23 minute read
Dairy Advocacy Needs Everyone
When animal agriculture is besieged with negative headlines, one might become cynical and assume all consumers have a PETA mindset. But the vast majority are not hellbent on destroying the industry. They are simply far removed from agriculture and becoming more so every day. When farmers bridge the distance between them and consumers with communication and education, headlines lose their ability to influence. Farmers begin to see consumers as people who are curious to learn more and seek to connect with those who produce their food. The very same tools that spread bad news are opportunity for dairy producers to spread good news.
A Jersey breeder who is rallying for dairy and agriculture every chance she gets is Katie Dotterer-Pyle. She and her husband, David, operate Cow Comfort Inn Dairy in Union Bridge, Md. The 400-cow dairy is mostly Jerseys or Jersey crosses. The Pyles offer tours of the farm and recently established Cow Comfort Creamery to sell soft serve ice cream through a mobile trailer unit on the farm and at special events.
David is the farm’s cow whisperer, content to operate behind the scenes and make the comfort aspect of the dairy reality. And though Katie does her fair share of farm chores, she is fast becoming known for her ability to talk agriculture to consumers.
She has appeared on Good Morning America, done an interview for Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations podcast and rubbed elbows with the likes of NFL Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis and Ree Drummond, a.k.a. the Pioneer Woman, to promote awareness of production agriculture.
Katie encourages everyone to consider themselves as an advocate.
“Whether your audience is five or 5,000, you are an advocate when you speak about your business,” Katie noted. “There is room for every one of us in this effort no matter the size of your audience.”
“Let people know you are a dairy farmer. Make a point of being known as the ‘farmer’ in your circle of influence and be willing to answer questions.”
“With just 2% of the population holding jobs in production agriculture, we no longer have a choice on whether to advocate or not. We are in this together and need to stand united to ensure the future of animal agriculture is a bright one.”
Katie’s Advocacy
Like most effective advocates, Katie did not set out to become an influencer. She became one through process, by pursuing a passion armed with an innate ability to connect with others.
Her audience didn’t start out in the thousands, but rather, one-on-one.
The notion of championing agriculture first crossed her mind when she was farming w i t h D av i d a n d we n t back to school to earn her undergraduate degree in secondary Spanish education from Bloomsburg University.
“I found myself talking to classmates about the farm and cows often,” Katie noted. “They had simple, basic questions about agriculture and no one to ask. Often their questions centered around issues in the headlines.”
“I spent a lot of time and energy—still do—getting to the ah-ha moment, that place where I can just see the light bulb go off in their head and hear them say, ‘Oh yeah that makes total sense.”
Back on the farm, Katie used the experience to develop a concept that could help visitors learn about the industry during tours. The theme—Cow Comfort Inn Dairy: Where Cows Enjoy Their Stay—is an analogy with which consumers can relate and one Katie can use broadly across the farm.
In the analogy, cows “check in” to the inn and pay their way when they calve at two-years-of-age and then “change careers,” moving from milk production to Dairy Advocacy Needs Everyone
A photographer captures Katie in her home surroundings for an article in the Thought Catalog, an online story teller.
beef production. They receive a myriad of amenities, including a free continental breakfast, daily childcare, pre-natal checkups and health and nutrition plans from certified professionals. Complimentary pedicures, comfortable mats and local transportation are available at Cow Comfort Inn as well.
“The hotel theme has given us opportunity to provide some really good talking points,” Katie continued. “I find consumers to be very receptive to farming practices, even negatively perceived ones, when they understand why they are done.”
“When I explain how expensive it is to feed and house an animal, consumers understand why dairy producers cull unproductive animals and can respect their business decision to do so. When I talk about the special attention a calf gets after birth (colostrum, navel dipping, heating lamp, dissipation of disease spread, etc.), they understand why dairy farmers separate cows and calves.”
Virtual Visits and Social Media
Farm tours through videos are another means Katie and David have used to reach consumers. A lot of ground can be covered in a short period of time with this highly effective medium.
