T
Pipeline
Ch-Ch-Changes
VOL 32, NO 3
MAY /JUNE 2016
In this issue:
YCs Go Dutch ................................... 2
Milkmen Deliver ................................ 3
4
2015 Quality Producers ...........................
Creative Nourishment ............................6
Top Co-op Cooks ............................... 7
Trading Post ..................................... 7
PIPELINE IS THE NEWSLETTER OF MARYLAND & VIRGINIA MILK PRODUCERS COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION
NMPF Approves Revisions for FARM Program
he National Milk Producers Federation Board of Directors has approved revisions
to the dairy industry’s animal care program, Farmers Assuring Responsible
Management (FARM), to ensure the program addresses customer and consumer
concerns about the conditions under which farm animals are raised.
The changes, approved by NMPF on March 8, were recommended by both
the FARM Technical Writing Group and the producer-led Animal Health and
Wellbeing Committee.
The NMPF Board vote concluded the 10-month revision process that
began back in May 2015, when the Technical Writing Group, comprised of farmers, veterinarians, co-op staff and animal care experts, convened to discuss the
latest research in animal health and wellbeing and review data from the last three years of FARM
Program evaluations. Maryland & Virginia’s COO of Milk Marketing Mike John, and Dr. Richard
Doak, our animal care consultant, participated in the discussion, debate and consensus these com-
mittees brought forth.
Though FARM Version 3.0 won't go into effect until January 1, 2017, Maryland & Virginia will
be working to provide our members with all the resources, tools and training opportunities needed
to adhere to the latest standards. Many resources, including a summary of changes, sample forms
and protocols, and employee training tools, are already available on the FARM Program website,
www.nationaldairyfarm.com.
Specifically, the new FARM Program includes
several key criteria that will receive additional focus
and attention. This criteria includes having a Vet-
erinarian Client Patient Relationship, maintain-
ing employee training records, developing
protocols on key issues such as euthanasia and
non-ambulatory cattle movement, as well as
ending tail docking. While these evaluations
have always been part of the FARM Program,
they will receive greater focus in Version 3.0.
Maryland & Virginia is committed to the FARM
Maryland & Virginia
is committed to the FARM Program
because it helps us back up
the great story we have to tell
about animal care and enables us
to meet our customers’
expectations about this topic.
Program because it helps us back up the great story we have
to tell about animal care while enabliing us to meet our customers’
expectations about the topic. We are dedicated to working with our members to ensure their continued
success in the FARM Program and will share any new FARM Program resources and training tools
as they become available.
Markets
At-A-Glance
NASS Cheese Price
The NASS Block Cheddar price for May 21, 2016 is
$1.3735. This is 26 cents lower than the May 23,
2015 price of $1.6340.
HeyYoung Cooperators...
Double your Dutch
with a Dose of Dairy
Images of white clad, smiling milkmen making
times and a bygone era. In today’s world of in-
home deliveries are associated with simpler
Maryland & Virginia’s Young Cooperators are invited to explore Pennsylvania’s Dutch countryside
with an extra dose of dairy at the 2016 YC Summer Break, July 25 – 26, 2016.
This one-day, family-focused dairy event will include farm tours around Lancaster and Berks
Counties, featuring a stop at member David and Martha Pool’s farm in Robesonia, Pennsylvania. The
Pools emphasize cow comfort throughout their operation, and they milk in a rotary parlor. Other
stops will include a visit to Sam and Susie Riehl's farm and quilt shop, and Meadow Spring Farm
LLC. To cap off the event, the group will have dinner at the Cherry Crest Adventure Farm.
While you’re in the area, take time to visit some of the local attractions including:
• Strasburg Railroad, America’s oldest short-line railroad;
• Dutch Wonderland Family Amusement Park;
• Hershey Park, ‘The Sweetest Place on Earth’, featuring amusement park rides and water park;
• The Turkey Hill Experience, where you can spend a day as a Turkey Hill ice cream maker
and create your own flavor at their Taste Lab; and
• Sight and Sound Theatre, the largest faith-based, live theatre in the country.
If you and your family are able to get away from the farm, plan now to join
this YC summer adventure – a great opportunity to explore new dairies
and make new friends. Better yet, Maryland & Virginia will cover lodging,
meals and reimburse travel expenses up to $400 per YC family, including members and members’ employees, ages 18-40.
Registration materials will be available in early June. Visit the
Maryland & Virginia YC Facebook page for more details, or contact
Daniela Roland at droland@mdvamilk.com or 800-552-1976.
