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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.

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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 are helping to drive profitability and growth: deciding to haul their own milk for cost savings, installing a lameness camera to be proactive about hoof health concerns, being aggressive with their breeding program, and hiring an executive coach to help enhance their "people" skills. "I don't think you can grow unless you are profitable," Joe shares in the podcast.

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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 calf-raising protocols that have paid dividends, Paul reflects on all the little details and management decisions that are part of dairy farming – and how he finds balance between being content but never satisfied. He shares some of the new technology he has implemented on the cropping side with variable rate application, precision planting and zone sampling to optimize their acreage with the future in mind. Paul also opens up about how he has used grants to jumpstart capital investments on his farm and build buffer into the dairy business.

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“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 innovation truly looks like – and how finding labor savings within daily tasks often gets forgotten on dairy farms. He shares some of the technology he utilizes on a daily basis and innovative decisions he has made to save on labor and drive efficiency. These include a three-cell lagoon system and sand lane system that helps reduce mechanization and labor costs by pumping manure versus hauling it. Josh also talks about the Afimilk cow monitoring system and feed tracking data he uses to make sure he’s milking the right cows, a coherent group calving system and bedded pack barn he built for springer cows, and the unique system he developed for group housed, free choice fed calves.

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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 he lost the fingers on his left hand. He describes how quickly the accident happened, what the physical and mental recovery process was like, and the lessons he learned through the incident. Their dairy operation is a true family business with some additional Spanish-speaking employees. Matt shares how developing clear protocols for their workforce, while always remembering to have fun, is one of their top priorities. He also compares running a dairy business to the years he spent running marathons – and shares how keeping your mind in the right spot is key to working toward your goals.

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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 robotic milking technology to cover cropping and direct marketing with beef. Josie describes the creamery side of their business and how processing their own milk is helping secure their farm’s future. As the next generation, the siblings open up about what brought each of them back to their family farm and how their personal goals both play a role in diversifying Canon Dairy. From pursuing regenerative cropping strategies and an expansion of their beef herd to making all of their milk A2 through breeding and investing in a cream separator, they share how diversification is key to their future growth.