics consultants, board members and delegates to develop comprehensive training programs,” she said. “We walk dairy and beef producers through how an investment in cattle genetics can lead to increased productivity and profitability on their farms.”

Hoffman said with the grant program funds and strategic partnerships, URUS helps facilitate infrastructure investments to provide long-term access to service.

“At the end of the day, I’m proud to give farmers across the world tools and knowledge to help them be more productive and profitable on their farms,” she said.

The why
Hoffman said her work with URUS and her family’s long-generational farm are important pieces of a larger, important puzzle.

“In 2022, the world surpassed more than eight billion people,” she said. “This means that the need to grow healthy and nutritious food with fewer resources in a sustainable way is more critical than ever.”

Hoffman said it is necessary to address some of the major issues facing agriculture today – such as rural infrastructure, including broadband, roads and housing – to ensure changes in technology in the industry can be implemented on farms and that there is a workforce willing and able to be a part of the industry.

Christa Hoffman said nothing drives her passion for agriculture more than her family and their farm. Submitted Photo

“Topics agriculture is often criticized for – including climate change – also need to be addressed,” she said. “Farmers are the original caretakers of the land. Conservation practices are ingrained in modern agriculture with a focus on being as efficient as possible, and this includes with our natural resources. By producing more milk and meat with fewer animals, innovation and technology are leading the way for improvements to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions from our industry.”

Additional involvement
Hoffman said she is also involved with the Shawano County Farmers Bureau – serving as the general co-chair for the Shawano Brunch on the Farm.

“Each year, we welcome more than 4,000 community members to a local dairy to experience modern farm life,” she said. “This tradition has been a staple in our community for more than 38 years, and it is the largest agriculture promotion activity coordinated through the Shawano County Farm Bureau.”

Hoffman said the event takes a 20-person committee six months to organize.

“The scale and scope of the event is only made possible by leveraging our agribusiness sponsorships valued at nearly $45,000 and activating a strong volunteer coalition of more than 250 people and organizations each year,” she said.

As a board member, Hoffman said her role is to help lead local initiatives and support agriculture across the county. 

“A critical component of the farm bureau is policy development, which we do at the local, state and national level,” she said.

Through her involvement with the farm bureau, Hoffman said she has developed leadership and communication skills that have enabled her to share her story with representatives, which in turn has helped lead policy changes on issues that impact agriculture today. 

Christa Hoffman, left, recently received the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation Outstanding Agriculture Professional Award. Submitted Photo

“Through the farm bureau, we address important policy from the right to farm, natural resource standards and other local issues, like access to meat processors,” she said.

Recently, Hoffman’s industry support efforts were recognized by the Wisconsin Bureau Federation.

“I was honored to be named the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation Outstanding Agriculture Professional,” she said. “This award took into account my professional work, civic engagement and overall contributions to the agriculture industry.”

Those contributions, Hoffman said, stretch from her involvement in international development to raising two young children on their family farm.

“I’m proud to raise the next generation (of farmers) while advocating for agriculture in my community and across the world,” she said.