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In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Kendra Nissley of Jubilee Dairy in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania wraps up Women’s History Month by opening up about the journey of trying to find balance between farming and family. While farming and family often go hand in hand, it can be challenging to prioritize your children, your marriage, your home, your own needs, and other relationships when the day-to-day responsibilities on the farm are so demanding. Kendra reflects on some intentional decisions her and her husband, Jeff, have made to invest in employees, navigate the transition process between generations using emotional intelligence, and rely closely on outside experts – or as she says, “heroes” – to help them finetune the details and execute new plans.

From sustainability projects and boosting pounds of butterfat to a value-added cheese business and grants that help them save money, Kendra opens up about lessons they’ve learned along the way. She says it’s all a balancing act and an ongoing process of asking their family: How can we steward this farm so we farm it and it does not farm us?”

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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 side, Nate shares how they use technology to be proactive with transition cow health, cut protein costs with high-oleic soybeans, and utilize GPS technology and a variable rate program with their crops. On the family business side of the equation, he opens up about how they foster a small team of employees who enjoy coming to work every day, build trust between family members as they established an LLC and continue to transition the business, and find balance between a profitable business and the farming lifestyle.

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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 traits that lead to longevity, Brad discusses the ways they try to maximize herd performance and get well-balanced cows. Unlike a lot of dairy operations right now, Brad is raising more heifers than cows – and works to keep good genetics behind the cows to drive profitability as he markets most of the heifers with a premium. Brad describes the return (ROI) he gets from investing in genetics, registered cows, and high-quality animals. He’ll be selling some of his animals at the PA Holstein Association’s annual sale in early February.