FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 27, 2008

Editors Note:   Media representatives may receive a complimentary registration for this event.  To receive press credentials, please return the attached registration form so that we may have materials, seating, and lunch available for you.  We look forward to your attendance.  Thank you.

Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania
August Training on Animal Welfare

Bellefonte, PA – While animal welfare may be grabbing headlines, animal care and comfort has always been a key issue for dairy producers, whose the cows are the heart of their business.  On August 7 a Dairy Industry Issue Forum in Centre County, Pennsylvania, will focus attention on additional steps the producer can take to “Make Your Investment in Animal Welfare Generate a Big Payback.”

Sponsored by the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania (PDMP), the session is designed to help producers realize greater economic benefits from building cow wellness into their practices.  After a morning educational program at the Faith United Methodist Church in Bellefonte, there will be a tour of nearby Murmac Farm, where owner Tom Craig uses white cow practices and has recently updated facilities for cow comfort.

The training from 9:00 am to noon includes both an overview of animal welfare issues on the national level and practical information that can be put to work on the farm.  In a presentation on the Dairy Animal Care and Quality Assurance Program, Paul Slayton and Chris Jeffcoat from the Pennsylvania Beef Council will review how results of a recent dairy cow market audit have helped develop these best management practices for the farm.  Exploring these practices in use will be a panel on “Practical Economics of Taking A Well Cow to Market” featuring tour host Tom Craig; dairy producer Phoebe Bitler of Vista Grande Farm, Fleetwood, and Drew Wilkins, who is a procurement manager for Cargill Meat Solutions.

PDMP President Logan Bower, who will report on his activities with the National Dairy Animal Wellness Initiative, calls this a program that “cuts right to the bottom line.”  Also a dairy farmer in Blain, PA, Bower says, “PDMP has planned this new series of Dairy Industry Issue Forums to look at topics that are at the forefront of the dairy business and give producers the edge they need to stay profitable.”

According to Bower, PDMP’s next Issue Forum covering Farm Safety will be held in Chester County on November 6 and will include a tour of Ar-Joy Farm in Cochranville.

Producers from operations of all sizes have attested to the value of PDMP’s training sessions both for their educational content and networking opportunity.  More than 120 producers and suppliers attended a June Issue Forum about sustaining the industry by sharing the dairy message.

The registration fee is only $25 for any individual from a PDMP member farm or business. To help non-members understand the value of these exceptional meetings, PDMP extends an open invitation to all the Commonwealth’s dairy producers to attend one professional development meeting at the member rate. The standard non-member fee is $75 per person.

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

• Oct. 21-24 – 2008 Dairy Tour visiting seven dairies in Colorado
• Feb. 11 and 12, 2009 - PA Dairy Summit, Lancaster Host Resort, Lancaster

PDMP is an organization of progressive, positive-minded dairy producers and agribusiness leaders.  Its mission is to advance the dairy industry in Pennsylvania through improved productivity and profitability. This program is being made possible in part through the support of PDMP Premier Partners: AgChoice Farm Credit, Cargill, Land O’Lakes, Monsanto Dairy, and Pioneer Hi-Bred.  For more information on PDMP, visit their website at www.pdmp.org or email info@pdmp.org.