Speakers Will Share Insight on FMMO Reform, Generational Businesses, and More
The dairy industry is continuously working to “go for the gold” every day, on and off the farm, and striving for excellence at all levels of the supply chain. During the 2022 Pennsylvania Dairy Summit, four featured speakers will share their insight on achieving the highest level of performance and success with real-time industry issues, including what’s next for milk pricing, how to manage multiple enterprises, and ways to build a collaborative culture for generational businesses.
Hosted by the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania and Center for Dairy Excellence, the 2022 event will take place on February 2 and 3 at the Lancaster Marriott in Lancaster, Pa. Registration is now open for the in-person event.
“We can’t wait to reunite the dairy industry in-person at the 2022 PA Dairy Summit, where we can reflect on the last year and look ahead to how we can continue to go for the gold in the future,” said Frank Graybill, the 2022 Pennsylvania Dairy Summit chair and a dairy farmer from Hershey, Pennsylvania. “In addition to hearing from these great Keynote speakers, we’ll be able to network with our peers in breakout sessions that cover real-time industry issues and herd, farm, and financial management strategies.”
Learn more about the featured speakers for the 2022 Dairy Summit:
- Reaching for the Gold: An Inspiring Story from U.S. Olympian Elle Purrier St. Pierre. Inspiring the theme for the 2022 Dairy Summit, Elle grew up on a dairy farm in Vermont and is a professional track and field athlete for New Balance. She lives and trains in Boston and Vermont, and she is a 2020 Olympic Finalist (1500m; 10th place), 2020 Olympic Trials Champion (1500m), American Record Holder (Indoor Mile & Two Mile), and 2019 World Championship Finalist (5,000m). During a live, one-on-one interview with Elle, she will share her journey from dairy farmer to U.S. Olympian, how her experience growing up on the farm has impacted her athletic career, and why she is using her newfound platform to educate consumers on the dairy industry.
- What’s Next for Milk Pricing: FMMO Reform with Dr. Marin Bozic. Dr. Bozic is Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Bozic’s research program covers dairy markets and policy and livestock risk management. He is also the founder and CEO of Bozic LLC, a global provider of technology solutions for commodity markets analytics and risk management with close to 100 clients on four continents. Dr. Bozic plans to have an honest conversation about how the current federal order system is built around a declining category – fluid milk sales – without taking into account increasing categories such as export markets. He will share research and ideas for FMMO reform and what the next 10 years might look like in the dairy industry.
- Growing With Multiple Enterprises: Producer Showcase with Dale and Clay Hemminger. The Hemmingers are second and third generation owners and operators of Hemdale Farms Dairy and Greenhouses in Seneca Castle, New York. Today the third generation at Hemdale Farms leads a dedicated, high-energy team running a multi-enterprise operation. This includes a high-production 1,500 cow, 100% robotic dairy and growing quality forages, grain and vegetables. They also own and operate a greenhouse facility that grows plug plants for their farm and 20 other vegetable farms. During the Producer Showcase, the Hemminger family will share their insights and model for success as they manage multiple enterprises and a generational family business.
- Defining Culture and Investing in People: A Family Business Showcase with Herr’s Potato Chips. Ed Herr, Chairman and CEO of Herr’s Potato Chips, grew up working in his family’s snack food business. The son of the Company’s founders – the late James S. and Miriam (Hershey) Herr – he learned the importance of hard work and valuing people at a very early age. As Chairman and CEO of Herr Foods Incorporated, Herr focuses his time on strategy, vision casting, and culture, and is committed to upholding the Herr family tradition of offering customers the very best products and service in the industry. With over 1,500 employees throughout the mid-Atlantic region, Herr seeks to steadily grow the family business while remaining true to the company’s founding principles. Herr will share how he is building a culture that cultivates a spirit of collaboration and appreciation for every individual on the team.
Thanks to grants and support from the Professional Dairy Managers of PA (PDMP), the Center for Dairy Excellence and Summit sponsors, registration fees for dairy producers and all farm employees are set to be as affordable as possible. During registration, producers can receive an $50 discount for each attendee from the farm.
To register for the conference and learn more about the program, visit padairysummit.org. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Contact the Pennsylvania Dairy Summit Business Office at 814-355-2467 or email info@padairysummit.org for more information.