Before Scott Imboden became a dairy farmer, he worked in food manufacturing. In fact, his career started at a dairy balancing plant in El Paso, Texas, owned by
Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) at the time. That plant produced milk powder and was later purchased by Smucker’s®.
(Milk from DFA farmer-owners goes to dairy manufacturing facilities to be turned into the products you know and love — like butter, cheese, ice cream and more — often bottled, boxed and packaged as
DFA farmer-owned brands you might recognize in your grocery store!)
“It was a smaller plant, so there were more opportunities to try out different roles,” he says. During his time at the plant, he worked in human resources and as a quality manager.
“I never had any intent of getting into manufacturing, but it quickly grew into something that I really liked,” he says. “Especially working in the lab and running the tests [as a quality manager]. I liked understanding how the process worked and what our lab techs were responsible for. The science of it was really fascinating to me.”
A journey from manufacturing to farming
So, how does one go from food manufacturing to dairy farming as a
farmer-owner of DFA? It started with Scott’s father, Les. He’s an entrepreneur who loves to fix things and hates to be bored. From grain farming to real estate to a local golf course, he loves taking struggling businesses and transforming them into profitable operations.
“I like seeing something that needs to be repaired and thinking, ‘I can fix that,’” Les says. “It’s not just turning a wrench on a tractor. It’s turning a business model that’s not working into one that does work. That’s a lot of fun.”
After a tip from a colleague, Les purchased a dairy farm in need of his business know-how.
“I didn’t know what I was doing. I was in way over my head,” Les says. So, not long after, Scott took a leap of faith and left his corporate dairy manufacturing job to join his dad in the unknown world of dairy farming.
With Scott’s love of processes, a master’s degree in business administration and manufacturing experience, the father-son pair have turned their now three Ohio dairies into profitable businesses producing high-quality milk operated by devoted and passionate employees.
Farm employees that are like family
Scott oversees all three successful operations and says they couldn’t do what they do without their 90 employees.
“I really, really value them,” he says. “Because they just help us move forward — and in ways that we couldn’t have imagined when we first started here. There are things that they do now — whether it’s decision making or simple day-to-day things — that I don’t have to be involved with. It’s very powerful. That allows me to do things I need to do. And that value leads to a better-quality product.”
Scott genuinely cares about the people his business touches — not only his employees but also the DFA plant workers receiving his milk. He has a unique perspective having personally worked in food manufacturing.
“We try to always keep them in mind too — about what they have to receive and process, and we want to make their job easier,” he says. “As dairy farmers, we try to make decisions that we know will affect them in a positive way.”
Farmer fun fact
In addition to Les Imboden’s love of repairing struggling businesses, he also enjoys repairing vintage milk trucks and restoring them to their original beauty. Les’ collection includes four DIVCO trucks built by the Detroit Industrial Vehicle Company ranging from 1948–1968 and a 1935 Twin Coach milk truck. The trucks are complete with original glass milk bottles and wooden crates inside. Someday he plans to donate the trucks to a museum or dairy learning center for people to enjoy.
Next up on his restoration list? An original Ford Bronco.