Cow-Side Conversations

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“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 dairy farms. He shares some of the technology he utilizes on a daily basis and innovative decisions he has made to save on labor and drive efficiency. These include a three-cell lagoon system and sand lane system that helps reduce mechanization and labor costs by pumping manure versus hauling it. Josh also talks about the Afimilk cow monitoring system and feed tracking data he uses to make sure he’s milking the right cows, a coherent group calving system and bedded pack barn he built for springer cows, and the unique system he developed for group housed, free choice fed calves. 

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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 physical and mental recovery process was like, and the lessons he learned through the incident. Their dairy operation is a true family business with some additional Spanish-speaking employees. Matt shares how developing clear protocols for their workforce, while always remembering to have fun, is one of their top priorities. He also compares running a dairy business to the years he spent running marathons – and shares how keeping your mind in the right spot is key to working toward your goals. 

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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 creamery side of their business and how processing their own milk is helping secure their farm’s future. As the next generation, the siblings open up about what brought each of them back to their family farm and how their personal goals both play a role in diversifying Canon Dairy. From pursuing regenerative cropping strategies and an expansion of their beef herd to making all of their milk A2 through breeding and investing in a cream separator, they share how diversification is key to their future growth. 

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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 maximize forage quality, how he has worked to boost plant and soil health, and how he manages a workforce of trustworthy and highly motivated employees. Andy also shares how his team has managed this summer’s heat wave and what he learned from his parents about the farm transition process. 

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“I got told ‘no’ a lot,” Amy shares as she reflects on the years she spent getting her value-added dairy business off the ground. In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Amy Brickner of Stover Farms and Destiny Dairy Bar in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania opens up about her journey to bottling her own milk and how the times she heard ‘no’ only fueled her to fulfill her destiny: create a space for her community to see where their food comes from. With a herd of 80 milking cows, a Wagyu dairy cross beef herd, and an on-farm store where she sells her milk, ice cream, beef and more, Amy shares how she goes the extra mile to connect with her customers. She also talks about how she balances herd work with the value-added business, the vulnerability that comes with opening her farm to the public, and how she continues to dream big to move her business forward. 

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For Mental Health Awareness Month, this episode of Cow-Side Conversations showcases how a unique friendship started years ago helps a small group of farm women located across the state balance the highs and lows of farming and family life. Katie Sattazahn and her family farm in Womelsdorf, Berks County, while Jessica Slaymaker and her husband farm in Columbia Crossroads, Tioga County. They share their perspective on why making space and grace for your mental wellness matters on the farm. 

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Duane Stoltzfus of Pennwood Farms LLC in Somerset County, PA shares a glimpse inside their nutrition program, the feeding decisions they make for their 600-cow herd as they crop 2,000 acres, and the return on investment they’ve seen after implementing a feed watch technology system. He also describes the ups and downs of having a digester on their farm and explains the lengthy, but fulfilling, journey their family took to develop a transition plan that provides opportunities for the next generation. 

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Too often, we hear about dairies that are exiting the industry or those without a next generation. We don’t always hear how dairy farm families are positioning their operations for the future. In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Yvette Longenecker of Penn England LLC in Blair County, Pennsylvania shares how they work to find the sweet spot between growth and profitability. With six partners, about 2,100 mature cows, 3,600 acres, 50 employees and three different facilities, patience has been key when evaluating new projects or expansions. She describes their current building project and how they are working to drive efficiency and better manage milk production and quality. Yvette also opens up about how to navigate a family business during periods of growth, when to embrace opportunity versus stay patient, and how they use benchmarking to evaluate the return on possible expansion projects so they don’t over-leverage themselves.

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Managing calves can be a challenge, especially when you’re dealing with the up and down temperatures we’ve had this winter. But getting calves off to a good start can make all the difference in the future productivity of your herd. In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Caroline Zimmerman of Dry Creek Farm in Blair County, Pennsylvania describes some innovative approaches her team takes to prioritize calf care and manage their youngstock. She shares her experience working closely with her veterinarian to ultrasound calf lungs and stay on top of pneumonia and other illnesses.  She also talks about how they are using sexed semen to manage their heifer inventories, the transition they made to group housing and auto feeders, and the recent steps they’ve taken to breed beef on dairy. 

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January on the farm can be rough for everyone: you, your employees, and your herd. In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Justin Risser of Meadow Vista Dairy in northern Lancaster County shares how his team takes it one day, one decision, and one individual at a time. He describes how they try to manage the dairy operation with an individualized approach – from caring for their crops and their cows to making reproduction decisions, managing employees and allowing change to happen between generations. Justin discusses some unique approaches they have taken with dry cow management and the impact those decisions have had on metabolic illnesses. He also opens up about his family’s recent transition process, giving an honest look at farm-level, financial and relationship-driven decisions that went into it.