In a video developed for the Maryland Farm and Harvest series from Maryland Public Television in April 2018, Katie and David talk about pedometers. Using an analogy for Fitbit, the two explain how they are used to monitor cow movement for health and production (continued to page 20) management. David also takes opportunity to illustrate use of another technology on the farm—ultrasound—to show viewers a month-old calf in the womb during a pregnancy check. The video is extremely effective at showing how technology can help producers better manage their dairies and why dairying today looks different than it did for our peers in the 1950s.
Two videos produced by the American Dairy Association (ADA) North East in November 2018 and March 2019 were designed as virtual classrooms for middle and high school students. Combined, they have been viewed more than 4,300 times to date.
The pre-scripted format of video allows talking points to be integrated in a meaningful and seamless manner. For example, Katie used a milk house visit to address concerns about antibiotics in milk, stressing that it is illegal for producers to ship milk with antibiotics and that milk is tested for antibiotics at 17 different points in the milk chain. She explained how medicated cows are managed and showed how milk flows on the farm from cow to bulk tank to hauler, never being touched by human hands. The milk house visit was just one of several opportunities Katie used to connect with consumers.
More recently, ADA Nor th East and Katie collaborated on “Farm Fun with Farmer Katie” to educate and entertain consumers during the C OV I D - 1 9 p a n d e m i c . For four consecutive days beginning on March 23, 2020, viewers were treated to pre-recorded videos on calf care, cow care, cow nutrition and cow milking. The fifth day was a live segment from Katie’s kitchen demonstrating how to bake cream cheese snickerdoodles. Each event was paired with post video activities, including coloring pages and recipes.
Though the series was aimed at young children, it reached many parents too, who asked as many questions as their kids about agriculture.
Many believe advocacy needs to begin with social media and blogs. Quite the contrary, Katie is a self-proclaimed late comer to Facebook and Instagram. She now utilizes both tools, though, using Facebook primarily to reach baby boomers, millennials and generation-X and Instagram for younger audiences.
Katie has developed a product line around her flagship hashtag, #AskFarmersNotGoogle, selling shirts and other products through an online shop. Though temporarily closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, it will re-open when conditions permit.
Katie writes a blog on the farm website as well. With titles like “The Next Generation Doesn’t Have to Share Our Name” and “When We Have to Sell a Cow,” she candidly talks about how she feels when employees leave to start their own businesses and the tough necessity of culling a cow, among others.
Off the farm, Katie makes 2-3 speaking engagements each month. She teamed with Bettis to promote agriculture in the inaugural Land O’Lakes Farm Bowl in Minneapolis, Minn., in February 2018. The duo competed against five other teams of farmers paired with NFL players in a timed event that included pulling tires
Katie and David Pyle with “Snickerdoodles,” a customer and family favorite, and farm dog Cletus. Photo courtesy Hannah Noel Photography.
Katie sporting a shirt from her product line that features her signature hashtag #AskFarmersNotGoogle.
Dairy Advocacy
(continued from page 19) off a tractor, fixing milk pipes, loading hay bales and directing a drone through a corn field.
For the Good Morning America appearance in June 2019, she shared the stage in New York City with Laila Ali (Mohammad Ali’s daughter) to kick off the cross-country, multivehicle Real Love tour to teach kids the importance of nutrition and the value of dairy products.
She has worked with some of the country’s top chefs to promote dairy through a Land O’Lakes food blogger tour and talked to Dan Pashman in an episode of The Sporkful, an award-winning foodie podcast.
Katie has been interviewed by Katelyn Duban for an episode of The Rural Woman Podcast and was a feature story for the online Thought Catalog. Recently, she wrote an article for Progressive Dairyman on the topic of being a “real farmer.”
