Cow-Side Conversations

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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 significant adjustments involved bringing in a Profit Team, revamping their cropping strategy, increasing their herd size to maximize their facilities and boost production, and always remembering their faith. Since 2017, they have added about 200 cows to their herd, lowered their breakeven cost by close to $3 per hundredweight, and officially hit over 30,000 pounds of milk per day for their now 400-cow herd. While Dee says they still don’t have it all figured out, she shares the little things they focus on to save time, boost cash flow, reduce equipment costs, tighten their breeding strategies, and lower their breakeven cost. 

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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 Huntingdon Counties took their cows in, and thanks to their community, they had all of their cows moved out to these different farms by 10:30am that morning, only a couple hours after the fire started. Jennifer also reflects on new opportunities that came from the fire, steps they’ve taken to prevent this type of emergency from happening again, and how a satellite dairy that’s four miles away from their home farm helped speed up the recovery process. 

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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 short amount of time. Zach focuses on finding bottlenecks that are holding the cows back and making everyday improvements to set the herd up for success. As a small dairy operation with no other outside income, Zach also shares ways they hold themselves accountable and inventive ideas they’ve found to achieve labor savings – such as installing a robotic feed pusher in their tie-stall barn.

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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 describes some of the unique challenges – and unique solutions – that robot herds face during summer heat waves, his focus on training and retaining employees, and how he and his father have worked to smooth the road of transitioning the business over the last few years.   

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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 stack shed. She also discusses the unique process of applying for financing when her family's goals were rooted in cow comfort, not necessarily growth in cow numbers. As someone who works with a lot of dairy farmers through her role at Penn State Extension, Angie opens up about work-life balance, how she juggles so many responsibilities while raising a family, farm safety tips for young children, and how an unexpected diagnosis put everything in perspective for her and her family. Her insight on mental and physical health is a great way to cap off Mental Health Awareness Month, and they are important reminders to think about all year long. 

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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 closed. He reflects on specific herd health challenges he has troubleshooted and how he has learned to accept help, even when he didn’t think he needed it. Joel also describes some of his unique reproduction strategies and shares how life’s unexpected twists continue to remind him about what matters most.

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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 demanding. Kendra reflects on some intentional decisions she and her husband, Jeff, have made in their journey to invest in employees, navigate the transition process between generations, and rely closely on outside experts – or as she says, “heroes” – to help them finetune the details and execute new plans.

From sustainability projects and boosting pounds of butterfat to a value-added cheese business and grants that help them save money, Kendra opens up about lessons they’ve learned along the way. She says it’s a neverending balancing act and an ongoing process of asking their family: How can we steward this farm so we farm it and it does not farm us?”

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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 costs with high-oleic soybeans, and utilize GPS technology and a variable rate program with their crops. On the family business side of the equation, he opens up about how they foster a small team of employees who enjoy coming to work every day, build trust between family members as they established an LLC and continue to transition the business, and find balance between a profitable business and the farming lifestyle.

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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 well-balanced cows. Unlike a lot of dairy operations right now, Brad is raising more heifers than cows – and works to keep good genetics behind the cows to drive profitability as he markets most of the heifers with a premium. Brad describes the return (ROI) he gets from investing in genetics, registered cows, and high-quality animals. He’ll be selling some of his animals at the PA Holstein Association’s annual sale in early February.

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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, installing a lameness camera to be proactive about hoof health concerns, being aggressive with their breeding program, and hiring an executive coach to help enhance their "people" skills. "I don't think you can grow unless you are profitable," Joe shares in the podcast.