Ron Curran has had an accomplished career developing reports, products, and educational programs in the dairy industry. Some of his achievements include conceptualizing and developing AgSource's highest value report, the Profit Opportunity Analyzer, leading the development of new herd health reports in collaboration with UW-Madison, and developing successful new detachers and identification technology while at Bou-Matic. He also taught business and agriculture courses at the university level and in continuing education programs, receiving positive reviews for making information engaging and practical for students. Throughout his career, Curran has focused on communication, problem-solving, and helping others through new programs, training, and volunteer involvement in the dairy community.

1. Ron Curran
Creativity, accomplishment
& results

2. Some Accomplishments
On the following pages, I included examples of my product
development, communications and training accomplishments. I also
included what others say about my work.

3. AgSource Cooperative Services
Report Development
I was Manager of Market Development
for ten years. Following are some
accomplishments.

4. AgSource provides DHI information to
approximately 4,000 dairy producers. Part of my
position involved developing new reports for
them.
My focus was to move away from the traditional
practice of just providing numbers and instead
consolidate numbers into easy to use decision
making tools.

5. When margins are
low, producers often focus
on cutting expenses. The
Profit Opportunity Analyzer®
identifies and quantifies
untapped income sources
that are far bigger profit
opportunities. The report is a
great example of product
differentiation resulting in
less customer price
sensitivity.
The Profit Opportunity
Analyzer is AgSource’s
highest value report. I
conceptualized, developed
and programmed it.

6. The Fresh Cow , Herd and Udder Health Management
Summaries
I led the formation of a collaborative partnership with the University of Wisconsin
School of Veterinary Medicine. With their help, we developed these reports. The
Fresh Cow Summary contains the patented Transition Cow Index® that is owned by
the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF). I managed the license AgSource
has with WARF for five years.

7. Herd Report Card
I conceptualized this report
and developed the
prototype. We teamed with
the School of Veterinary
Medicine staff, improved it
and made the Herd Report
Card the most popular
optional report in AgSource’s
history.
As with all other AgSource
DHI reports, I developed all
the training, marketing and
web based materials. I also
conduced Webinars.
I led staff training,
developed training materials
for others to use and
answered all problem
related phone calls .

8. Bou-Matic
Product Development
I was the Product Manager of Automation
products for three years. These products
included their total information management
system.

9. Listening to customers, I learned Bou-
Matic’s biggest competitive
disadvantage was identification
inaccuracy. Working with the top flight
engineers I managed, we developed
Smart ID™. This technology turned the
company’s biggest disadvantage into
their most effective selling point.

10. While at Bou-Matic, I led development of the Signature Series Detachers (SSD). Much of their
sales success was due to my research of competitive products prior to development and
setting the design and cost specifications so the SSD’s would be market leaders. I also set the
price points so dealers could upsell to the highest margin 4400 unit.

11. The Companion Detacher was a
product in development when I
started at Bou-Matic. I resisted
“feature creep” pressure and
delivered the product customers
wanted. This unit maintained a
North American market share
over 45% in its category while I
was at Bou-Matic.

12. Trade Magazine and Newspaper
Articles I Have Written

13. Agri-View columns
In 1995 the agricultural press was
in a populist negativity funk.
Wisconsin’s agriculture was in the
midst of change and everyone
from the government, to the
Green Bay Cheese Exchange to
successful expanding producers
were blamed.
Someone needed to speak out
about the positives and correct
the false paradigms that enabled
many producers to externalize
their problems. Since no one else
stepped up, I submitted some
columns and the next thing I
knew, I was on a two year
adventure of changing
perceptions.

14. Agri-View Articles

15. Effective communication is
essential in today’s market
place. “Say what you mean
and mean what you say” are
my writing guidelines.
I can use my writing skills to
get my employer’s selling
points in front of the public, as
in this recent article.
The next slide is an article I
collaborated on with two
Genex employees.

17. Bachelor Level Courses Taught
Macro, Micro and International Business Economics

18. I taught night classes at Teacher Evaluation Comments
Upper Iowa University
(UIU) from 1999 to 2001. “Ron is very good at teaching the
UIU has very diverse Introduction to Macroeconomics.
students. His style is different but life
changing.”
Most of my experience “Ron really had a lot to offer the
has been working with class with all his experience.”
farmers. UIU gave me the
opportunity to teach to a “Ron, you do a great job of
completely different explaining complex topics and
audience. As the issues. Thank you for teaching you
evaluations point out, I are one of the best teachers at
was able to communicate UIU.”
on terms they could relate
to.

19. “Great slides. Great real world
examples. Made topic very Finishing up an economics
interesting. Thanks.” class at 9:00 PM with
students who had already
“Very personable with put in a full day of work
students, made learning fun – was challenging but fun.
interesting – Great class.” For the first week or two,
“Outstanding teacher, one of we used the assigned text
(the) best I had at UIU. Great book. Then we went "real
sense of humor. Made class world". We used current
articles in the New York
fun. Made information very
Times and Wall Street
practical, this much
Journal for their
appreciated.” assignments.
“Outstanding teacher,
humorous. Engages group.
Loved his classes.”

