Dairy Team has new On-Farms Dairy Series

Meetings are 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., include lunch and a farm tour following educational session

Penn State’s Extension Dairy Team is offering a new “On-Farm Dairy Series: Plan the Work; Work the Plan” at three locations this summer. The series provides an opportunity to learn from dairy enterprises that have made improvements based on sound business and facility planning. Each meeting is designed to spotlight a unique set of business decisions that enabled each farm to move forward.

Dates and locations for the three meetings are:

 

 

• Thursday, July 25 – Incremental Expansion – Kish-View Farms, Reedsville, Pa.
• Wednesday, July 31 – New Dairy System – Lebanon, Pa.
• Wednesday, Aug. 7 – New Milking Center – Shippensburg, Pa.

All meetings are from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and include lunch and a farm tour following the morning educational session. Registration, which includes lunch and light refreshments is $20 per person for each meeting site.

“The emphasis will be on long-term profitability which comes with careful planning and continual strategic reinvestment in the dairy,” said Dan McFarland, agricultural engineering extension educator, who is organizing the meetings. He said that the meetings will show how to incorporate the latest technologies, including improvement in cow comfort, herd and employee management and reduced environmental footprint.

Dairy industry professionals will be on hand to share information and insight into the dairy industry, dairy management topics and dairy business benchmarks.

The Kish-View Farms session will begin at the Reedsville Volunteer Fire Company, 16 Firehouse Boulevard, Reedsville, 17084. Morning speakers will include Dave Swartz, Penn State Extension, “State of the Dairy Industry”; Jeffery Bewley, Alltech, Inc., “Turning the Data You Have into Profit”; Mike Hosterman, AgChoice Farm Credit, “Dairy Business Benchmarks”; and Keith Spicher, “Incremental Expansion: Kish-View Farm’s Experience.” The tour and educational stations are at the farm at 4733 E. Main Street, Belleville, 17004.

The Talview Dairy, LLC session will begin at Lebanon Valley Agricultural Center, 2120 Cornwall Road #1, Lebanon, PA 17042. Speakers will be Dave Swartz, Penn State Extension, “State of the Dairy Industry”; Joe Bender, DVM, University of Pennsylvania, “Turning the Data You Have into Profit”; Tim Beck, Penn State Extension, “Dairy Business Benchmarks”; Brent Copenhaver, “Planning and Building a New Dairy System: Talview Dairy’s Experience.” The afternoon tour will be at 1501 Mt. Pleasant Road, Lebanon 17042.

The Gro-Lan Farms session will begin at Shippensburg Firefighters Activity Center, 33 Orange Street, Shippensburg 17257. Speakers will be Zach Myers, Center for Dairy Excellence, “State of the Dairy Industry”; Joe Bender, DVM, University of Pennsylvania, “Turning the Data You Have into Profit”; Wayne Brubaker, “Dairy Business Benchmarks”; and Jay Grove, “Milking Harvesting Decisions: Gro-Lan’s Experience.” The farm tour will be at 115 Clearfield Road, Shippensburg, PA 17257.

 

 

All of the sessions will offer insight critical to making decisions about improvements for the short term or long term and will contribute to your future success.

Register online at extension.psu.edu/on-farm-dairy-series or by calling 877-345-0691.

Walk-ins are welcome, but please call 717-840-7408 one week before each meeting date to allow an accurate meal count.