Cow-Side Conversations

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Anthony Rice of Clover Creek Cheese Cellar in Blair County, Pennsylvania describes his family’s transition from a conventional dairy farm to a seasonal, pasture-based operation more than 30 years ago. He shares the detail and creativity that goes into the cheese-making process alon...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Brent Copenhaver from Talview Dairy, a 500-cow dairy milking at two different locations in Lebanon County, PA, spoke about his journey into the dairy business, getting his start by purchasing cows and equipment from a retiring dairy producer. His approach to the dairy business incl...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Jim Harbach from Schrack Farms in Clinton County, Pennsylvania dives into all things cropping as we prepare for spring planting season. With a goal of keeping something growing in the soil every day of the year on their 2,500 acres, Jim describes the transformation he has seen in t...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Kate (Kulp) Musselman of Kulp Family Dairy LLC in Blair County, Pennsyvlania gives an inside look at their 3,000-cow dairy operation. With three different sites and 6,500 acres between owned and rented land, Kate shares the herd management and employee management strategies that ma...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Alan Davis of Davis Farms LLC in Butler/Armstrong County, Pennsylvania describes his family’s decision to upgrade to robots versus building a new parlor for their 150-cow herd. He shares how the shift to robotics has helped them make data-driven breeding decisions and achieve earli...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! “Profitability is paramount, and we try to never be satisfied. What can we do to keep pushing production and maximize our facility?” Speaking to their forward-thinking approach and eye for critical details, David Sattazahn, who farms with his brother Doug and wife Katie on Zahncroft Dairy in Berks County, Pennsylvania, refl...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Jeremy Martin of Mountain View Holsteins LLC in Berks County, Pennsylvania shares his unconventional journey after taking over management of his family’s dairy farm at the young age of 17 when his father unexpectedly passed away. With 140 cows in their herd, Jeremy describes how he...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! “I always believed I was bringing my husband home. I also believed he could not come home to an empty barn. I was going to do everything to make sure there were cows here. He needed something to fight for.” In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Kerri Weber of Rustik Dairy LLC in Franklin County, Pennsylvania opens up a...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Steve Harnish of Central Manor Dairy LLC in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania describes how they address bottlenecks on their 200-cow dairy operation, navigate land price constraints, and leverage certain pieces of technology to manage their cows more intensively. From upgrading their...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations , we welcome our first-ever dairy producer from outside of Pennsylvania. Dee Shafer of Shafdon Farms in Jefferson, Maryland describes her family’s 10-year journey of trying to turn things around financially – moving from a place of being financially strapped with lenders telling the...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Jennifer Metzler of Pleasant View Farms in Blair County, Pennsylvania opens up about an unexpected parlor fire and describes the aftermath – and recovery – for their 3,700-cow herd. Jennifer describes the on-the-spot decisions her family had to make and how humbled they were by the...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Zach Kreger of Kreger Farms in Tioga County, Pennsylvania describes how he and his wife, Heidi, have made slow and steady progress over the last 11 years on his family’s 75-cow dairy farm. From simple improvements like implementing a TMR mixer and tunnel ventilation to steady progr...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations , Greg Hemsarth of Hemsarth Dairy in Columbia County, Pennsylvania talks through his family’s decision to invest in robotic milking technology in 2018. He shares how that investment shifted his approach to employee management, affected his timeline for transition planning, impacted...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Angie Breneman of Franklin View Farms LLC in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania describes their constant focus on cow comfort – and how after many years of making modifications to their current facilities, they reached a point of wanting to build a barn from scratch. She shares their u...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations , Joel Krall of Furnace Hill Holsteins in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania opens up about how he has re-shaped his mindset to be content with the hand he has been given. From his passion for genetics that inadvertently led him to grow his herd to new partnerships that spurred him to for...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations , Kendra Nissley of Jubilee Dairy in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania wraps up Women’s History Month by sharing about her journey on the farm and trying to find a sense of balance in it all. While farming and family often go hand in hand, it can be challenging to prioritize your childre...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Nate Mowrer of Mowrer Farms in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania describes how they try to create a well-balanced business for their family’s eighth-generation dairy farm. This includes all facets of the business, both the hard and soft issues. On the herd management and cropping sid...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations , Brad Hoover of Brook-Corner Holsteins in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania gives a deep dive on the breeding and genetics decisions he makes for his family’s herd of 350 Registered Holsteins. From focusing on fat and protein levels to boost pounds of components to specific types and tr...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Joe Zug of Zugstead Farms in Juniata County, Pennsylvania defines what growth means to him on his family’s 950-cow dairy. He reflects on major, growth-related projects like building a new dry cow facility and expanding their herd. Joe also shares smaller, more recent endeavors that...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! To kick off the first episode in Season 5 of Cow-Side Conversations, Paul Mason of Mason’s Chrome View in Chester County, Pennsylvania shares how the details add up on his 500-cow family dairy operation. From unique ways they keep employees engaged with production goals and understanding the “why” behind what they do to cal...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! “When you look at innovation, what can you do to your daily tasks to automate them, simplify them, and make them labor-friendly and super easy? That’s where it’s at – your daily tasks.” In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Josh Waddell of Apple Shamrock Farms LLC in Northwestern Pennsylvania talks about what innovatio...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! We all know that on a dairy farm, it’s very easy to go from zero to 50 in the blink of an eye – but nothing is more important than saving a life or preventing an injury. In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Matt Carr, a third-generation dairy farmer from Westmoreland County, opens up about a farm safety accident where...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Trenton Canon and Josie Offerdahl (the fifth generation on Canon Dairy in Mercer County, PA) share how they are focusing on diversity as a way to grow. In this interview with the siblings, Trent talks about some of their cropping strategies and farm management practices – from robo...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Andy Bollinger of Meadow Spring Farm in Northern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania reflects on how someone once told him that the best dairy farmers are not great at any one aspect of farming, but are good at three key areas of dairy farming: heifer management, cow management and rais...

Did you like this episode? Send us a text message and share your thoughts! “I got told ‘no’ a lot,” Amy shares as she reflects on the years she spent getting her value-added dairy business off the ground. In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Amy Brickner of Stover Farms and Destiny Dairy Bar in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania opens up about her journey to bottling her own milk and how the ti...