PA Dairy Summit

There are a lot of factors that drive profitability on a dairy farm, so how can you rise to the top and stay there? The path to profitability is different for every single dairy farm family. Hear from three dairy producers from different sized dairies who share their own unique approach to profitability and how they have remained focused on their goals for the farm, the family, and the business. Jim Hertzler is from Summit Level Dairy, a 100-cow dairy farm in Berks County, Pa. Donny Bartch is from Merrimart Farms, a 300-cow dairy farm in Perry County, Pa. Matt and Megan Fry are from Fair Hill Farms, a 500-cow organic dairy farm in Maryland.

Save the date for the 2027 PA Dairy Summit: Join us on February 3-4, 2027 in State College, PA! Visit www.padairysummit.org.

What’s next for dairy pricing? What does the road ahead like? As we head into 2026, a year likely to bring global expansion and a temporary milk surplus, staying grounded in your long-term purpose becomes even more critical. Markets will ebb and flow, but your True North should be your goals and values that reinforce and guide your decisions. As managing partner with Ceres Risk Management, Sara Dorland shares her insight on FMMO reform, milk markets, and potential impacts on producers’ milk checks.

Save the date for the 2027 PA Dairy Summit: Join us on February 3-4, 2027 in State College, PA! Visit www.padairysummit.org.

This year, a feature-length documentary called World Without Cows had its Pennsylvania debut on the Dairy Summit stage. The documentary explores the complexity behind a seemingly simple question: Are we better off in a world without cows? Through interviews with farmers, ranchers, scientists and others on the front lines of agriculture and science, award-winning journalists Michelle Michael and Brandon Whitworth take viewers on a global journey to deepen their understanding of everything cows contribute and what the world might look like without them.

Save the date for the 2027 PA Dairy Summit: Join us on February 3-4, 2027 in State College, PA! Visit www.padairysummit.org.

"How can we connect more people directly with American farmers?”

“How can we perfect our chocolate chip cookie recipe and use real butter?

In this Business Showcase, hear how the Painterland Sisters and Taylor Chip Cookie’s stories began – two Pennsylvania-grown, independent businesses who got their start with a strong passion for real dairy products. With both businesses being included on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 List, learn how these business owners and entrepreneurs are controlling their own destiny in the midst of rapid growth, navigating a competitive marketplace, expanding dairy’s footprint, and staying true to their Pennsylvania roots.

Save the date for the 2027 PA Dairy Summit: Join us on February 3-4, 2027 in State College, PA! Visit www.padairysummit.org.

When brothers Brody and Jory returned to their family’s farm, Farm Stapels in Howards Grove, WI, they were filled with enthusiasm and energy and had one thing in mind: opportunity. Opportunity to raise their families on a farm, opportunity to work for themselves and bring about their own success, and opportunity to be part of our country’s food security. In 2025, exactly 430 days after returning home from a conference that inspired them to start bottling their own milk, they dug the foundation of their new creamery. As the 2024 Young Dairy Farmer of the Year, Brody Stapel shares how they have been forging ahead with innovation, rolling up their sleeves, and making their dreams a reality.  

Save the date for the 2027 PA Dairy Summit: Join us on February 3-4, 2027 in State College, PA! Visit www.padairysummit.org.

Success is not genetic. You’ll never find ‘success’ in your DNA. Full of energy and storytelling, Michael defines what success actually means – and how it involves owning your choices, shifting your culture, contributing your best daily, and finding your true north in a business where change is a constant factor. 

Save the date for the 2027 PA Dairy Summit: Join us on February 3-4, 2027 in State College, PA! Visit www.padairysummit.org.

When it comes to designing your tomorrow, the pathway to chasing dreams and achieving goals is never linear. Caleb and Alice Crothers of Long Green Farms both have nontraditional journeys and careers that eventually led them back to their family’s eighth-generation, 150-cow dairy farm. Learn from their experience interfacing with consumers, farming with sustainability and heritage in mind, and their mindset for achieving goals. Caleb and Alice Crothers farm on a 150-cow, eight-generation dairy operation in Maryland. 

Save the date for the 2027 PA Dairy Summit: Join us on February 3-4, 2027 in State College, PA! Visit www.padairysummit.org.

As demand for fresh fluid milk continues to struggle, embracing innovation and pursuing new market opportunities offers opportunities for the fluid dairy case. Hear about the latest research in milk molecule separation and learn how Maola’s recent investment in the Philadelphia area could lead to growth in market opportunities for Pennsylvania milk.

Save the date for the 2027 PA Dairy Summit: Join us on February 3-4, 2027 in State College, PA! Visit www.padairysummit.org.

At Oakridge Dairy, a people-first culture, a rotary milking parlor, environmental responsibility, and the idea of supplying milk direct to consumer are the notions driving change at their dairy operation. It’s all part of their mindset of staying ahead of the curve and building a future where people know their farmers. Oakridge Dairy is a 2,900-cow dairy farm in Connecticut, the largest single site dairy farm in the Northeast. David Moser shares a glimpse inside this CT dairy in this producer showcase. 

Save the date for the 2027 PA Dairy Summit: Join us on February 3-4, 2027 in State College, PA! Visit www.padairysummit.org.

What’s exciting about dairy’s future? How can you get in touch with your “why” and use that to guide your future? For the past 15 years, Peggy Coffeen from the Uplevel Dairy podcast has been sitting down with dairy farmers across the country to tell their stories as a dairy magazine editor and podcast host. Based on her conversations with dairy managers across the nation, Peggy dives into what the future of the dairy industry looks like.

Save the date for the 2027 PA Dairy Summit: Join us on February 3-4, 2027 in State College, PA! Visit www.padairysummit.org.