In October, I had the opportunity to participate in two different roundtable discussions that presented different perspectives on dairy farm management styles than I had not previously considered. Although it did not make me want to immediately upend our current approach to how we dairy, it did remind me of something I learned a long…
A pair of two red maple trees sit across the lane from our house. They sit against the landscape of the valley below the farm in a way that displays the passing of the seasons like no other. In the spring, the red buds burst against the dark bark, changing to a cascade of green…
I spent the day after Mother’s Day helping our hoof trimmer. Since our herd is relatively small, we do not have sort gates and chutes that maneuver cows in a different direction when needed. The hoof trimmer does have gates we can use to convert the parlor to a chute, but the cows still must…
Recently I had the opportunity to attend the wrap-up dinner for our on-farm interns. Each year the Dairy Excellence Foundation works with the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association to support a handful of college students who are placed as summer interns on dairy farm operations in and outside of Pennsylvania. This…
There is no doubt that 2025 has had its share of challenges for those in the dairy industry in Pennsylvania. After peaking at $25.50 per hundredweight in October 2024, the all-milk price has been steadily falling, dropping to a low of $21 in April 2025 before increasing only 30 cents to $21.30 in May. Class…
Just in time for June Dairy Month, the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry approved the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act out of their committee. A similar piece of legislation was approved by the House Education and Workforce Committee in February. If signed into law, the legislation will provide schools with the…
To me, it seems ironic that May is Mental Health Month, both from a farm perspective and from the perspective of a mother. From both perspectives, it’s a month that reminds you about all the uncertainty that exists in life. On the farm, May is typically the month when everything comes on at once. The…
Early this month I had the opportunity to attend the US Dairy Export Council’s annual meeting in December. USDEC is a non-profit membership organization funded in part through Dairy Checkoff to represent US dairy trade interests across the globe. They have membership from cooperatives, processors, and exporters across the dairy supply chain. State associations and…
As little kids growing up on the farm, we are always taught to stay busy. My dad used to tell us that if it was light outside, we should be outside doing something. Then, as we became adults working on the farm, we were told to have a plan. “Don’t get so caught up in…
For those who grew up in dairy, feeding calves almost seemed like a right of passage. I remember when I was about 8 years old, I was assigned the task of feeding the calves. By then, my older siblings were in the barn milking. I was expected to make sure the calves had milk twice…
