Dairy farmers often feel like they’re moving from one fire to the next on the farm. But when you find your true north, you’re able to control the chaos, quiet down the outside noise, commit to your purpose and stay the course through the highs and the lows.
At the 2026 Pennsylvania Dairy Summit on Feb. 4-5, speakers from across the dairy industry will help you commit to your personal and professional growth through dynamic sessions. Thoughts from 16 of those speakers are shared below.
Whether you’re at the peak of your career in the dairy industry or just getting started, these speakers give a sneak preview of some of the farm-level and business management tips they plan to share at the dairy summit. When you keep purpose as your compass and passion as your fuel, you can propel yourself – and your farm – forward.
Committing to your true north
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Know your purpose and keep checking in with it. “If someone wants to find their true north, with all the noise and change in our industry, I think it starts with knowing your purpose. On our farm, moving into beef and on-farm milk processing taught us that when you’re clear on why you’re doing something, the next steps feel less overwhelming. Purpose steadies you, and passion keeps you moving. Diversification brings plenty of highs and lows – markets shift, customers change and you’re learning as you go. But if your decisions line up with your long-term goals for your family, your cows and your land, it’s much easier to stay on track. Keep checking your compass and make sure you’re building something that truly serves your farm and your community. When you do that, the noise fades, and the path forward becomes a lot clearer.”
—Brody Stapel, Farm Stapels, keynote speaker -
Re-energize yourself. “One of the best sayings I have read and keep in the back of my mind is: ‘People always think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but the truth is, the grass is greener where you water it.’ I think not just in business, but in life, it is easy to look around and feel like someone else's situation is more desirable, especially in challenging times. It is just as easy for us to lose appreciation for where we are and where we’re going in the slow times as it is in the chaotic times. Taking time to attend a conference like the dairy summit is a great way to reinvigorate some energy into our purpose and ‘water our own grass.’ For Matt and me, a piece of this has been choosing a different path and diversifying with organic practices at scale. In the past five years, we have continued down the diversification path by integrating regenerative practices on our pasture and cropping side.”
—Megan Fry, Fair Hill Farm, keynote speaker -
Embrace both opportunities and challenges. “Putting God as my true north and knowing He is in control with a purpose during the highs and lows is my focus. This perspective has helped build the right relationships for making sound decisions as a team, no matter if it's an opportunity or a challenge.”
—Donny Bartch, Merrimart Farms, keynote speaker -
Stay committed to your path. “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. Farms that grow through the highs and lows are the ones that stay committed to their path while making modest and thoughtful adjustments along the way.”
—Sara Dorland, Ceres Risk Management, keynote speaker -
Don’t lose sight of a strong work ethic. “Get up early, and work hard all day. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it well.”
—Jim Hertzler, Summit Level Dairy, keynote speaker
Navigating farm-level decisions
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Stay open-minded to new technology. “Dragline manure application is a technology that I was only vaguely familiar with when I was approached by a custom applicator. It turns out the issues I thought would be roadblocks to using this method could be easily overcome. My advice is to be open-minded to new technologies that can improve both your bottom line and your stewardship of natural resources.”
—Doug Sattazahn, Zahncroft Dairy, breakout speaker in “The Fundamentals” track -
Stay the course with heifer investments. “Finding your true north is not just focusing on the destination but investing in the journey it takes to get there. It’s focusing on the small steps along the way that sum up to success. In a challenging economic market, it can be tough to stay the course on heifer investment, which can take years to see the payback. Small investments in the short term lead to her achieving her lifetime success and leading your farm forward for future growth.”
—Dr. Mac Campbell and Alyssa Dietrich, Cargill, breakout speakers in “The Fundamentals” track -
Begin with the end in mind. “To help me find my true north, I always found it helpful to ‘begin with the end in mind.’ In other words, where do you want to end up, or what do you want your farm to look like in three to five years or even further out? After I have painted that picture, I have made a habit of writing down that vision and my goals of how I think our farm business can get there. It is so much more powerful to have a written vision and goals and to share them with your team so everyone is headed in the same direction. The path to get to that end goal will change course many times along the way, and we must be willing to pivot at any time. Having that vision stated to come back to can help ground us in the chaos.”
