PA Dairy Summit PA Dairy Summit

Meet Andy Junkin, author of the book titled Bulletproof Your Farm and one of the keynote speakers at the 2023 Pennsylvania Dairy Summit. He lives by this motto: to help stubborn farmers work better together. In this exclusive podcast, Andy gives us a sneak peek at his Summit session and has an honest conversation with Pennsylvania’s very own Dr. Charlie Gardner – a retired dairy veterinarian who works closely with dairy farm families on finding common ground through succession planning. They describe some challenges they see in family businesses and strategies your team can take to stop being stubborn with each other and start being stubborn with the critical habits that make a farm successful. Visit www.padairysummit.org for more details about the Summit happening on February 8-9, 2023!

As you know, transporting milk and getting it on the shelves is something that happens 24/7, 365 days a year. However, with continued supply chain issues, navigating the logistics process continues to be a challenge. At the PA Dairy Summit in February, Eric Boyle, Director of Commodities at The Hershey Company, and Rick Wadhams, owner of Wadhams Enterprises, Inc., had an open and honest panel discussion during the "Navigating the Logistics Nightmare" breakout session. Listen back to their session!

Ed Herr, Chairman and CEO of Herr’s Potato Chips, grew up working in his family’s snack food business. The son of the Company’s founders – the late James S. and Miriam (Hershey) Herr – he learned the importance of hard work and valuing people at a very early age. As Chairman and CEO of Herr Foods Incorporated, Herr focuses his time on strategy, vision casting, and culture, and is committed to upholding the Herr family tradition of offering customers the very best products and service in the industry. With over 1,500 employees throughout the mid-Atlantic region, Herr seeks to steadily grow the family business while remaining true to the company’s founding principles. At the 2022 PA Dairy Summit, Herr shared how he is building a culture that cultivates a spirit of collaboration and appreciation for every individual on the team.

During a live, one-on-one interview with Elle Purrier St. Pierre at the 2022 PA Dairy Summit, she shared her journey from dairy farmer to U.S. Olympian, how her experience growing up on the farm has impacted her athletic career, and why she is using her newfound platform to educate consumers on the dairy industry.

At the 2022 PA Dairy Summit, Dr. Marin Bozic had an honest conversation about how the current federal order system is built around a declining category – fluid milk sales – without taking into account increasing categories such as export markets. He shared research and ideas for FMMO reform and what the next 10 years might look like in the dairy industry. 

The Hemmingers are second and third generation owners and operators of Hemdale Farms Dairy and Greenhouses in Seneca Castle, New York. Today the third generation at Hemdale Farms leads a dedicated, high-energy team running a multi-enterprise operation. This includes a high-production 1,500 cow, 100% robotic dairy and growing quality forages, grain and vegetables. They also own and operate a greenhouse facility that grows plug plants for their farm and 20 other vegetable farms. During the Producer Showcase at the 2022 PA Dairy Summit, the Hemminger family will share their insights and model for success as they manage multiple enterprises and a generational family business.