Dairy Producers and Young Dairy Professionals Can Attend the PA Dairy Summit at Discount
Dairy producers, professionals, and young dairy leaders looking to start designing their tomorrow today won’t want to miss the Pennsylvania Dairy Summit. Featuring more than 16 dynamic speakers, the 2025 event will take place on February 5-6 at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center in State College, Pa. Thanks to grants and support from the Center for Dairy Excellence, Professional Dairy Managers of PA, and Summit sponsors, registration fees for dairy producers are set to be as affordable as possible. Dairy producers can attend the full, two-day Dairy Summit for $100, with one-day rates available for $50. Registration is now open for the in-person event.
For young dairy professionals between the ages of 18 and 30, scholarships to attend the Dairy Summit are also available. Young professionals who receive the scholarship get a discounted rate of $50 to attend the full Summit, a complimentary hotel room, access to a Young Professionals Opening Night Reception, and an in-depth career development workshop.
“I came away from the Dairy Summit [last year] with a renewed sense of confidence in myself and my abilities. There were excellent industry professionals, very educational sessions, and great networking opportunities,” said Roy Hissong of Mercer-Vu Farms in Pennsylvania. “I found it beneficial to hear from people in a similar situation as I’m in, graduating from college and making a return to the dairy. Transition from generation to generation is difficult, and there is no correct way to go about it that will work for everyone. Regardless of the position you’re in, the Dairy Summit and Young Dairy Professionals Scholarship is invested in your learning and understanding of the dairy industry. I strongly encourage anyone to attend.”
Hosted by the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania and Center for Dairy Excellence, the 2025 Dairy Summit will feature keynote speakers who will lead timely sessions on a variety of topics, including finding your purpose and how it fits into the future of dairy, farming with a people-first culture, emerging markets for fluid dairy, and interfacing with consumers. Several dairy producers from Pennsylvania, Maryland and beyond will also lead sessions focused on public perception, climate-smart practices, cropping strategies and more. The following sessions will feature dairy producers:
- Building for Tomorrow Today, A Producer Showcase with Caleb and Alice Crothers of Long Green Farms (Keynote Session). When it comes to designing your tomorrow, the pathway to chasing dreams and achieving goals is never linear. Caleb and Alice Crothers of Long Green Farms in Maryland both have nontraditional journeys and careers that eventually led them back to their family’s eighth-generation, 150-cow dairy farm. Learn from their experience interfacing with consumers, farming with sustainability and heritage in mind, and their mindset for achieving goals.
- Farming for the Future in a World Where People Know Their Farmers: Producer Showcase with David Moser of Oakridge Dairy (Keynote Session). At Oakridge Dairy, a rotary milking parlor, environmental responsibility, and the idea of supplying milk direct to consumer are the notions driving change at their dairy operation. It’s all part of their mindset of staying ahead of the curve and building a future where people know their farmers.
- Does Climate-Smart Equal Farm-Smart? Producer Panel with Paul Mason of Mason’s Chrome View and Others (Breakout Session). From incorporating NOP3 into your ration to changing how you handle your cow manure, dairy farms are being inundated by opportunities to embrace “climate-smart” on your dairy. But is it really right for you? Hear from three producers who will share what they did and how it impacted their bottom line.
- Feeding for Fat: Do High-Oleic Soybeans Fit? Panel with Dr. Harvatine and Dairy Producers (Breakout Session). High-oleic soybeans have been around for more than 10 years, but are they are making their way into more and more dairy rations – especially with the current drive toward higher components. Hear from Dr. Kevin Harvatine and a few dairy producers on how they are feeding high-oleic soybeans, how they are sourcing them, and what results they are getting.
- The Power of Public Perception: The Good & Bad of Interacting with Consumers Producer Panel Discussion with Brooks Long, Alice and Caleb Crothers, and Beth Meyer (Breakout Session). From navigating through a crisis situation to knowing what to say and what not to say to the public, these producers will give their firsthand experience interacting with consumers in their community. Maintaining a positive image with your non-farm neighbors is critical to a farm’s ability to grow and evolve within a community that might not always understand exactly what you do.
“The most important thing for ‘designing your tomorrow today’ [the theme of this year’s Dairy Summit], is vision. With no vision, there is no goal to strive for. Find your vision, write it down, and begin planning what you must do to reach that vision,” said Brooks Long of Deliteful Dairy, one of the dairy producer panelists at the upcoming Dairy Summit.
At the opening night Young Dairy Professionals Reception, attendees will hear from a panel of young professionals who will share their experiences and career advice in the dairy industry. Casi Long, a dairy producer and owner of Kolb’s Farm Store in Chester County, Pa. will be one of the panelists. She plans to share her story as a young, first-generation dairy farmer who is actively involved in her community.
“If there is one thing I have learned as a first-generation farmer, it is that even the biggest and wildest dreams are obtainable. The biggest piece of advice I can give is to never give up. Even if your path takes a few turns you weren’t expecting, or you encounter a roadblock, that doesn’t mean you won’t reach your goal in the end,” said Casi Long, one of the dairy producer panelists at the Dairy Summit. “Whether your goal is to increase your herd size, change over from a parlor to robots, or become a better dairy leader, being able to adapt and overcome challenges is vital.”
Visit www.padairysummit.org to register today and view the full program. Producer discounts will automatically be applied during the registration process. To apply for the Young Dairy Professionals scholarship, applications must be submitted by January 16, 2025. Visit www.padairysummit.org and click on “Young Professionals” on the top right.
Contact the Pennsylvania Dairy Summit Business Office with questions or to learn more about sponsorship opportunities. Call 814-355-2467 or email info@padairysummit.org.