Capturing Legacy at World Dairy Expo 2026 with Showbox Sires
The dairy industry is built on stories.
Stories about cows that changed a herd. Stories about mentors who changed a career. Stories about late nights at the barn, conversations at dairy shows, and lessons passed from one generation to the next. These moments may seem ordinary when they're happening, but over time, they become part of the history of an industry.
That's the idea behind Showbox Stories, a series created by Peggy Coffeen and Tim Abbott of Showbox Sires to capture the people, memories, and conversations that have shaped dairy.
And this year, those stories are coming to life in a whole new way.
It All Started on a Showbox
The name Showbox Stories comes from a familiar scene in the dairy world: sitting on a showbox at a dairy show, talking cows, reading pedigrees, sharing opinions, and learning from the people around you.
For Tim Abbott, those memories go all the way back to his teenage years in Vermont. He remembers sitting on a show box and reading pedigrees to himself, developing the curiosity and passion for genetics that would eventually shape his career.
Those informal conversations are where so much knowledge has traditionally been shared in agriculture. Someone tells you about a cow. A mentor explains why they made a particular breeding decision. You hear a story about a bull or a family that stays with you for years.
Showbox Stories was created to preserve those conversations and the people behind them.
The Power of Learning From the People Who Came Before Us
One of the most meaningful parts of Showbox Stories is the opportunity to hear directly from people who have helped shape the dairy industry.
Tim's own story includes relationships with industry legends like Steve Briggs, as well as mentors who influenced him throughout his career. Those relationships are a reminder that agriculture has always been a cycle of learning and passing knowledge forward.
Someone takes the time to teach you. You carry that lesson with you. Eventually, you become the person sharing it with someone else.
That's how an industry builds more than knowledge. It builds a legacy.
From the Show Box to the Tan Bark Stage
For years, Showbox Stories has captured these conversations through the Uplevel Dairy Podcast. But at this year's World Dairy Expo, the stories will move beyond the podcast and into a live setting.
Showbox Stories will be live on the Tanbark stage on Thursday, October 1, from 8:00 to 10:30 a.m.
With support from partners like CowManager and Jared Krull, the event will bring legendary breeders and industry leaders together to share their experiences, lessons, and perspectives with the dairy community.
It's an opportunity to experience the conversations that inspired the series in the place where so many dairy conversations happen in the first place: surrounded by people who are passionate about cows, genetics, and the future of the industry.
Conversations That Connect the Past and Future
The lineup for the live event includes people like Dave Thorbahn, CEO of Select Sires, Dr. Sheila McGuirk, and other legendary breeders and industry leaders.
Their stories represent different parts of the dairy industry, but they share a common thread: the future is built on what we've learned from the past.
Today's dairy industry has access to technology, data, genetics, and management tools that previous generations could only imagine. But technology doesn't replace experience. In many cases, it gives us new ways to build on the knowledge that came before us.
That's what makes these conversations so valuable. They aren't simply about looking backward. They're about understanding where we've been so we can make better decisions about where we're going.
Your Showbox Story Is Part of Dairy History
Showbox Stories isn't just about the well-known names in the dairy industry.
Every dairy family has stories worth preserving.
Maybe you have an old photograph from a dairy show. Maybe there's a cow that changed the direction of your herd. Maybe you remember a mentor who took the time to teach you something that you still use today. Or maybe there's a story that's been told around your family for generations.
Those stories matter.
We're inviting the dairy community to share their own Showbox Stories, including photos and memories that could be featured during the live event.
Because when we take the time to capture these stories, we're doing more than creating podcast content. We're creating a record of the people and experiences that make the dairy industry what it is.
Preserving the Past While Building What's Next
There's something special about hearing someone tell a story about where they came from while knowing they're still actively shaping where the industry is headed.
That's the heart of Showbox Stories.
It's a celebration of the people who have come before us, the mentors who helped us along the way, and the next generation of dairy leaders who will take those lessons and make them their own.
We hope you'll join us at World Dairy Expo on October 1 for Showbox Stories live on the Tanbark stage. And if you can't be there in person, you can continue following the conversations through the Uplevel Dairy Podcast.
Because the stories we capture today become the history someone else will learn from tomorrow.
Follow the Uplevel Dairy Podcast for more conversations with the people shaping the future of dairy. Subscribe at UplevelDairy.com and follow along on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram for more stories, insights, and lessons from leaders across the industry.
To hear the complete discussion, stream now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or watch the full conversation on YouTube.
