FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 22, 2006

Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania to Hold
Educational Meeting in Lancaster in June

The Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania (PDMP) will hold professional development meeting on The Economics of Manure Management on Thursday, June 8, at the Farm and Home Center, Lancaster, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Through a grant by the Workforce Investment Board of Lancaster County, any dairy producer can receive a rebate on the $50 registration fee for non-members. This will allow all producers to attend this outstanding educational meeting at no cost. To be eligible producers must register in advance and attend the meeting where they will be given coupons to fill out to receive the rebate.

Featured speaker for the meeting will be Wisconsin dairy producer, Carl Theunis, Tinedale Farms, Kaukauna, WI. A founding member of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin, Theunis farms 4,000 acres and milks 2,500 cows with his wife and four sons.

With increased environmental concerns and related social issues having the potential to limit growth, Theunis investigated ways to alleviate the concerns and became the first manure-to-energy digesting facility in Wisconsin. Tinedale Farms’ digester generates enough electricity to light 240 homes in their area, and their goal is to turn manure management into a profit center for Tinedale Farms while protecting the environment and making this large dairy operation a better neighbor.

Following Theunis’ presentation, there will be a panel discussion on the topic moderated by PDMP Board Member Jeff Harding. Panelists include Dale Hoffman, Kar-Dale-Acres, Shinglehouse, PA; a representative of Kreider Farms, Manheim, PA; and Theunis. There will be ample time for questions.

In the afternoon there will be a tour of Oregon Dairy Farm, Lititz, including an overview of the farm by Owner George Hurst, who will discuss agricultural methane recovery. The tour will conclude with questions and answers, with the meeting ending at 3:30 p.m.

To get more information and to register online, visit PDMP’s website, www.pdmp.org and click on the events button.

Future professional development meetings include:

• Aug. 3 - “Herd of Your Future”, Rock Springs, Centre County
• Nov. 16 - A Suite of Business Topics to Build Decision Making Skills and Apply them to Dairy Issues, Wildwood Conference Center, Harrisburg ·
• Feb. 7 and 8, 2007 - PA Dairy Summit, Lancaster Host Resort, Lancaster