The Workshops Will Be Held on PA Farms for Hands-On Training in National FARM Areas
Three free, on-farm workshops will be held this April on Pennsylvania dairy farms. Hosted by the Center for Dairy Excellence, PA Beef Council, the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania (PDMP) and Penn State Extension, the workshops are designed to help dairy producers and their employees boost their skills in key animal welfare areas and fulfill training requirements in four areas of the National FARM program. The free events will be held directly on Pennsylvania dairy farms for hands-on training. English and Spanish speakers are both encouraged to attend, and lunch is included.
“We have close to 100 dairy producers planning to join us for this workshop series. We’re looking forward to being back on the farm for hands-on training opportunities and live demos in areas like animal handling, dystocia management and more,” said Valerie Mason-Faith, Risk Education Manager at the Center for Dairy Excellence. “We hope you can join us at a location near you this April.”
The April workshops will be held on the following Pennsylvania dairy farms:
- April 9 – Centre County, Breezy Farms
Breezy Farms
3760 W. Whitehall Road
Pennsylvania Furnace, PA 16865 - April 21 – Franklin County, Mercer-Vu Farms
Mercer-Vu Farms
12275 Mount Pleasant Road
Mercersburg, PA 17236 - April 28 – Somerset County, Pennwood Farms
Pennwood Farms
262 Sugar Grove Road
Berlin, PA 15530
The training areas for the workshops include:
- Cull Cow Decisions, Down Cows and Transition Cows – If you stumble upon a down cow, what steps are you taking to assess the situation and to minimize further injury? How much time do you have before the down cow develops crushing injury or compartment syndrome?
- Animal Handling, Stewardship and Meat Quality Issues – Which two principles explain how a handler’s position and distance influence cattle movement? What steps can you take to reduce bruising in your cattle? After a physical demonstration, participants will be able to get in the pen and practice animal handling skills.
- Calving Tips and Dystocia Management – What are two of the indicators for intervention during calving?
- Farm Safety – After completing a farm safety walk-through, how confident do you feel in your ability to identify safety hazards on your farm?
To register for one of the free, on-farm animal care workshops, call 717-346-0849 or visit www.centerfordairyexcellence.org/animal-care. Please include the names of employees who will be attending from your operation.
In addition to workshop partners and speakers, these events are made possible through support from dairy industry sponsors. Thank you to the following businesses for sponsoring the workshops: Pennsylvania Beef Council, Mid Penn Bank, Premier Select Sires, Lancaster DHIA and DRMS, Fisher & Thompson, Martin’s Elevator Inc., Huber’s Animal Health LLC, Sporting Valley Feeds, King Construction, White Oak Vet Clinic, 4WardAg, North Group Consultants, Clover Farms, White Horse Construction, Bank of Bird-in-Hand, Agricultural Veterinary Associates, DairyOne, Kish Bank, ESB Dairy Supplies LLC & IBA Dairy Supplies, East Gate Feed and Grain, Allegheny Ag, and Apex Ag-Tek Solutions.
The National Dairy FARM Program: Farmers Assuring Responsible Management works to set the highest standards when it comes to animal care, workplace settings, and environmental and antibiotic stewardship. These workshops qualify as National FARM training for dairy producers and employees.