She has also teamed with other dairy advocates, including Jessica Peters of Spruce Row Dairy, Meadville, Pa., to educate and entertain audiences. Among this duo’s efforts was a dairy dance off in which the two filmed themselves dancing to Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.” Across the campaign, the dance off had millions of views and an untold number of comments and shares.
Katie’s Why
Katie’s why—the dairy cows—have been with her from the beginning. This third-generation dairy farmer was raised in central Pennsylvania on a dairy that still milks about 1,000 Holstein cows. She earned an associate’s degree from South Hills School of Business and Technology and set out to follow her dreams—first, work a year somewhere else, a rule laid down by her dad in order to return to the home dairy, and then make the return.
“I always joke, if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans,” Katie remarked.
It was while working at another farm that she met David, a fellow third-generation dairy farmer, whose family sold their herd of Registered Jerseys in Vermont in 2006.
The two married in 2009. They started dairying with 90 Holsteins on a rented farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and began to transition the herd to Jerseys. The Pyles then moved to Lewisburg, Pa. They moved to and purchased the present farm in north central Maryland in 2013 and set up shop here with close to an allbrown herd of cows. Today, the herd is 97% Jersey or Jersey-cross.
Cows are housed in freestalls and a
The calf barn at Cow Comfort Dairy Inn is the ideal locale for Katie to educate consumers about dairy industry practices, including automatic calf feeders and separation of cow and calf shortly after birth.
bedded pack barn (pre-fresh, fresh and hospital cows) and milked in a double-12 herringbone parlor. Calves are raised in individual pens in a calf barn, then transitioned to group pens with automatic feeders. Cows have access to pasture in warmer months, depending on stage of lactation.
Katie gives time to her other passion
Soft serve ice cream from Cow Comfort Creamery has been sold through a mobile trailer unit on the farm and at special events since 2019. Photo courtesy Hannah Noel Photography.
—Spanish—as well. She teaches Spanish part-time in the Frederick County Public School system and established KDP AgEducation to teach dairy-specific Spanish to dairy farmers and industry professionals, as 80% of the agricultural workforce is Spanish-speakers. She works with the Dairy Girl Network to enroll men and women alike in the Spanish on la Granja (on the farm) courses. The eight-week, 16-lesson virtual classes are available in the fall, winter and spring.
Down the road, Katie hopes to provide English as a second language (ESL) classes to native Spanish speakers to further close the communications gap. KDP AgEducation is also her platform to promote her availability as a public speaker and advocate.
What Can I Do?
Everyone’s advocacy looks different. A u d i e n c e s a r e d i ff e r e n t . Ti m e commitments are different. And skill sets are different. Your plan will be as unique as you.
“You don’t have to do social media,” Katie explained. “You don’t have to make videos or do farm tours. Just put forth the effort to connect with consumers and be willing to answer questions.”
“If you’re looking for help, visit with your local dairy check off program or Dairy Management Inc. Both have been tremendous assets to me. They have knowledge and tools to help you, no matter where you are in the advocacy journey.”
When asked what surprised her most about her experience as an advocate, Katie replied, “I was amazed at how critical my own people can be. I expected it from some consumers, but not from fellow dairy farmers.”
“It takes courage to put yourself out there, so, for heaven’s sake, don’t be critical of your fellow farmers. If you don’t agree with a farming practice we do and want to state so, please create your own page and share your own story.”
What can you do if larger-scale advocacy isn’t in your thing?
New England Jerseys Sponsor of the Northeast Jersey Classic and Breeder’s Sale
President: Secretary: Moira Poitras, Mass. Darlene Pyle, Vt. AJCA-NAJ Area Representative: Brenda Snow 802/728-3920
Lucky Hill Farm
Henry and Jenn M c Reynolds 845 M c Reynolds Road, Danville, VT 05828
Email luckyhilljerseys@yahoo.com Phone 802/748-0085 or 802/748-9172
Springdale Jerseys Inc.