Class I Mover
March
April
NEW Members
NEW Members
1985 Isaac Newton Square West, Suite 200
Reston, Virginia 20190-5094
800-552-1976 phone
757-952-2370 fax
Dial Line 800-485-8067
www.mdvamilk.com
Jacob & Elizabeth King, Gordonville, Pennsylvania
William Stenning, New Enterprise, Pennsylvania
Daniel & Susan Beiler, Ronks, Pennsylvania
Matthew & Maria Groff, Belleville, Pennsylvania
David & Barbara Stoltzfus, Elkton, Maryland
John & Fannie Stoltzfus, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
John, Donna, & Jennifer Hix, Bernville, Pennsylvania
Elam & Susie King, Oxford, Pennsylvania
Emanuel & Mary Stoltzfoos, Oxford, Pennsylvania
Enox & Mary King, Nottingham, Pennsylvania
Daniel & Mary Fisher, Strasburg, Pennsylvania
Kore & Miriam Yoder, Belleville, Pennsylvania
Briarpatch Dairy, Inc., Eatonton, Georgia
Ben Stoltzfus, Princeton, Kentucky
Rodney Wise, Pitman, Pennsylvania
Benuel & Annie King, Oxford, Pennsylvania
Alvin Beiler, Ronks, Pennsylvania
Randy Sowers, Middletown, Maryland
OFFICERS
TRANSFER Members
Pipeline is published by
MARYLAND & VIRGINIA MILK PRODUCERS
COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION, INC.
Amber Sheridan, Editor - asheridan@mdvamilk.com
Hannah Kleckner, Asst. Editor - hkleckner@mdvamilk.com
Daniela Roland, Contributor - droland@mdvamilk.com
Ann Marie Ternullo, Creative Director
HEADQUARTERS
Jay Bryant
President
CEO, Treasurer & Secretary
R. Steven Graybeal
Jan tenPas III
First Vice President
Assistant Treasurer
Milkmen
Deliver Dairy
Goodness
Welcome New Members
June Class I is $13.14 — down $3.00 from May 2015.
The June Class I Mover is 56 cents lower than the May
price of $13.70.
Dwayne Myers
ModernDay
Amos & Susie Smoker, Strasburg, Pennsylvania
Elam & Anna Stoltzfus, Mount Joy, Pennsylvania
Benuel Smucker, Jr., Narvon, Pennsylvania
TRANSFER Members
Thomas Muller, Jr., Westminister, Maryland
Elam & Sadie King, Ronks, Pennsylvania
Jacob Gordon, Bedford,
Pennsylvania
E. Christopher Meck, Earlville,
Maryland
stant gratification and compulsory convenience,
it’s hard to fathom that there are still consumers
seeking the old-fashioned, personal connection
that comes with having a milkman and home delivery service.
The Kilby family of Colora, Maryland has
honed in on those desires and leveraged the nostalgic appeal to directly market their milk and
ice cream to local customers.
“I always loved the idea of home delivery,” said
member Phyllis Kilby, co-owner of Kilby Cream.
“The local movement is strong, and our home delivery service has really tapped into the customer
that wants to support their local farmers.”
Eleven years ago, the Kilby family decided
to diversify their farm by making ice cream. With
business booming, they quickly outgrew their
original facility. They broke ground in 2011 on a
new facility that expanded their capabilities to
encompass processing their own milk. Through
that expansion, the family started a home delivery service for their products.
They started with three routes a day, delivering milk, ice cream and butter. Now, Kilby
Cream employs four milkmen that travel the countryside on 12 home delivery
routes, serving more than
900 customers in a 60mile radius of their farm.
In addition to their
dairy foods, the drivers also deliver
eggs,
poultry,
maple syrup,
bread and beef
from other local
farms and service more than
30 wholesale
customers.
“At first, Bill and I were delivering one of the
routes ourselves,” said Phyllis. “We have some
great stories from that time! I always felt that
this endeavor was important. We are not promoting only our farm, we’re boosting the image of
dairy farmers as a whole.”
The growth of their yesteryear business
premise has depended largely on an old-fashioned method of communication – word of
mouth. “When we started, we tried everything to
promote our business – fairs, events, print advertising, radio advertising, social media. But
our customers are the ones who have grown our
business. Never underestimate the power of a
satisfied customer,” said Phyllis.
Just like the olden days, Kilby Cream milkmen deliver milk in glass bottles in coolers to
customers' porches, where they return to pick up
the empty bottles.
“Our customers love their milkmen. They
form a personal relationship with them, and the
milkmen represent our farm. When your customers are sending thank you notes to your milkmen, you know you’re filling a need in the
community.” said Phyllis.
While the cow-to-the-bottle business preserves the nostalgia of simpler times, the current
regulations, the health department, employees,
trucks and health inspections make the business
thoroughly modern.
“When you milk cows, you milk cows,” noted
Phyllis. “Processing milk and making dairy foods
to sell is a whole different world. It adds another
layer of challenges to the farm business.”