20. “Ron is the best teacher I’ve had in a year
Selling ideas and selling and a half of class. I learned more from his
products requires the class than I expected to.”
same skill sets and “Ron is a great instructor. I enjoy taking
dedication. classes with him. He shows great
enthusiasm in teaching.”
I've been successful in “Great instructor.”
marketing and in teaching “Well prepared, very enjoyable class.”
because I truly enjoy
“Ron is an excellent instructor.”
working with and helping
people. I'm willing to “Ron was a great teacher. We are sad to
expend the effort that it see him go. “
takes to go from good to “Ron Rocks – it will be a big loss to Upper
what some students Iowa – he is a teacher that teaches about
described as "Great”. the here and now. Thanks Ron.”

21. Farm Business and Production Management classes taught to
adult producers

22. I taught adult Farm Teacher Evaluation Comments
Business and “Ron is articulate, knowledgeable, accurate
Production and concerned about his students”
Management classes “Very informative and full of new ideas. Very
to farmers in Oconto, up to date.”
Marinette and
“I learned much and enjoyed the class.”
Florence Counties.
This was a terrific “I like that Ron will get the answers to
program that questions promptly and also shared questions
and their answers with other classes. It adds a
combined class room lot to the normal prepared material.”
with on-farm
education. “The course was up to date and
informational.”
I changed the focus of “Very informative. Balanced ration already
the program from showing results in milk tank. Very informative
and current. Helps decide what information is
topics like dehorning
correct.”
calves to
management.

23. “Very informative and up to date.
Excellent teacher and materials.” The NWTC Farm
“Ron is a very good teacher. He goes out Business Management
of his way to help the students in his class. Program used 17 year old
Also, he brings other topics up in his class materials on a rotating
at various times that are useful in our basis (soils, dairy
farm operations.” nutrition, farm
“Excellent. Many new ideas were management and
presented to us.” facilities).
“I feel the course is getting better every
year. Ron puts a lot into answering all That just wasn't going to
questions even if not on the current work for me. I put in many
subject matter.“ late nights rewriting all the
“Very interesting and current. Ron is very materials I used. My
knowledgeable of new things and always students appreciated the
gets you the answers to your questions.” effort and that was what
mattered.

24. Wisconsin's VTAE system has “Very practical information
some excellent teaching presented in an interesting
programs I took advantage of. manner.”
One I incorporated in my “I learned so much from Ron. He is
teaching was an excellent teacher.”
"Outcome/Competency Based “I like the Update and new ideas.”
Teaching". “Everything was real interesting
and I learned a lot. The farm tours
In the first class, the syllabus I are real good ideas for different
handed out listed exactly what management ideas.”
they were going to accomplish “I was impressed. Ron presents
during the class year and at different options, a lot of
what level of proficiency they information and does it in a
needed to accomplish them to relaxed non-threatening way.”
get an A, B, etc. “Ron makes this course really
worth while. He does a super job
of applying up to date information
and technology.”

25. “It is an excellent course. It covers things
which are relevant to everyday life on the Teaching gives me the
farm.” opportunity to learn from
“The material is informative and the my students. Making the
interaction with the class is great. Ron is classes a two way conduit
very easy to work with and is always very of information is important.
helpful in class and on farm calls.” Listening is a skill I
“Fun and informative.” continue to use.
“Most of the information in course was up
to date and meaningful. Instructor is very
willing to listen to input from students.”
“The course is very informational and an
asset to any farmer.”

26. I started at NWTC with 56
students and one with an RHA
over 20,000. I left with 70
students in my program and
with four RHAs under 20,000.
Adapting Total Mixed Rations
was a key to our success.
On the left is an example of a
learning module I developed
that has been used by
nutritionists and educators in a
number of states.

27. With 70 very busy students in
my NWTC class, scheduling on-
farm training with everyone in
the summer was difficult. I
came up with the idea of doing
a monthly newsletter with one
of the new computer software
newsletter programs.
The students really liked it
since it wasn’t invasive. It also
focused on what was timely.

28. I want to be part of the
greater community I
work in while also
helping young people
involved with industry
organizations. In the
picture, I am receiving
the “Friend of the
Association of Women
In Agriculture Award”. I
also received the
“Friend of Babcock
House Award”.

29. In 1988, I approached World Dairy
Expo management about
incorporating a dairy cattle judging
contest for two year college
students into the event. With the
help of some very committed
volunteers , we brought the Post
Secondary Judging Contest into
existence in 1989. We added the
first ever “Practical Contest” five
years later. I was Superintendent
from inception through 1996.
Although my views on dairy cattle
type evaluation have evolved, I
continue volunteering and enjoy
watching participants grow while
making and defending their
decisions.

30. I maintain a lifelong
commitment to learning.
Receiving my Excellence in Marketing
Certification from the University of Wisconsin
School of Executive Management in 2008.