The Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) enrollment period for the 2026 Program Year will close next week on February 26th. Those farms that enroll could potentially receive payments on milk produced in at least January and February, based on current margin projections on the USDA Decision Tool. As of February 16, the January margin under the…
The beginning of January to the beginning of February is the busiest time for me at the Center. We start the new year out at Keystone Farm Show and helping with the Calving Corner at Pennsylvania Farm Show. As soon as the Farm Shows end, we become fully immersed in preparing for the Pennsylvania Dairy…
Winter is my least favorite season, especially on the farm. Every morning you break the ice out of the calf water buckets, and making sure lines are emptied and doors are shut tight is an every-evening routine so that nothing freezes up in the barn. Double checking all the animals becomes even more important, as…
Have you ever considered how much faith those involved in that first Christmas needed? Mary, who was told the Holy Spirit would breathe a new life into her. Joseph who stood by her side despite what the rumors may have been. The Wise Men who traveled many miles to a simple manger filled with hay…
When I was 19, I got a crash course in double clutching when I got thrown in the ten-wheel truck during forage harvesting. We were in the middle of tourist season in Gettysburg, and I found myself constantly struggling to keep from stalling out in between low and high gear. I will never forget how…
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…
