Pacesetters, Others Recognized at Dairy Summit
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 2:34pm.
Charlene M. Shupp Espenshade
Special Sections Editor
LANCASTER, Pa. — One highlight of the two-day Pennsylvania Dairy Summit is honoring distinguished dairy leaders for their work in the industry.
At the first day of the summit, Wednesday at the Lancaster Host Resort, three dairies were selected for this year’s Pennsylvania Dairy Stakeholders Pacesetters Award. They were Duane and June Hertzler; Meadow Vista Farms and Turkey Hill Dairy.
The Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association also selected three honorees. They were Randy Meabon, Charles E. Cowen Memorial Award; Marilyn Hershey, Distinguished Dairy Women Award; and John Tyson, Extension Award.
Meadow-Vista Farm, Bainbridge, is a three-way partnership with Don and Gerald Risser and Don’s son Eric. Gerald’s three sons, Jason, Justin and Jordan are working in the business. The farm has made use of a profit team from the Pennsylvania Center for Dairy Excellence to make key business decisions. Through the use of a profit team, the family planned its latest expansion. Today, the farm’s 700-plus cows produce an average of 30,227 pounds of milk with 1,000 pounds of fat and 876 pounds of protein. To improve their pregnancy rate, the farm has purchased ultrasound equipment.
Don Risser said that he wants to continue to provide the necessary tools to the farm’s employees to keep them challenged and fulfilled.
Duane and June Hertzler operate Moo-Echo Farms in Loysville. The farm moved into a full-time rotational grazing system 15 years ago. The Hertzlers say that decision has resulted in higher efficiency, more profitability and an easier, more satisfying lifestyle.
Duane has become a passionate advocate for farming to support a sustainable future for his family, and he willingly shares the holistic approach they are taking and the financial and social rewards that have been an intended consequence of the change, demonstrating that grazing can be a profitable alternative to some dairy farms.
Moo-Echo Farms has 300 milk cows and 300 young stock. They rotationally graze 367 acres of grassland and rent an additional 300 acres for growing corn silage, triticale and grass hay production.
Turkey Hill Dairy of Conestoga has been known for its community service in Lancaster County and surrounding communities. The dairy also supports educational events such as the Pennsylvania Dairy Summit and the Northeast Dairy Challenge.
Because of Turkey Hill’s belief in farmland preservation, sales from its All-Natural Recipe ice cream are donated to the Lancaster Farmland Trust. Turkey Hill’s future projects includes an agritourism venue in Lancaster County called the Turkey Hill Experience, an interactive exhibit to educate visitors about agriculture and how a dairy operates.
Randy Meabon, a dairyman from Erie County was selected at the Charles E. Cowen Memorial Award winner. This award is presented to a dairy producer who has demonstrated superior management and provided outstanding leadership qualities in the dairy industry.
At the state level, Meabon serves on the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Board, was past president of the Pennsylvania Beef Council and has served the National Cattleman’s Beef Association to oversee the use of beef promotion check-off dollars. He and his wife Paula operate a 120-cow dairy with 565 acres.
Winning the Distinguished Dairy Woman Award was Marilyn Hershey of Chester County. She is noted for her passion in promoting the dairy industry through school tours, a farm Web site and writing for publications, such as Lancaster Farming. She is also a children’s book author, penning a book about pediatric cancer patients and the challenges they face while dealing with cancer.
John Tyson was selected for the 2010 Extension Award. An extension educator based in Mifflin County, he focuses on planning, implementing and evaluating educational programs in the area of agriculture engineering for dairy and agriculture producers. He is also a member of 11 dairy teams and the facilitator for six of these teams.
Tyson has also been an instructor for three dairy and animal science undergraduate courses dealing with dairy housing design, management and evaluation.
Charlene M. Shupp Espenshade
Special Sections Editor
LANCASTER, Pa. — One highlight of the two-day Pennsylvania Dairy Summit is honoring distinguished dairy leaders for their work in the industry.
At the first day of the summit, Wednesday at the Lancaster Host Resort, three dairies were selected for this year’s Pennsylvania Dairy Stakeholders Pacesetters Award. They were Duane and June Hertzler; Meadow Vista Farms and Turkey Hill Dairy.
The Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association also selected three honorees. They were Randy Meabon, Charles E. Cowen Memorial Award; Marilyn Hershey, Distinguished Dairy Women Award; and John Tyson, Extension Award.
Meadow-Vista Farm, Bainbridge, is a three-way partnership with Don and Gerald Risser and Don’s son Eric. Gerald’s three sons, Jason, Justin and Jordan are working in the business. The farm has made use of a profit team from the Pennsylvania Center for Dairy Excellence to make key business decisions. Through the use of a profit team, the family planned its latest expansion. Today, the farm’s 700-plus cows produce an average of 30,227 pounds of milk with 1,000 pounds of fat and 876 pounds of protein. To improve their pregnancy rate, the farm has purchased ultrasound equipment.
Don Risser said that he wants to continue to provide the necessary tools to the farm’s employees to keep them challenged and fulfilled.
Duane and June Hertzler operate Moo-Echo Farms in Loysville. The farm moved into a full-time rotational grazing system 15 years ago. The Hertzlers say that decision has resulted in higher efficiency, more profitability and an easier, more satisfying lifestyle.
Duane has become a passionate advocate for farming to support a sustainable future for his family, and he willingly shares the holistic approach they are taking and the financial and social rewards that have been an intended consequence of the change, demonstrating that grazing can be a profitable alternative to some dairy farms.
Moo-Echo Farms has 300 milk cows and 300 young stock. They rotationally graze 367 acres of grassland and rent an additional 300 acres for growing corn silage, triticale and grass hay production.
Turkey Hill Dairy of Conestoga has been known for its community service in Lancaster County and surrounding communities. The dairy also supports educational events such as the Pennsylvania Dairy Summit and the Northeast Dairy Challenge.
Because of Turkey Hill’s belief in farmland preservation, sales from its All-Natural Recipe ice cream are donated to the Lancaster Farmland Trust. Turkey Hill’s future projects includes an agritourism venue in Lancaster County called the Turkey Hill Experience, an interactive exhibit to educate visitors about agriculture and how a dairy operates.
Randy Meabon, a dairyman from Erie County was selected at the Charles E. Cowen Memorial Award winner. This award is presented to a dairy producer who has demonstrated superior management and provided outstanding leadership qualities in the dairy industry.
At the state level, Meabon serves on the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Board, was past president of the Pennsylvania Beef Council and has served the National Cattleman’s Beef Association to oversee the use of beef promotion check-off dollars. He and his wife Paula operate a 120-cow dairy with 565 acres.
Winning the Distinguished Dairy Woman Award was Marilyn Hershey of Chester County. She is noted for her passion in promoting the dairy industry through school tours, a farm Web site and writing for publications, such as Lancaster Farming. She is also a children’s book author, penning a book about pediatric cancer patients and the challenges they face while dealing with cancer.
John Tyson was selected for the 2010 Extension Award. An extension educator based in Mifflin County, he focuses on planning, implementing and evaluating educational programs in the area of agriculture engineering for dairy and agriculture producers. He is also a member of 11 dairy teams and the facilitator for six of these teams.
Tyson has also been an instructor for three dairy and animal science undergraduate courses dealing with dairy housing design, management and evaluation.