The Whitcomb Family • sdfarm@fairpoint.net 205 Birches Rd., Waldo, Maine 04915 207/342-5446 Phone/Fax 207/342-5135 Walter • 207/722-3247 Nancy The John Kokoski Family 57 Comins Road, Hadley, MA 01035 Herd Manager: Rich West Home 413/549-6486 Email jkokoski@maplelinefarm.com
Website www.maplelinefarm.com Mapleline Farm
Silver Maple Farms Inc. The McKeen Family • Home of SMJ Jerseys 414 Hussey Rd., Albion, ME 04910 Barn: 207/437-5181 • Home 207/437-2554
E-mail: dennis.mckeen@gmail.com A REAP herd and member of New England Jersey Sires, Inc.
CRESCENT FARM
Sheldon Sawyer, Sr. and Sheldon “Tom” Sawyer, Jr. Owners 420 Wentworth Rd., Walpole, NH 03608-9715 Phone and Fax: 603/756-4049 Email: toms18438@yahoo.com
World Dairy Expo Releases Statement on 2020 Show
On April 23, 2020, General Manager Scott Bentley released the following statement: For 53 years, World Dairy Expo (WDE) has been a place of commerce, education, networking and competition that has united and strengthened the global dairy industry. Because of its important economic and social role for farmers and businesses, Expo staff remains committed to planning WDE 2020 during these unprecedented times.
Expo continues to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its potential impact to our show. As we move forward with planning, please know that future health declarations and the well-being and safety of Expo exhibitors, attendees and volunteers are of the utmost importance and will guide our future decision making.
Out of respect of the heightened economic hardships our industry faces, a final decision to hold or cancel WDE 2020 will be made by the World Dairy Expo Executive Committee on July 1 and communicated extensively. Should it be determined that we must cancel World Dairy Expo 2020 due to COVID-19, be assured that all contracted exhibitors and sponsors will be issued a full refund for any payments already made for the 2020 show.
We look forward to continuing this tradition in Madison for the 54 th year, September 29–October 3, 2020.
Jersey Canada Elects Officers
The Board of Directors of Jersey Canada recently held a meeting and elections.
John Vander Wielen, Elmwood, Ont., was elected president. Joanne Edwards, Nokomis, Sask., is the vice president; and Guillaume Dumais, La Durantaye, Québec, is the second vice president. Danny Morin was welcomed to the board of directors.
Dairy Advocacy
(continued from page 20)
“Like posts. Share posts. Support influencers. Call them,” Katie noted. “Last week, a farmer called me out of the blue and said, ‘I just wanted to let you know I appreciate everything you are doing for our industry.’ It made me cry.”
Above all, be kind to others, Katie summed. “We are in this boat together. Let’s be a united front and work together to negate negative headlines and build a trusting relationship between farmer and consumer.”
Editor’s Note: Katie is available to answer questions you may have about advocating. She can be reached by email at ccidairy@yahoo.com or message on the dairy’s Facebook page at Comfort Cow Inn. Dairy.
Judges Named for 2020 All American Jersey Shows
Judges have been selected for The 68 th All American Jersey Shows, sponsored by the American Jersey Cattle Association of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
The largest exhibition of Registered Jersey™ cattle in the world, the three shows of The All American, will be held November 7, 8 and 9, 2020, in conjunction with the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Ky.
Justin Burdette, Mercersburg, Pa., will judge The All American Jersey Show on Monday, November 9. This will be his second time officiating a Jersey show in Freedom Hall. In 2014, Justin was the official for the All American Junior Jersey Show. Burdette is not a stranger to placing high-profile shows. In 2018, he served as a consultant at World Dairy Expo for the International Jersey Show. He has officiated the Holstein and Red & White shows in Madison during Expo. He has judged internationally in Switzerland, Italy and Australia as well.
