Cow-Side Conversations

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“If we can run this farm as a business, we can get the lifestyle we’re looking for. If we look at it as a lifestyle, the business could collapse financially.” In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Ron Wenger of Hollowacres Farm LLC in Franklin County, Pennsylvania opens up about the complex process of treating their 275-cow dairy farm as a business and not just a lifestyle. Emphasizing the importance of remaining business-minded, Ron describes the slow and steady improvements they have made over the years with reproduction, herd health and longevity, cull rate, maximizing their facilities, and employee management. With efficiency and profitability being their two core goals, he also shares the different enterprises they have to take the pressure off their dairy operation, especially during downturns. 

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In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Anthony Rice of Clover Creek Cheese Cellar in Blair County, Pennsylvania describes his family’s transition from a conventional dairy farm to a seasonal, pasture-based operation more than 30 years ago. He shares the detail and creativity that goes into the cheese-making process along with the protein and butterfat goals they have for their herd. The Rice family processes all of their own milk for their small, 49-cow herd and distributes their cheese to cities like Pittsburgh, Lancaster, and Philadelphia. Not only has cheese-making helped keep their family farm profitable and sustainable, but Anthony shares how it has guided the unique way they manage their herd – the genetic traits they look for and the seasonal approach they take with their pastures. 

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In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Brent Copenhaver from Talview Dairy, a 500-cow dairy milking at two different locations in Lebanon County, PA, spoke about his journey into the dairy business, getting his start by purchasing cows and equipment from a retiring dairy producer. His approach to the dairy business includes prioritizing a balanced lifestyle, building strong relationships, building up cash flow, and knowing where to pivot along the way.

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In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Jim Harbach from Schrack Farms in Clinton County, Pennsylvania dives into all things cropping as we prepare for spring planting season. With a goal of keeping something growing in the soil every day of the year on their 2,500 acres, Jim describes the transformation he has seen in their soil over the last 50 years. He shares how to navigate higher fertilizer costs by focusing on timing and drag lining manure, and the improvements in pH they have found in the soil thanks to their digester. While joking that they started no till and cover cropping “for all the wrong reasons,” Jim gets serious about the impressive differences they’ve seen in the structure, texture, and organic matter levels within their soil after following these practices. As a dairy farmer, he says the organic matter that the animals return to the soil is a critical part of it.

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In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Kate (Kulp) Musselman of Kulp Family Dairy LLC in Blair County, Pennsyvlania gives an inside look at their 3,000-cow dairy operation. With three different sites and 6,500 acres between owned and rented land, Kate shares the herd management and employee management strategies that make up their dairy business and satellite operations. As they navigate an expansion that will take their herd from 3,000 cows to 4,500 cows in the next year, Kate describes some of the milestones, challenges, and goals for the expansion: labor efficiency, increased milk production, sustainable jobs, and more. 

With an ownership team of five family members, Kate also shares how both generations bring something to the table and how they try to balance family and business. 2026 is the International Year of the Woman Farmer, and Kate describes the excitement she has for not only being a female in agriculture, but a member of the Pennsyvlania dairy industry.  

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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 balancing debt load, Alan opens up about navigating bottlenecks, learning that less is sometimes more, and using their data to make financially advantageous decisions.

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“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 in this episode of Cow-Side Conversations. After transitioning the family farm and then completing an expansion in 2017, today the Sattazahn family farms about 300 acres and milks 315 cows in a double-twelve parlor and sand-bedded, free stall set-up. David describes the decision-making process of moving to 3x a day milking, switching to custom drag lining and manure injection, hiring and mentoring a dairy herd manager apprentice, honing in on reproduction, creating energy corrected milk goals for the year, and more. To avoid complacency and drive profitability, David says they critique what they’re doing, work with experts they trust, try new ideas, evaluate the results, and remain open to switching course as the farm evolves.

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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 how he has shifted more into business management over the last three years, his outlook on avoiding burnout, and his philosophy on what farm transition looks like when working with the next generation.

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“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 than 100 days in hospitals and rehab centers, Rob returned home to the farm just in time for Thanksgiving last year. This season is a reminder of what they walked through and how blessed they are to still have Rob with them. During the podcast, Kerri describes how their journey in dairy farming started and where they are now. Eight years ago, she and Rob started dairy farming from scratch, renting different facilities and growing their herd until they entered into a partnership with two brothers. About four weeks after her husband’s brain injury, Kerri was faced with finishing the transition process on her own and making the decision to sell the cows or buy out the rest of the partnership. Knowing Rob needed to come home to a full barn, Kerri made a decision to move forward with the transition. She reflects on her decision-making process, the trusted team they’ve built, the community that stepped up, and the simple joys she gathers from her animals and children. Ultimately, Kerri has learned how to be grateful for each day and for what they have even when the circumstances are not what she expected them to be.

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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 benchmarking through DRMS data, Steve says not everything happened at once. But with patience and time, these upgrades have given them more data at their fingertips to be proactive with herd health and boost milk production. Steve also shares his leadership journey and what he learned along the way after serving on multiple boards and participating in advocacy efforts across the dairy industry.