A22-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 8, 2000
JAYNE SEBRIGHT milk needs to go through for running with a farm retail outlet turai-pastured chicken, eggs,
Lancaster Fanning Staff retail sales. and home delivery business bv turkey, beef, and pork.
FREDERICK, Md. With Dealers who supply on-farm September or October.” “ We wanted to find out the
on-farm milk prices at an all- processing equipment spoke to Sowers felt the conference possibilities of making cheese on
time low, dairy producers are the group about their equipment was ver y valuable because of arm and it to our
looking for alternatives to make and the investment needed to berth the information she learned product line,” said Harding,
a profit without expanding herd purchase the equipment. People during the sessions and the “ We ’ re moving to a 120-acre
size. One of those alternatives is already operating on-farm milk npnn i p chp mpt th P farm in Myersville and already
to develop an on-farm milk pro- processing plants spoke about conference. own a few dairy cows -”
cessing operation. the benefits and challenges of «j t was good tQ see p eo pi e Like Sowers, Harding was
About 130 people attended a having an on-farm milk process- f rom a fi over the country there,” very interested in meeting other
Farmstead Milk Processing con- ingoperation. sa id Sowers. “I didn’t realize people who are involved in on
ference in Frederick, Maryland, Stan Foltz, an extension agent this conference was one of a farm milk processing. Although
last week to learn more about from Frederick County, was one kind » he didn’t find anything pre
this exciting opportunity to pro- of the initiators of the confer- one of the sessions that sen ted at the meeting surpris
cess and market your own milk. ence. We have been getting a Sowers appreciated the most ingly new, he did realize that it
The University of Maryland and lot ofcalls from farmers asking was tbe presentation from Bill was going to take a little more '
Maryland Cooperative Exten- for this type of conference, said z who works for the divi . money to ope n an on-farm milk
sion hosted the conference Foltz. It was time to do some- sion of milk contro , for DHMH- processing plant than he antici
“This was the first time Mary- thing about their requests so we “He spoke about all of the fated,
land has hosted a conference of contacted Scott about setting up things we have to do to make “To do it and do it right, you
this type, said Scott Rankin, the conference. . sure the plant meets regula- really need to make a substan-
Ph.D., assistant professor of Currently nobody in Mary- tions,” said Sowers. “Our farm tial investment,” said Harding,
dajry foods for the Department land is doing on-farm processing h as £ een wor | c j n g closely with “You also need someone to run
of Animal and Avian Science, because of stringent state regu- Bill to make sure that every- the farm, another to run the pro-
University of Maryland. On- lations. Foltz knows of one thing at our operation is up to cessing plant, and a third to
farm processing is an alternative farmer in Delaware and several par » handle marketing ”
that if done correctly can have in Pennsylvania who already Sowers is looking forward to For Harding, who currently
potential to produce a viable have their own farmstead milk fining a niche in Frederick enjoys having a family farm
mcome for dairy farmers. processing plants. County with the on-farm pro- with his wife and their small
“If they re struggling finan- There s a lot of disposable cessi plant> » We > ve talked t 0
cially, they need to have all of income in this region, said , e ho have been in the
these alternatives laid out in Rankin, whose specialty area is f r a P liv P rv hncinps« for
fmnt of them,” said Rankin, in dairy processing “If you look J£ in
However on-farm processing is in Whole Foods, Fresh Fields, ProrWiVt dnw tho
not a quick button fix-all. The Dean & Delucca, and other sim- i9 6o >s”
time to invest in this type of op- ilar stores, you can find specialty s owers > f arm j s located
eration is not when you’re al- dairy foods for sale, but they’re right along the tour road for the
ready financially struggling, coming from other parts of the Ant i e tam Battlefield Tour,
The processing operation is just country. The market is here for which makes opening a retail
another way to invest revenue on-farm milk processing.” outlet on the farm very attrac
that you already have. Karen Sowers from Middle- dye
Topics such as the legal rami- town in Frederick County at- “We’ve been talking about
fications of manufacturing milk tended the conference because doi this {or six or more „
on the farm, the fundamentals they are planning to install a said Sowers “With milk prices
of processing milk, the resources processing plant. The Sowers the they are farmers haye
needed to market milk, and have 400 head of dairy cows, t o do something or they’re not
ways to make the operation 100,000 layer hens, 100 beef go j ng to be farming We see
work successfully were ad- cows and 1,600 acres. those tour buses driv ing by and
dressed at the conference. The We have a business plan de- see them as our future.”
conference also highlighted the veloped for the processing plant Kelly Harding is a farmer in
differences between making cer- and are going to the zoning Frederick County who is al
tain types of dairy products, hearing on April 25,” said read jn the direct market ing
along with the processes that Sowers. We hope to be up and busin ess. He currently raises na-
Shaping the future with 4-H and FFA.
First Union’s
Agri-Finance
Department is
proud to support 4-H
and FFA members and
programs. We believe
preserving the family
farm is one of the
most effective ways
ensure a better future
for everyone. So Fir 1
Union is committed to
working with young
people and supporting
their goals.
With
guidance
and
Jill Hoffines (far right) from
Maytown sold her 1998 Intel! steer at
encouragement, they the 2000 PA State Farm Show to First
will develop the skills
and values they’ll Banquet. Pictured (L to R): PA | THIV l|l/|
need to be successful Secretar y of Agriculture Samuel E. I II
. Hayes, Jr; Ted Bowers and Darvin *
in farming or Boyd representing First Union Bank.
wherever their lives
take them. And their
achievements will
benefit us all.
On-Farm Milk Processing Conference
Offers Alternative In Dairying
Photo at right:
Angela Greaser (left) of Williamsburg and her grand champion
lamb at the Blair County Livestock Roundup, purchased by
John Mattilio representing First Union Bank.
son, the labor investment is an
obstacle. “We’re probably going
to open an on-farm processing
plant some day,” said Harding.
“I just don’t know when that
day will get here.”
Both Rankin and Foltz agree
that most attendees found the
meeting very educational and
beneficial. Once they evaluate
feedback from the meeting, they
plan to follow up on the topic.
“I have already received some
excellent comments from people
who have highlighted the
strengths and weaknesses of the
conference,” said Foltz. “We
will use this feedback to deter
mine what people want for the
future and to work out the nuts
and bolts of the next meeting.”
The Farmstead Milk Process
ing conference was sponsored by
USDA Northeast Region Sus
tainable Agriculture Research &
Education Program, Maryland
Department of Agriculture,
I.E.C. Engineering, Ltd.,
Kaestner Co., Rowland Sales,
Inc., and Pladot Mini-Dairy.
Photo at left:
Sarah Boyd from Clay
with her grand champion
market lamb at the
Ephrata Fair, purchased
by Ted Bowers and Chris
Aukamp representing
First Union Bank.
Photo below:
Andrew Herr from
Millersville with his
champion FFA hog at the
West Lampeter Community
Fair, purchased by Roger
Rohrer (right) representing
First Union Bank. Standing
at center is Danielle
Kuhns, West Lampeter
Community Fair Queen.