Selected to place the oldest and richest class for dairy cattle in the world is Terri Packard, Boonsboro, Md. She will place the 67 th National Jersey Jug Futurity on November 8. This will be her first time to officiate a Jersey show on the green shavings. Packard has served as an official for the 2015 open and junior Jersey shows at the Eastern States Exposition, the West Virginia State Fair (all breeds), Utah Spring Holstein and Jersey Shows, North Carolina State Fair Holstein and Jersey Junior Show, Maryland State Jersey Field Day, Frederick County Maryland Fair, Massachusetts State 4-H Show as well as other county, district and state shows of all breeds. This past year she served as official for the Jersey class in the Hoard’s Dairyman contest.
There are 265 three-year-olds currently eligible for the 2020 show. Last year, the show offered a grand total of $8,250 in premiums.
Judge for The All American Junior Jersey Show on Saturday, November 7 will be Joe Sparrow, Worthville, Ky. This will be his debut as a judge on the colored shavings. In 2019, Joe placed the World Dairy Expo International Brown Swiss Show. In 2013, he served as an associate for the same show. He was the official for the 2015 Southern National Ayrshire Show and has judged the Dominican Republic National Show, the Eastern and Northeastern National Brown Swiss Shows and numerous state fairs.
The first and second place winners in each class of these shows will become the 2020 All American and Reserve All American honorees of the American Jersey Cattle Association.
To view more information on The All American events, visit the official website of the All American Jersey Shows and Sales at https://theallamerican.usjerseyjournal. com.
For information on show entry fees and deadline, visit www.livestockexpo.org.
Sales of “Valentino” Semen Surpass Half a Million Units
Select Sires Inc., Plain City, Ohio, has reported that lifetime semen sales for All Lynns Louie Valentino-ET now exceed half a million units. The 11-year-old bull surpassed the milestone in April 2020 with 500,261 units sold.
“Valentino” is also the lifetime Jersey sales leader in the Select Sires’ lineup. He earned the title in 2017 when his 380,068 units of semen overtook the 376,482 units sold by the Jersey king, Forest Glen Avery Action-ET.
“Valentino has defined the Jersey Revolution,” said Herby Lutz, a dairy sire analysist for Select Sires. “He started out as a genomic rock star, at the top of the lists. Then his daughters calved in and the daughter data proved genomics were right. [He] helped Jersey breeders adopt the new technology.”
On the bottom side of his pedigree, “Valentino’s” breeding combines influences of a pair of American Jersey Cattle Association Master Breeders—David Allen of All-Lynn Jerseys, Reedsburg, Wis., and the late Donald Sherman and his wife, Elsa, of D&E Jerseys, then of Hilmar, Calif. Allen purchased “Valentino’s” dam, D&E Paramount Violet, from the Shermans in 2006. Allen then flushed “Violet” to BHF-SSF Parade Louie-ET, the mating that resulted in “Valentino.” By January 2010, five of her sons ranked among the breed’s top-10 G-code bulls for Jersey Performance Index (JPI), including list-leading “Valentino.”
He graduated into the proven lineup in 2012 ranked #5 for JPI and #2 for Type. Today he has a proof that includes 19,895
All Lynns Louie Valentino-ET
daughters in 2,226 herds (April 2020). He remains a top-50 sire for Type with a PTA of +1.2 and has a Jersey Udder Index of +6.8.
‘“Valentino’ daughters are known to be tall and strong with lots of dairyness,” said Lutz, who has traveled the world to study the transmission of Registered Jersey genetics. “They are cows with fantastic fore udders and outstanding height and width to their rear udders. He’s just a bull that is balanced in what he creates. His daughters are stamped. You can pick them out as you walk behind them. You know they are ‘Valentino’ daughters.”
AJCA records show that 93 of his daughters have been appraised Excellent-92% or higher. Three have been appraised Excellent-95%. They have made headlines in show arenas around the world. Included in this group is Brookbora Valentino Fair Mavis, Intermediate Champion of the show held during the 2017 International Dairy Week, and LC Valentino Clover, Reserve Senior Champion of the 2017 International Junior Jersey Show.
