Most rural landowners could raise beef on their properties by slapping together a fence, building a shelter, gathering feed requirements and ensuring a constant water supply – if that was all it took. These isolated actions will never on their own drive positive results.

To innovate in ways that bring the community together, Doug and Cortney Dotterer have ventured beyond traditional dairy farming, transforming a section of their land into a vibrant sunflower maze – a project that has become a local attraction. What began as a casual idea inspired by a farm in Kentucky has now flourished into an annual event, attracting thousands of visitors eager to experience the beauty of sunflowers and farm life.

Frustration continues to simmer as evidence continues to mount that legislators in Washington are unmotivated to move forward on a new farm bill.

In a breakout session presentation at the Pennsylvania Dairy Summit, held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, last February, Sarah Moag discussed management transitions and employee management strategies that have worked for her business, Noblehurst Farms, in western New York.

From employee management and product marketing to business planning, financial management and pre-farm transition, Pennsylvania dairy farm families don’t have to make these types of decisions alone.

In recent years, black vultures have been expanding their range northward. Common in the southeastern U.S., black vultures now range at least as far north as Pennsylvania and southern New England. 

At the 2023 Pennsylvania Dairy Summit, Col. Leon “Sam” Barringer shared lessons learned from his combat experience on change management, leadership, teamsmanship and detecting abnormal/normal behavior.

While producer opinions differed greatly on most proposals during the Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) Pricing Formula Hearing, one potential change that many agreed with is the need to return to the “higher of” Class III or IV in the Class I mover formula.