PENN EXTENSION ANNOUNCES DAIRY FARM BILL MEETING DATE IN MONTROSE

The Penn State Extension Dairy Team will host an information session in Susquehanna County on the Margin Protection Program also known as the MPP- Dairy on Tuesday, October 28^th at the County Office Building in Montrose from 10 am till noon.  Registration is not required, but appreciated by calling the Susquehanna Office at 570-278-1158 or register online. 

The meeting will be held in conjunction with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) which is the USDA agency responsible for the administration of the MPP-Dairy. Extension Educators and representatives from the Center for Dairy Excellence will be on hand to answer questions on the program and walk through farm examples and the online decision tools developed by Dairy Markets and Policy members. Producers are encouraged to bring their production histories from their co-op from the years 2011, 2012 and 2013 to help determine MPP-Dairy coverage levels.

The Pennsylvania State University encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Heather Weeks at 717-240-6500 in advance of your participation or visit.

Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to minorities, women, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and other protected groups. Nondiscrimination: http://guru.psu.edu/policies/AD85.html

More information on the dairy title of the farm bill can be found at the Penn State Extension Dairy Team’s website, or by going to http://fsa.usda.gov/FSA.

Blue Ridge Pre-K visits Brant’s Dairy Farm

Sixty-five pre-kindergarten students from Blue Ridge Elementary School recently visited Brant’s Dairy Farm located near Susquehanna.  The trip was to celebrate completion of the classes’ “In the City, In the Country” unit.  The unit begins by teaching the aspects of country life and farming. The children learn about different types of farms and what they produce. They then learn about cities and how products produced on the country farms gets transported to the city for people to buy.

In preparation for the field trip each of the classes were a visited by Susquehanna County Dairy Maids Reese Allen and Alexis Parks.  Miss Allen and Miss Parks taught students about where milk comes from and how dairy products are produced.  They also talked about the importance of eating a minimum of three dairy servings daily.  Both Allen and Parks are fourth grade students at Blue Ridge Elementary School.     

Susquehanna County Dairy Princess Mercedes Spickerman
talked to Blue Ridge Pre-K students in the milk house
during their field trip to Brant's Dairy Farm. 

When the students arrived at the farm they were welcomed by farm owners Keith and Pam Brant and their four-year old son Kyle.  The Brant’s had a variety of helpers to assist with the tour including farm employees Curtis Travis, Lisa Zurn, and Maria Diaz. The Susquehanna County Dairy Princess Mercedes Spickerman and Dairy Promotions Committee Members Michelle Kowalewski and Evie Goff also aided with teaching students and answering many questions during the tour.  During the field trip to the farm they had the opportunity to see how a cow is milked, learn how much cows eat, and see the bulk tank, where milk is stored on the farm before it is picked-up.  One of the most popular stops along the tour was visiting the calves that were born at the farm!  At the conclusion of the tour students got to see the farm tractors and enjoy a yogurt dairy snack provided by the Susquehanna County Dairy Princess Mercedes Spickerman!

This is the second year in a row that Mrs. Whitehead and Mrs. Hobbs’ Pre-K classes were able to visit Brant’s Dairy Farm in coordination with their “In the City, In the Country” unit.  According to Mrs. Whitehead, “This field trip is a great life connection for our students to experience.”