PA Farm News
March 15, 2008
Pennsylvania Producers Attend National Dairy Manager's Academy
HARRISBURG-- Seven Pennsylvania dairy producers received scholarships from the Center for Dairy Excellence to attend the Dairy Manager’s Academy, where they gained a broader perspective of the industry and developed stronger business skills to improve their own dairy operations.
The event, developed and hosted by the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin, was held in January in Phoenix, Ariz.
“Programs like the Dairy Manager’s Academy give producers and industry professionals the opportunity to gain valuable leadership skills while touring some very impressive agricultural operations in other areas of the country,” said John Frey, executive director of the center. “The producers who attend the academy return with new ideas to help them improve their own operations while also moving Pennsylvania’s dairy industry forward.”
Scholarship recipients were Logan Bower, Blain; Rod Hissong, Mercersburg; Walt Moore, Chatham; Brad Rohrer, Lancaster; and Dan Ulmer, Bellefonte. Two individuals representing industry organizations also participated in the Dairy Manager’s Academy and were sponsored by the center.
The Dairy Manager’s Academy was designed to meet the needs of dairy leaders across the country through two days of interactive business training and one day of touring. The training included workshops on strategic planning and business analysis led by Jim Austin of Decision Strategies International, and on sales and marketing strategies by Monty Miller. The four tour stops included a Shamrock Dairy; Tom Dugan’s 7,600-cow dairy farm; a cotton gin; and a large feedlot.
“Producers are expected to know the cow-side of their business – managing feed rations, treating sick cows and all of those details – but this conference really focused on the people side of our business,” said Ulmer, who operates a 170-cow dairy with his wife Penny and their family. “We looked at where we want to be and how we are going to get there. For example, we discussed how to make better decisions in the face of conflicting data, financial pressures and an uncertain future, which is something I am always dealing with.”
This is the second conference Ulmer attended that was hosted by the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin, recognizing the quality of the group and its programs.
“We toured 9,000 and 11,000-cow dairies and a 50,000-cow feedlot,” Ulmer added. “It was amazing and fascinating to see the huge scope of Arizona agriculture.”
Rohrer, who operates a 200-cow dairy with his father, said the conference helped him assess how they are training employees. “We talked about different learning styles and how to develop training protocols to meet the specific styles of the employees we are training, and we talked about how our own learning styles influence us,” he said.
Rohrer said it was a tremendous opportunity to see what agriculture looks like in other parts of the country. “It is always good to get out of this area and see how other people manage things,” he said. “There is just a world of difference out there.”
For more information about dairy opportunities through the Center, visit www.centerfordairyexcellence.com or contact John Frey at 717-346-0849. Information on scholarships to other events can be found by clicking on “Education,” then on “Scholarships.”
HARRISBURG-- Seven Pennsylvania dairy producers received scholarships from the Center for Dairy Excellence to attend the Dairy Manager’s Academy, where they gained a broader perspective of the industry and developed stronger business skills to improve their own dairy operations.
The event, developed and hosted by the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin, was held in January in Phoenix, Ariz.
“Programs like the Dairy Manager’s Academy give producers and industry professionals the opportunity to gain valuable leadership skills while touring some very impressive agricultural operations in other areas of the country,” said John Frey, executive director of the center. “The producers who attend the academy return with new ideas to help them improve their own operations while also moving Pennsylvania’s dairy industry forward.”
Scholarship recipients were Logan Bower, Blain; Rod Hissong, Mercersburg; Walt Moore, Chatham; Brad Rohrer, Lancaster; and Dan Ulmer, Bellefonte. Two individuals representing industry organizations also participated in the Dairy Manager’s Academy and were sponsored by the center.
The Dairy Manager’s Academy was designed to meet the needs of dairy leaders across the country through two days of interactive business training and one day of touring. The training included workshops on strategic planning and business analysis led by Jim Austin of Decision Strategies International, and on sales and marketing strategies by Monty Miller. The four tour stops included a Shamrock Dairy; Tom Dugan’s 7,600-cow dairy farm; a cotton gin; and a large feedlot.
“Producers are expected to know the cow-side of their business – managing feed rations, treating sick cows and all of those details – but this conference really focused on the people side of our business,” said Ulmer, who operates a 170-cow dairy with his wife Penny and their family. “We looked at where we want to be and how we are going to get there. For example, we discussed how to make better decisions in the face of conflicting data, financial pressures and an uncertain future, which is something I am always dealing with.”
This is the second conference Ulmer attended that was hosted by the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin, recognizing the quality of the group and its programs.
“We toured 9,000 and 11,000-cow dairies and a 50,000-cow feedlot,” Ulmer added. “It was amazing and fascinating to see the huge scope of Arizona agriculture.”
Rohrer, who operates a 200-cow dairy with his father, said the conference helped him assess how they are training employees. “We talked about different learning styles and how to develop training protocols to meet the specific styles of the employees we are training, and we talked about how our own learning styles influence us,” he said.
Rohrer said it was a tremendous opportunity to see what agriculture looks like in other parts of the country. “It is always good to get out of this area and see how other people manage things,” he said. “There is just a world of difference out there.”
For more information about dairy opportunities through the Center, visit www.centerfordairyexcellence.com or contact John Frey at 717-346-0849. Information on scholarships to other events can be found by clicking on “Education,” then on “Scholarships.”
POSTED 080315_0900 ET
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