You’re Invited to Free Animal Care Workshops

 

You and your employees are invited to one of five, free animal care workshops being held on dairy farms across the state throughout March and April! Hosted by the Center for Dairy Excellence, the Professional Dairy Managers of PA (PDMP) and the PA Beef Council, the workshops will focus on hands-on skill-building to help you meet National FARM compliance.

What to Expect:

• The workshops will run from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on five dairy farms across the state. View dates and locations below.
• Lunch will be provided at each event.
• A Spanish interpreter will be present at each event, making the workshops ideal for both English and Spanish-speaking employees.
• These workshops are for dairy farm owners and/or their employees. They will satisfy the FARM requirements for training in the areas listed below.
• A certificate will be provided at the conclusion of each workshop to show your commitment to National FARM and animal care. You will also be certified through the National Beef Council Calf Care & Quality Assurance (CCQA) program by the end of the workshop.

Please help us share these free events with producers you know.

Dates and Locations

We hope you and your team will join us at one of these locations! Click here to register online and let us know you’re planning to attend. More details will be provided after registration.

Tuesday, March 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Scattered Acres Farm
Lancaster County, PA
900 Galen Hall Rd.
Reinholds, PA 17569

Wednesday, March 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Mercer Vu Farms
Franklin County, PA
12275 Mt Pleasant Rd. 
Mercersburg, PA 17236

Thursday, March 23 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Willow Behrer Farms
Huntingdon County, PA
3288 Behrer Lane
Spruce Creek, PA 16683

Wednesday, April 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Lone Oak Farms
Westmoreland County, PA
201 Shady Road
New Alexandria, PA 15570 

Tuesday, April 25 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 
Hoffman Family Farms LLC
Potter County, PA
243 Healy Road
Shinglehouse, PA 16748

Training Areas & Workshop Schedule

During each workshop, attendees will rotate through 45-minute stations to boost your skills and gain training in several key animal welfare areas:

• Calf Care — Learn about proper nutrition and management of replacement heifers to help achieve top quality dairy cows that are profitable and capable of remaining in the herd for several years.
• Biosecurity — Learn what biosecurity means for dairy operations and hear tips for minimizing the likelihood of something detrimental arriving on your operation.
• Dry Cow Management and Obstetrics — Participate in a hands-on demonstration using models provided by Penn State Extension, and learn how to properly assist in the delivery of calves in normal instances as well as abnormal or dystocia deliveries.
• Animal Handling and Stockmanship – Participate in a hands-on demonstration to learn how to more efficiently and patiently sort and move cattle using groups of heifers that are weaned up to six months old.

A certificate will be provided after each workshop to show your commitment to National FARM and animal care. You will also be certified through the National Beef Council Calf Care & Quality Assurance (CCQA) program by the end of the workshop.

Workshop Schedule:

• 9-9:30 a.m. –  Arrive and Check In
• 9:30 a.m. – Welcome and Brief Overview of National FARM program
• 10 a.m. – Start first rotation
• 11:45 a.m. – Lunch (Provided at each event)
• 1 p.m. –  Start afternoon rotations

2:30 p.m. – Optional tour of the dairy farm