Cornerstone Academy Develops Next-Gen Dairy Farmer Leaders

Program focuses on visionary, influential, and servant leadership skills for the future of family farms.

Apr. 7, 2026 at 10:34pm

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A brightly colored, high-contrast silkscreen print of a single, iconic dairy farming object like a milk can or tractor tire, repeated in a tight grid pattern, conceptually representing the modernization and creative energy of the next generation of dairy farmers.A pop art-inspired celebration of the next generation of dairy leaders cultivated by the Cornerstone Academy.Owen Today

Matthew Fischer, a graduate of the Professional Dairy Producers Cornerstone Academy in Wisconsin, is applying the leadership skills he learned to transition his family's dairy farm into the next century. The three-year program challenged him to think long-term about farm succession and sustainability, as well as the critical human element of managing people in a successful agricultural business.

Why it matters

As the next generation of farmers prepares to take over family operations, programs like the Cornerstone Academy are equipping them with the strategic planning and people management skills needed to ensure the long-term viability of small and medium-sized farms in rural communities.

The details

The Cornerstone Academy focuses on developing 'visionary, influential, and servant leadership' skills in its participants. For Fischer, this meant shifting his mindset from short-term operations to long-term succession planning with his parents. The program also emphasized the importance of effectively managing employees, which Fischer says is the most critical component of running a successful farm business.

  • Fischer recently completed the three-year Cornerstone Academy program.
  • He is now preparing to return to his family's dairy farm in Owen, Wisconsin after working off-site for two years.

The players

Matthew Fischer

A graduate of the Professional Dairy Producers Cornerstone Academy who is preparing to take over his family's dairy farm in Owen, Wisconsin.

Professional Dairy Producers Cornerstone Academy

A three-year leadership development program that trains the next generation of dairy farmers in strategic planning, people management, and sustainable practices.

Wisconsin Rural Opportunities Foundation

An organization that provided scholarships to support Fischer's participation in the Cornerstone Academy.

Dairy's Foundation

An organization that also provided scholarships to support Fischer's participation in the Cornerstone Academy.

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What they’re saying

“I never thought of really what's that long-term succession plan of the farm. That's one thing I'm taking away is starting to work with my folks of, hey, I'm coming back home eventually. What's our plan?”

— Matthew Fischer, Dairy Farmer

“Even though I have a vision in my head and I know my folks have a vision of where we want to be as a farm, we need to sit down and talk and have these conversations to get us to where we want to be so we're sustainable for the next hundred years.”

— Matthew Fischer, Dairy Farmer

What’s next

As Fischer prepares to return to his family's dairy farm, he plans to focus on implementing sustainable practices and modernizing the operation, including potentially shifting to an LLC structure and adopting robotic milking technology.

The takeaway

The Cornerstone Academy's focus on developing strategic leadership skills in the next generation of dairy farmers is helping ensure the long-term viability of family-owned operations like Fischer's. By equipping young farmers with the tools to manage both cows and people, the program is strengthening the future of small and medium-sized farms in rural communities.