PA Farm News
July 17, 2008
Mercer County Open House, Dairy Tour Set for July 24
HARRISBURG — Mercer County will host the third stop in Pennsylvania’s series of open house and dairy tours, a series of lunchtime events that are designed to underscore the positive momentum in Pennsylvania’s dairy industry and showcase resources available to help dairy producers strengthen their businesses. The events are hosted by the Center for Dairy Excellence and Penn State Cooperative Extension.
Grove City’s Irishtown Acres, owned by Joe and Steve Paxton, will welcome neighboring dairy producers and other industry representatives to tour the farm, which focuses on high production and attention to details.
Set for 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Thursday, July 24, the open house and dairy tour at Irishtown Acres will feature a presentation by Cargill Animal Nutritionist Chris Canale about three often-overlooked profit centers.
Center Executive Director John Frey will update the audience on key initiatives led by the center to support Pennsylvania’s dairy farms. Attendees can also learn more about the new LGM for Dairy insurance program from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
Following a barbeque lunch, the Paxtons will give a tour of their 430-cow dairy that primarily consists of Jerseys. Since 1982, the herd has grown from within from 125 to 430 cows. In addition to adding to their own herd, they sold nearly 600 head of replacement stock during the past 16 years. The family credits the prolific Jersey breed for enabling their herd to expand internally, while also marketing replacement animals for additional income.
Focusing on forage quality is also a top priority for the Paxtons. “We are meticulous about the digestibility in our corn hybrids,” says Joe Paxton. “We make sure we get our forages harvested at the right time with the right maturity and moisture levels.”
“Few things generate new ideas better than visiting a neighboring farm and seeing new ways to do things,” said Frey. “These tours provide neighboring producers and industry representatives an excellent opportunity to see new best practices that could improve their profitability while learning about industry tools and resources to benefit their dairy operation.”
The final open house and dairy tour is Wednesday, July 30, at Butler Farms, which is owned by Oliver Butler, 151 Butler Road, Wellsboro, Tioga County. The tours are open to any dairy farm families within the local dairy community. Pre-registration is requested by calling 717-346-0849.
HARRISBURG — Mercer County will host the third stop in Pennsylvania’s series of open house and dairy tours, a series of lunchtime events that are designed to underscore the positive momentum in Pennsylvania’s dairy industry and showcase resources available to help dairy producers strengthen their businesses. The events are hosted by the Center for Dairy Excellence and Penn State Cooperative Extension.
Grove City’s Irishtown Acres, owned by Joe and Steve Paxton, will welcome neighboring dairy producers and other industry representatives to tour the farm, which focuses on high production and attention to details.
Set for 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Thursday, July 24, the open house and dairy tour at Irishtown Acres will feature a presentation by Cargill Animal Nutritionist Chris Canale about three often-overlooked profit centers.
Center Executive Director John Frey will update the audience on key initiatives led by the center to support Pennsylvania’s dairy farms. Attendees can also learn more about the new LGM for Dairy insurance program from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
Following a barbeque lunch, the Paxtons will give a tour of their 430-cow dairy that primarily consists of Jerseys. Since 1982, the herd has grown from within from 125 to 430 cows. In addition to adding to their own herd, they sold nearly 600 head of replacement stock during the past 16 years. The family credits the prolific Jersey breed for enabling their herd to expand internally, while also marketing replacement animals for additional income.
Focusing on forage quality is also a top priority for the Paxtons. “We are meticulous about the digestibility in our corn hybrids,” says Joe Paxton. “We make sure we get our forages harvested at the right time with the right maturity and moisture levels.”
“Few things generate new ideas better than visiting a neighboring farm and seeing new ways to do things,” said Frey. “These tours provide neighboring producers and industry representatives an excellent opportunity to see new best practices that could improve their profitability while learning about industry tools and resources to benefit their dairy operation.”
The final open house and dairy tour is Wednesday, July 30, at Butler Farms, which is owned by Oliver Butler, 151 Butler Road, Wellsboro, Tioga County. The tours are open to any dairy farm families within the local dairy community. Pre-registration is requested by calling 717-346-0849.
Courtesy Photo
POSTED 080717_1200
PA Farm News is a division of Online Community News
ISSN 1933-6179 © 2006-2008
No part of this website may be copied or reproduced without the written permission of the editor.
Site Hosted by Fixit1WebHosting, a division of Eckman's Computer Services
PA Farm News PO Box 243, Quarryville, PA 17566
Phone 717-333-5525