Linda Gates

One of Barton Kiefer Dairy Consulting’s greatest assets is the team of Linda and Jason Gates, two nutritionists covering the south-eastern states for the consulting group. Though Barton Kiefer Dairy Consulting’s vision includes maximizing their clients’ profits, the company also prides itself on hiring consultants who have worked on or owned dairy farms themselves—and Linda and Jason are no strangers to that world. “I worked on a dairy farm with my family for 18 years,” Linda says. “We sold the farm in 2005, and I went to work as a nutritionist for regional feed mills before starting with Barton Kiefer Dairy Consulting in early 2014. And Jason’s uncle owned a dairy farm. He then became more involved with Barton Kiefer Dairy Consulting after we got married, helping me do cold-calls and go out to farms.” 

The clientele are just one reason why Linda and Jason love what they do. “Helping the farmers, especially the farmers who want to be helped, is the best part of the job,” Linda says. “That’s always a priority, if you can help somebody do a better job than what they’re already doing.” The couple also acknowledges the work their colleagues are putting in all over the country, too. “We have so many people working for Barton Kiefer Dairy Consulting,” Linda adds... “We feed a lot of cows all over the place, and it’s a great team collaboration.” 

And for Linda and Jason, their contributions to the team come from the work they do with dairy farmers in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Though they only cover 3 of Barton Kiefer’s 18-state consultant outreach, the couple has high hopes for the company’s evolution. “I know Barton Kiefer Dairy Consulting will keep growing,” Linda says. “They will expand into other parts of the country.” However, the company’s growth is much more than just geographical. Jason believes Barton Kiefer Dairy Consulting’s mission statement will still ring true, even if the company adds more states to its repertoire. “Keeping the same tight, close-knit rapport we have right now will always be a challenge when you are growing as a company,” Jason says. “But, even if Barton Kiefer Dairy Consulting gets bigger, I don’t think we will lose our sense of team.”