About Laura Daniels and

Hitch Pin Consulting

Laura Daniels has been working with family businesses and building teams for over twenty years. She started as a dairy cattle nutritionist focused on increasing profitability through science and sound management advice. However, Laura has increasingly been drawn to the people side of the cow business.

Now her focus turns to helping businesses manage their greatest resource: their people. Laura has led 100’s of family and management team meetings, she has helped or led the building of many high performing teams including the team at her own dairy and the national non-profit organization she leads. Laura has walked managers through dozens of new hires, protocol designs, effective training tactics, terminations, conflict resolution and long range plans.

These interests have resulted in Laura’s valuable and unique combination of expertise in both nutrition and people management. On a dairy these are by far the top two expenses and thereby, areas with the most opportunity. All of this experience and a true passion to help people succeed forms a solid foundation for Laura’s exciting start-up, Hitch Pin Consulting.

At Hitch Pin, our goal is to connect people to their potential.

Laura Daniels is a mother, wife, farmer, dairy consultant and agriculture advocate. At Heartwood Farm in Cobb, WI, Laura and husband Jarred Searls take great joy in teaching their children, Nathan and Julia, their values as they work together. While Laura and Jarred share in ownership of the farm, it is Laura who serves as General Manager and is in charge of day‐to-day operations of the 300 Jersey cow farm.

Laura is a graduate of UW-Madison in Dairy Science and Life Sciences Communications. She is the Founder of Dairy Girl Network, a networking group for dairy women across the world, helping them connect and succeed. While active with many local state and national organizations, her pride is being a Coach of the Iowa County 4‐H Dairy Judging Team for 15 years. Her barn office is her advocacy headquarters, where she takes time each day to spread pro‐agriculture messages. She also hits the road to deliver pro‐ag and motivational speeches across the country, inspiring many to find their passion, build their skills and have confidence to tell their story.