FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  January 19, 2010

Producer Participation Encouraged Through Discounted for Registrations
for PA Dairy Summit

Bellefonte, PA – Emphasizing the importance of the 2010 Pennsylvania Dairy Summit to the dairy industry and to the economy of the Commonwealth, a state supported program is helping to ensure that dairy producers can easily afford to attend. Dairy producers and any of their employees can register for this year’s PA Dairy Summit at a discounted rate of only $80. This $120 saving is made possible by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry through the Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board (WIB).

A large group of producers with farms of all sizes have already taken advantage of this greatly reduced fee to register for the Summit on February 3 and 4 at the Lancaster Host Resort in Lancaster, Pa. As dairy producers face an uncertain economic future, the Summit program is designed to give them practical information with long-term implications for the dairy industry. .

The producer owner/manager or any dairy employee can qualify for the discount by simply providing a social security number to fulfill the grant requirements. Information on the producer discount and all the details of the Summit program are available at www.padairysummit.org. A special hotline for Dairy Summit questions has been set up at info@padairysummit.org.

An eye-opening presentation on “Sustainability and Feeding the World” will start the Summit in high gear and the follow-up on “Taking Strategy to Action: Building for the Future” will help the industry create solutions. The final session on “Milk Pricing: What Went Wrong and How Can It Be Fixed” addresses one of the issues that is highest on most producer’s minds. In addition, two farm showcases will help producers understand the applicability of new techniques and solutions for their own farm problems. The Summit program also has breakout sessions where operational issues will be the focus.

New on the Summit program this year is a Wednesday evening session designed to promote open discussion about how to improve the industry’s image. Thursday’s closing luncheon provides a message of inspiration and hope from Roger Crawford, who is a living example that all of us have the capacity to achieve great success, despite the obstacles.

In addition to the formal education program, dairy producers will have the opportunity to learn from more than 60 industry suppliers in the exhibit area. The list of Summit exhibitors is updated almost daily at www.padairysummit.org. The list of industry suppliers that support the Summit financially by becoming Summit sponsors is also shown on the special PA Dairy Summit website.

The PA Dairy Summit is hosted by the Pennsylvania Dairy Stakeholders (www.padairystake.org) and the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania (www.pdmp.org). Supporting partners are The Center for Dairy Excellence, the PA Department of Agriculture and the Penn State Dairy Alliance, an initiative of Cooperative Extension.

For additional details or specific questions, the PA Dairy Summit business office can be reached at info@padairysummit.org or 877-326-5993.