Dairy Alliance

November 20, 2008        
Radisson Penn-Harris Hotel & Conference Center
Camp Hill, PA  -  Route 15, Camp Hill Bypass
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

About the program:

"Women in Dairy 2008: Leading the Way" is a conference that promises to inspire, inform, and motivate you! Whether you’re a dairy owner, manager, employee, or an agri-business professional, you'll  enjoy this opportunity to network with other women in dairy at a day created just for  you.

Keynote speaker:

Deborah Reinhart, World Dairy Expo 2007 Dairy Woman of the Year and co-owner of Gold Star Farms, New Holstein, WI, shares: "It's All About the Journey," a perspective on leadership, lessons learned, what worked and what didn't.
 
A Gettysburg, Pa., native, Deb and husband, David Geiser, have a milking herd of 250 Holsteins. Deb is a long-time advocate of the industry. Currently, she is chair of the Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium and a member of the board of directors of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin.

Click here for more about Deb

Break-out sessions:

In addition to the keynote address, you will have the opportunity to choose three break-out sessions that you would like to attend: 

• Ag and the Media: Make it Matter by Jean Kummer, PA Department of Agriculture deputy press secretary. A discussion of the effect of the media on everyday life and the role it plays in the agricultural industry. Learn the importance of sharing our messages to protect and improve the image of agriculture.
  

• Spousal Financial Planning: What a Farmer's Wife Needs to Know by Timothy Sutherland, CFP, CPA, Living Wealthy Advisors, The Wealth Management Group of AgChoice Farm Credit.   Why it's important for both spouses on the farm to be engaged in their personal/business finances, and how you can make this happen. Review a number of financial planning pitfalls for spouses to avoid and good planning moves spouses can make to improve their family's overall  financial picture.       

• Large-Herd Robotic Milking by Doyle Waybright, producer, Mason-Dixon Farm, Inc., Gettysburg, Pa. The U.S. dairy industry is faced with high-costing labor and a shortage of interested workers of any nationality. Robotic milking is both economical and offers lifestyle freedoms. Doyle will share how robotic milking works on his family's 2,200 milking cow herd.
  

• Educating Our Youth through Farm Tours by Carol Hoffman and Trisha Adams, producers, Kar-Dale-Acres, Shinglehouse, Pa. The Hoffman family is proud of the strides it has made on the family dairy, and it motivates the family to educate the public, particularly local youth, about farming and agriculture. The family conducts tours that showcase the many stages and aspects of a dairy cow's life on their family owned and operated farm located in northern Potter County, near the New York state line. Join three generations of the family - Carol Hoffman, her daughter Trisha Adams, and granddaughter Skylar Hoffman - on a virtual farm tour that showcases how they educate youth ages preschool through 10th grade.  

• Dairy Ingredient Marketing by Kara McDonald, Dairy Management Inc. While traditional dairy products like milk, cheese and yogurt are well-known and well-loved in the American diet,
  emerging research and development show other dairy ingredients offer a lot of value, too. Overall, dairy ingredients serve functional roles in many food and beverage formulations in addition to being added value components of innovative new products. Nearly 20% of total dairy solids go to dry ingredients like milk protein concentrates, nonfat dry milk/skim milk powder, lactose, casein and dried whey protein – and this is an increasingly important and growing part of the dairy sector.
  

• Creating Extra Income for the Family Dairy Farm by Mary Lou Couch, co-owner, Lakevue Farm and Couch’s Subs and Grocery, Huntingdon, Pa. Just over six years ago, Mary Lou and John Couch purchased a store in their hometown to enable Mary Lou to work closer to home and Couch’s Subs & Grocery was born. John was working for his father and mother on the family farm and in 2003 lack of succession planning created a family crisis and John and Mary Lou were forced into making the decision to continue farming or become off-the-farm transplants. The decision was made to purchase the farm from John’s parents, keeping it in the family. Last fall, the couple relocated the store to their farm, where they were able to increase parking and add in-store restaurant seating, a strategic move that has tripled the store’s income. Today, 11 part-time employees, including local housewives and students, offer pizza, sandwiches, stromboli, dinners, salads, hand-dipped and soft-serve ice cream at the restaurant. The grocery line consists of everything from the necessities of milk, bread, and eggs, to sodas, frozen foods, baking needs, cereals, toiletries, fresh vegetables, some fruits, greeting cards, copy and fax services, UPS-authorized shipping, movie rentals, ice, and camping supplies. With the closest shopping center 20 miles away, Mary Lou says she is always looking for ways to improve the store and expand its inventory to serve the needs of local clients. Mary Lou operates the store with the help of her youngest son while husband John and the couple’s oldest son focuses their efforts on the dairy. Mary Lou will share how she and her family created a value-added enterprise on the family farm. 
  

• Hot Topic - A topic so current, so "hot," we don't even know what it is yet! Our Women in Dairy 2008 planning committee will announce the topic, and presenter, just prior to the conference.
  

Click here for a complete conference agenda
Click here for a conference brochure

Pre-conference reception:

NEW THIS YEAR! Join us for a pre-conference reception on Wednesday, November 19, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Radisson to meet and network with other women in the industry. There is no additional charge to attend. Presented by Schneider's Dairy.

Registration:

Fee:$99 per person
Special discount: Register 3 at the same time and get the 4th registration for free!

Click here for a registration form that you can print out and mail.
Click here to register online with your Mastercard or VISA.
PLEASE NOTE: Groups who wish to take advantage of the "register 3, get one free" offer may not register online with a credit card. Payment for this special value must be made by check made payable to "Penn State."

Cancellation policy:
Cancellations received prior to November 13 will be refunded completely. Cancellations received after this date will not be refunded. Please note that “no shows” will be billed. For assistance, contact Dairy Alliance toll-free at: 888-373-7232

Overnight accommodations:

A limited number of hotel rooms are available at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel on November 19 for the reduced rate of $109/single and $119/double, plus tax.  To receive this reduced rate, you must call the hotel prior to October 20, and ask for the Penn State Dairy Alliance room block. The phone number is: 888-201-1718.

Sponsors:

• AgChoice Farm Credit
• Center for Dairy Excellence
• Dairy Farmers of America
• Elanco
• Land O’Lakes
• MidAtlantic Farm Credit
• Monsanto
• Schneider’s Dairy