FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 27, 2009

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 Offers June Program On Family Relationships On The Farm

Bellefonte, PA – Dairy producers everywhere are talking about how the stresses of today’s market are having an impact on their emotional well-being and their interaction with others. The Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania is recognizing the need to help dairy producers deal with the unique pressures of “Family Relationships on the Farm” with a special workshop beginning at 8:30 am on Thursday, June 4 in Lancaster, PA.

Dairy farm operations usually involve multiple family members serving in both management and labor roles. Husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers and sisters not only work side by side, but also make daily decisions that significantly impact their future and the future of the farm. Conflicts are inevitable. Long hours, low milk prices, and all of the other stresses involved take their toll.

PDMP President Rod Hissong said, “Family Relationships on the Farm was developed to help dairy producers get through a time of stress by providing information that is a practical and can have immediate results.“ He notes, “Several years ago a PA Dairy Summit speaker on family relationships touched a cord with both men and women in the audience. The current situation has raised the bar even higher for potentially difficult times within farm families.”

The featured presentation will offer communication and relationship guidelines from Dr. Carl T. Clarke, a psychologist and former pastor with an extensive background in family dynamics. Dr. Clarke will explain and demonstrate positive ways for family members to communicate with each other. Some key topics include: making decisions, resolving conflicts, delegating responsibilities, overcoming generational differences, and working cooperatively to achieve family and farm goals.

According to Charlie Gardner, DVM, from Cargill, who helped organize the workshop and has worked previously with Dr. Clarke, the presentation will “be based on the unique world of the farmer, where dairy isn’t a job, it is a lifestyle. You will leave the meeting better equipped to work constructively with each other to manage your operation.”

Building on the presentation by Dr. Clarke, four families will share experiences from their real life operations. The panel will include the Rohrer family from the Washington Boro farm that will host an afternoon tour for participants; Dale and Carol Hoffman from Kar-Dale-Acres, Shinglehouse, PA; Daniel Brandt, who farms with his brother and father near Campbelltown, PA; and Gordon Hoover, a former dairy producer, now with Land O’Lakes.

PDMP is encouraging every producer and every industry supplier to attend so they learn how to help other family members and fellow farmers as they deal with the ongoing pressure. The $25 fee for PDMP members means entire families can share in this vital training. To help producers who do not hold PDMP membership, the organization continues its offer allowing a non-member to attend one Issue Forum at the member rate. The standard non-member fee is $75 per person.

To get more information, visit PDMP’s website, www.pdmp.org.

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, Elanco, Lancaster Dairy Farm Automation, Land O’Lakes, Pfizer, Pioneer Hi-Bred, T.A. Seed, and Triple H Construction. For more information on PDMP, visit their website at www.pdmp.org or email info@pdmp.org.