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“Cowside Conversations” is a monthly podcast brought to you by the Center for Dairy Excellence. We’ve heard time and time again that dairy farmers learn the most from other dairy farmers. So, in this podcast we’re going to share real-time farmer insight, tricks of the trade, and inspiring stories from dairies across Pennsylvania.
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Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Alan Davis of Davis Farms LLC in Butler/Armstrong County, Pennsylvania describes his family’s decision to upgrade to robots versus building a new parlor for their 150-cow herd. He shares how the shift to robotics has helped them make data-driven breeding decisions and achieve earlier intervention when it comes to herd health. From managing heifer inventories to budgeting and b...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! “Profitability is paramount, and we try to never be satisfied. What can we do to keep pushing production and maximize our facility?” Speaking to their forward-thinking approach and eye for critical details, David Sattazahn, who farms with his brother Doug and wife Katie on Zahncroft Dairy in Berks County, Pennsylvania, reflects on some of the decisions that have led their family, farm and herd to where they are today i...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Jeremy Martin of Mountain View Holsteins LLC in Berks County, Pennsylvania shares his unconventional journey after taking over management of his family’s dairy farm at the young age of 17 when his father unexpectedly passed away. With 140 cows in their herd, Jeremy describes how he focuses on production, cow comfort, breeding, and ways to make farming fun. Jeremy also shares h...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! “I always believed I was bringing my husband home. I also believed he could not come home to an empty barn. I was going to do everything to make sure there were cows here. He needed something to fight for.” In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Kerri Weber of Rustik Dairy LLC in Franklin County, Pennsylvania opens up about her journey navigating her husband Rob’s unexpected brain aneurysm 15 months ago. After more...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Steve Harnish of Central Manor Dairy LLC in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania describes how they address bottlenecks on their 200-cow dairy operation, navigate land price constraints, and leverage certain pieces of technology to manage their cows more intensively. From upgrading their transition cow facility and installing cow ID technology to investing in rumination boluses and ...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, we welcome our first-ever dairy producer from outside of Pennsylvania. Dee Shafer of Shafdon Farms in Jefferson, Maryland describes her family’s 10-year journey of trying to turn things around financially – moving from a place of being financially strapped with lenders telling them to look for someone else to becoming financially strong and profitable. Some of their most signi...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Jennifer Metzler of Pleasant View Farms in Blair County, Pennsylvania opens up about an unexpected parlor fire and describes the aftermath – and recovery – for their 3,700-cow herd. Jennifer describes the on-the-spot decisions her family had to make and how humbled they were by the way their community showed up to support them. A total of 13 farms across Blair, Bedford and Hun...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Zach Kreger of Kreger Farms in Tioga County, Pennsylvania describes how he and his wife, Heidi, have made slow and steady progress over the last 11 years on his family’s 75-cow dairy farm. From simple improvements like implementing a TMR mixer and tunnel ventilation to steady progress with transition planning and herd health, the Kregers have almost doubled production in a sho...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Greg Hemsarth of Hemsarth Dairy in Columbia County, Pennsylvania talks through his family’s decision to invest in robotic milking technology in 2018. He shares how that investment shifted his approach to employee management, affected his timeline for transition planning, impacted both herd health and labor costs, and allowed him to diversify and start a distillery. Greg descri...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Angie Breneman of Franklin View Farms LLC in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania describes their constant focus on cow comfort – and how after many years of making modifications to their current facilities, they reached a point of wanting to build a barn from scratch. She shares their upcoming three-stage project to build a new dry cow facility, three calf barns, and a compost stac...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Joel Krall of Furnace Hill Holsteins in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania opens up about how he has re-shaped his mindset to be content with the hand he has been given. From his passion for genetics that inadvertently led him to grow his herd to new partnerships that spurred him to form a satellite dairy operation, Joel talks about doors that have opened – and doors that have close...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Kendra Nissley of Jubilee Dairy in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania wraps up Women’s History Month by sharing about her journey on the farm and trying to find a sense of balance in it all. While farming and family often go hand in hand, it can be challenging to prioritize your children, your marriage and your own needs when the day-to-day responsibilities on the farm are so demand...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Nate Mowrer of Mowrer Farms in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania describes how they try to create a well-balanced business for their family’s eighth-generation dairy farm. This includes all facets of the business, both the hard and soft issues. On the herd management and cropping side, Nate shares how they use technology to be proactive with transition cow health, cut protein co...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Brad Hoover of Brook-Corner Holsteins in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania gives a deep dive on the breeding and genetics decisions he makes for his family’s herd of 350 Registered Holsteins. From focusing on fat and protein levels to boost pounds of components to specific types and traits that lead to longevity, Brad discusses the ways they try to maximize herd performance and get...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Joe Zug of Zugstead Farms in Juniata County, Pennsylvania defines what growth means to him on his family’s 950-cow dairy. He reflects on major, growth-related projects like building a new dry cow facility and expanding their herd. Joe also shares smaller, more recent endeavors that are helping to drive profitability and growth: deciding to haul their own milk for cost savings,...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! To kick off the first episode in Season 5 of Cow-Side Conversations, Paul Mason of Mason’s Chrome View in Chester County, Pennsylvania shares how the details add up on his 500-cow family dairy operation. From unique ways they keep employees engaged with production goals and understanding the “why” behind what they do to calf-raising protocols that have paid dividends, Paul reflects on all the little details and managem...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! “When you look at innovation, what can you do to your daily tasks to automate them, simplify them, and make them labor-friendly and super easy? That’s where it’s at – your daily tasks.” In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Josh Waddell of Apple Shamrock Farms LLC in Northwestern Pennsylvania talks about what innovation truly looks like – and how finding labor savings within daily tasks often gets forgotten on dai...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! We all know that on a dairy farm, it’s very easy to go from zero to 50 in the blink of an eye – but nothing is more important than saving a life or preventing an injury. In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Matt Carr, a third-generation dairy farmer from Westmoreland County, opens up about a farm safety accident where he lost the fingers on his left hand. He describes how quickly the accident happened, what the p...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Trenton Canon and Josie Offerdahl (the fifth generation on Canon Dairy in Mercer County, PA) share how they are focusing on diversity as a way to grow. In this interview with the siblings, Trent talks about some of their cropping strategies and farm management practices – from robotic milking technology to cover cropping and direct marketing with beef. Josie describes the crea...
Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Andy Bollinger of Meadow Spring Farm in Northern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania reflects on how someone once told him that the best dairy farmers are not great at any one aspect of farming, but are good at three key areas of dairy farming: heifer management, cow management and raising your forages. He talks about the unique feeding system he has implemented over the years to m...
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