—Walt Moore, Walmoore Holsteins, breakout speaker in “The Analytics” track -
Figure out your first step. “Finding your true north or an end goal of a profitable farm is made one step at a time through marginal improvement. It’s impossible to make all the changes or improvements you want to make at once. It’s hard to go from where you find yourself now to where you want to end up, but jumping steps can make that journey even harder. Maybe your first step is just record-keeping so you can make informed decisions next year. The journey takes time, and not every step will take you in the right direction. Adjust, follow your compass, and continue to let your passion fuel you and your purpose guide you.”
—Alan Davis, dairy farmer, breakout speaker in “The Analytics” track
Quieting the outside noise
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Avoid false efficiency. “When the noise on a dairy gets loud – from markets, labor, new tech and shifting guidelines — the producers who stay grounded are the ones who know their true north. They filter every decision through a simple question: ‘Does this help us get better over the long run?’ One trend I see more often today is false efficiency. You buy a new system and feel productive, but nothing actually improves. For example, if a fresh-cow sensor sends 10 alerts but the fresh-pen routine never changes, then nothing truly moves forward. Information without action is just noise. Real progress comes from clarity and from people who know what they’re working toward. At CATTLEytics, we build people-first tools that help teams turn information into better daily decisions – so technology supports your crew instead of overwhelming them.”
—Dr. Shari Van de Pol, CATTLEytics, breakout speaker in “The Fundamentals” track -
Identify the metric you are trying to move. “It’s easy to get distracted by the sheer volume of new precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies and the sales pitches promising huge efficiency gains. This noise can obscure your real goal. The only way to find your true north and achieve sustainable growth is to understand this: Your true north is not the technology; it is the single, critical metric you are trying to move. Before making any investment, you must know what success looks like, down to a specific number. Define the one nonnegotiable key performance indicator (KPI) that offers the highest leverage for your specific operation right now. For example, heat detection, heifer mortality under 60 days or the percent of cows with transition cow diseases are all metrics that affect farm profitability. I recommend that farms choose the KPI they are weakest at and target selecting a PLF system that will improve that metric. Make sure that if you buy the system, it can move that KPI in the direction of ROI to make the system worth it. It is not achieved by chasing every shiny object. It is achieved by relentlessly focusing resources on the one lever that matters most to your bottom line.”
—Dr. Melissa Cantor, Pennsylvania State University, breakout speaker in “The Analytics” track -
Remember what connects you to farming. “Many dairy farmers are multigenerational farmers who have been raising cows because their grandfathers did this. Others learned the values of raising livestock in their home countries, where raising livestock was also valued. You don’t do this for the pay. You could earn more somewhere else, but you still wake up early and care for these cows that produce milk for Americans. I have seen you care for sick cows in the freezing cold. I have seen you cry when cows die. Dairy farmers are a special breed of people who love the land, the cows and the idea that they are part of the food chain. Dairy farmers have a deep connection to the animals that sustain us. Robots will never replace humans on the dairy farm – they don’t have that deep connection to the animals and the land. That is your true north.”
—Jacob Monty ESQ, Monty & Ramirez LLP Attorneys at Law, breakout speaker in “The People” track
Staying the course
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Consistency matters more than intensity. “In farming and manufacturing, consistency is more important than intensity. Your true north isn’t found in big moments – it’s found by showing up every day, improving a little at a time and staying steady when things get noisy.”
—Eric Hoover, Hoover Ag LLC, breakout speaker in “The Fundamentals” track -
Aim for slow and steady progress. “For Rosetree Consulting, our involvement in projects, like the Manure Injection Partnership, to cost-share technology adoption for farmers with less financial risk, fits our true north. Start by developing a business plan that lays out your goals and identifies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Be pragmatic and honest. You're not looking to hit a home run, but you're just looking to improve by two to four percent year over year.”
—Eric Rosenbaum, Rosetree Consulting, breakout speaker in “The Fundamentals” track -
Think about the big picture. “Don’t lose sight of the big picture. Whether we are talking about your career plans, business growth or personal development, we never get there in a straight line. Focus on the big picture and take measured steps toward that goal. The path will reveal itself.”
—Dr. Asha Miles, Dairy Records Management Systems, breakout speaker in “The Analytics” track -
Always be willing to learn. “Stay true to your values and goals, while learning and exploring strategies and opportunities to realize your goals.”
—Dr. Heather Karsten, Pennsylvania State University, breakout speaker in “The Fundamentals” track
