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…
As I write this, I am looking out my window at about three inches of snow. It is the first significant snowfall of the winter season, and it has our valley painted in a sparkling white hue. Have you ever noticed how quiet and peaceful it is after a snowfall? Even the cows in the…
Earlier this week we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Center for Dairy Excellence. We invited past board members, partners and staff back to reflect on the work that we have done at the Center and how it has helped the dairy industry. We also asked a few farmers who have been involved in our…
In the past two months, cases of HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) have wreaked havoc on both the dairy and poultry industries in California. To date, there have been 402 dairy herds in California, along with herds in Utah and Idaho, that have been affected with the disease. In addition to the dairy herds, there…