On the genetic front, “Valentino” daughters like Jars of Clay Valentino Bridget-P, Excellent-91%, dam of 89 registered progeny, are making an impact in the next generation with sons like Jars of Clay Barnabas and Jars of Clay BoazET, a pair of bulls syndicated through The All American Jersey Sale. Among “Valentino’s” sons of impact are All Lynns Valentino Irwin-ET, Dutch Hollow Oliver-P and Sugar Grove Valentino Axis.
Wednesday, July 1 is the deadline to apply for scholarship and educational awards administered by the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA), Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
For the first time in 2019, the AJCA awarded over $30,000 to Jersey youth. The funds will provide financial support for young Jersey owners pursuing a college or university degree or, in some cases, gaining hands-on experience in the development and management of Registered Jersey™ cattle. Eligible applicants are Junior or Lifetime members of the association with a minimum grade point average of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale).
The Russell–Malnati Scholarship for Advanced Studies will be awarded to a graduate student in dairy science, animal science (dairy emphasis), large animal veterinary practice, dairy production or manufacturing, or dairy product marketing.
Students who will begin a program of study at an accredited college or university in the fall of 2020 may apply for the William A. Russell Memorial Scholarship. Students who have completed at least one year of study toward their degree are eligible for the V. L. Peterson Scholarship. Also, the Jack C. Nisbet Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to an eligible nominee for the National Jersey Youth Achievement Contest.
A Cedarcrest Farms Scholarship will be awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in a program to earn a degree in large animal veterinary practice, dairy production, dairy manufacturing, or dairy product marketing, and who demonstrates through completed coursework and goal statement, significant progress toward this intended degree and a clear intention for a career in agriculture.
The Paul Jackson Memorial Scholarship is for continuing college students in any degree program area. The AJCA Directors’ Scholarship will be awarded based on academic performance, activities and accomplishments with Jersey cattle and commitment to continued involvement in the Jersey dairy business. The Bob Toole Jersey Youth Award can be used for educational expenses or a well-defined practical experience related to breeding, developing and showing Registered Jerseys.
The Morris B. Ewing ABS Genetic Performance Scholarship will be awarded to a junior or senior undergraduate student seeking a career in genetics, dairy production, large animal veterinary medicine or milk marketing. The Lineweaver Scholarship will be awarded to an undergraduate who has completed at least one year of study in a four-year program focused on dairy science, animal science (dairy emphasis) or dairy products.
The recipient of the Anne E. Perchard Challenge Award will be selected from among applicants for the national achievement contest and/or scholarship program to recognize abilities and leadership potential and, in turn, challenging the recipient to achieve his/her potential through continuing Jersey activities.
Also, the Reuben R. Cowles Jersey Youth Award will be presented to an eligible resident of Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia to be used for educational expenses or to travel to the All American Jersey Show and Sale, the AJCA-NAJ Annual Meetings or other Jersey educational activities. Applicants must be at least high school graduates, but not older than 36 years of age as of January 1, 2020.
For application forms and instructions, visit the “Scholarships and Internships” page on the USJersey website or use the link, tinyurl.com/JerseyScholarships. Recipients will be recognized on Saturday, November 7 at the annual Junior Banquet held during The All American Jersey Shows and Sales in Louisville, Ky.
The American Jersey Cattle Association has made strategic investments in Jersey youth since 1958 when it created the National Heifer Sale to provide annual funding for educational programs and awards. Scholarships are paid from permanent endowments administered by the American Jersey Cattle Association. Contributions are recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as 501(c)(3) tax deductible charitable gifts and may be made at any time during the year.
For more information, contact the American Jersey Cattle Association by writing 6486 E. Main Street, Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-2362; email info@usjersey.com; or visit its web site at USJersey.com.
Sun Valley Farm
10389 Meda Loop Rd.,Cloverdale, OR 97112
Bearl and Joanne Seals • 503/392-5870 sunvalleyjerseys@gmail.com
