On our farm, the milking parlor is a flat parlor in our bank barn with six Zimmerman walk-through stalls. Cows come in from the holding pen on the left side, turn to find their stall, get milked, exit the stall, and turn to the left to go out the exit alley. At the right side…
Those of us on the dairy farm right now are feeling the pinch of milk prices that have fallen significantly in the past six months, with February’s Class III price announced at $14.94 per hundredweight, up 35 cents from January but still well below the 2025 average Class III price of $18.01 per hundredweight. The…
The Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) enrollment period for the 2026 Program Year will close next week on February 26th. Those farms that enroll could potentially receive payments on milk produced in at least January and February, based on current margin projections on the USDA Decision Tool. As of February 16, the January margin under the…
The beginning of January to the beginning of February is the busiest time for me at the Center. We start the new year out at Keystone Farm Show and helping with the Calving Corner at Pennsylvania Farm Show. As soon as the Farm Shows end, we become fully immersed in preparing for the Pennsylvania Dairy…
Winter is my least favorite season, especially on the farm. Every morning you break the ice out of the calf water buckets, and making sure lines are emptied and doors are shut tight is an every-evening routine so that nothing freezes up in the barn. Double checking all the animals becomes even more important, as…
Have you ever considered how much faith those involved in that first Christmas needed? Mary, who was told the Holy Spirit would breathe a new life into her. Joseph who stood by her side despite what the rumors may have been. The Wise Men who traveled many miles to a simple manger filled with hay…
When I was 19, I got a crash course in double clutching when I got thrown in the ten-wheel truck during forage harvesting. We were in the middle of tourist season in Gettysburg, and I found myself constantly struggling to keep from stalling out in between low and high gear. I will never forget how…
In October, I had the opportunity to participate in two different roundtable discussions that presented different perspectives on dairy farm management styles than I had not previously considered. Although it did not make me want to immediately upend our current approach to how we dairy, it did remind me of something I learned a long…
A pair of two red maple trees sit across the lane from our house. They sit against the landscape of the valley below the farm in a way that displays the passing of the seasons like no other. In the spring, the red buds burst against the dark bark, changing to a cascade of green…
I spent the day after Mother’s Day helping our hoof trimmer. Since our herd is relatively small, we do not have sort gates and chutes that maneuver cows in a different direction when needed. The hoof trimmer does have gates we can use to convert the parlor to a chute, but the cows still must…