“We use a proprietary computer system to
manage the deliveries and to keep track of customers,” said Phyllis. “The family offers several
types of milk: creamline, chocolate, heavy cream,
half-and-half, along with our ice cream flavors,
butter and the other farm products. “Using the
system helps us to keep track of everything in an
efficient manner as we continue to grow.”
At Kilby Cream, the future is like a glass
bottle of their fresh milk – clear, bright and delicious. With Bill and Phyllis expecting to retire in
the next few years, their children, Megan Coleman, Becky Kilby and Nicki Bigley will be poised
to take the lead on the direction of Kilby Cream.
Kilby Cream continued on page 5
Kevin Satterwhite
Second Vice President
2
PIPELINE MAY/JUNE 2016
PIPELINE MAY/JUNE 2016
3
2015
Top Quality Producers
Kilby Cream continued from page 3
Maryland & Virginia’s
FO 1 & 33 Less than 3 Million Pounds of Production
FO 5, 6 & 7 Less than 3 Million Pounds of Production
South Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Clarkrange, Tennessee
Maple Leaf Dairy Farm
Robert and Mary Jane Miller
41,018 Somatic Cell Count
1,000 Standard Plate Count
3,042 Preliminary Incubation Count
76,002 Somatic Cell Count
2,091 Standard Plate Count
3,713 Preliminary Incubation Count
William and his wife, Brenda, along with the help of their children, milk 56 cows and farm about 250 acres. William strives to
First-time Quality Producers of the Year Robert and Mary Jane Miller have been members of Maryland & Virginia for the
keep his cows as clean and comfortable as possible in his tie-stall barn and stresses udder health and cleanliness. He is the
past 28 years. They farmed in Pennsylvania before relocating to Clarkrange, Tennessee two years ago where they built a
primary milker and follows a strict routine milking protocol. Animal care and attention to keeping animals clean and healthy are
new tie-stall facility with tunnel ventilation and side curtains. When building the barn, cow comfort was a priority. The
big contributors to his herd’s low somatic cell count. “Winning three years in a row means a lot to me, and I want to continue to
Millers have five sons and one daughter. Their sons have taken an interest in the cows and are very involved in the dairy,
do the best I can to keep quality milk,” says William. “This is what I enjoy the most. I can’t see myself doing anything else.”
handling the milkings and caring for the animals. The Millers follow a routine milking protocol and use the CMT paddle to
“Our girls will decide the next steps of Kilby
Cream. Bill and I are excited to see where the
business will go,” said Phyllis. “We’re so fortunate to have dedicated employees who are
going to help our family transform the business in the next few years. We really couldn’t
do it with out them.”
To learn more about Kilby Cream, visit
www.kilbycream.com. You can also look them
up on Facebook under Kilby Cream Ice Cream
Parlor.
monitor each cow’s milk. The DHIA test isn’t available in Tennessee, but the Millers use Maryland & Virginia’s Quality Hotline
Honorable Mentions: John F. Esh, Kirkwood, Pennsylvania; Warren Nolt, Newville, Pennsylvania; Daniel K. Esh, Rebersburg,
Pennsylvania; Arlan B. Garber, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; David G. Graybill, Mifflintown, Pennsylvania; Ephraim L. Zook,
Quarryville, Pennsylvania; Jason Siegrist, Carlisle, Pennsylvania; Kermit J. Martin, Quarryville, Pennsylvania; Larry M. Leinbach,
East Earl, Pennsylvania; Leon D. Hostetler, Belleville, Pennsylvania
to check and monitor their quality counts. “We can’t control what we get for our milk, but we can control the bonus we
receive for our milk quality,” Robert said.
Honorable Mentions: Wayne P. Stout, Stony Point, North Carolina; Twin Spruce Dairy LLC, Harrisonburg, Virginia;
Collebelle Farm, Spottswood, Virginia; Joseph D. Bishop, Riner, Virginia
Kilby Cream owners Bill & Phyllis Kilby with their
grandchildren.
EACH YEAR AT THE ANNUAL MEETING
Maryland & Virginia honors the top four farm
families who achieve the highest milk quality
standards based on their average somatic cell
FO 1 & 33 Greater than 3 Million Pounds of Production
FO 5, 6, & 7 Greater than 3 Million Pounds of Production
incubation counts.
Woodbury, Pennsylvania
Mount Jackson, Virginia
counts, standard plate counts and preliminary
It comes as no surprise to see repeat win-
ners in Federal Orders 1 and 33, with each
farmer boasting three consecutive years at the
top of Maryland & Virginia’s quality list. In
Federal Orders 5 and 7, two new families rose
to the honor in 2015.
Brent W. Helsel Holsteins
Mt. Airy Dairy Farm LLC
47,781 Somatic Cell Count
1,000 Standard Plate Count
1,271 Preliminary Incubation Count
102,044 Somatic Cell Count
2,000 Standard Plate Count
4,233 Preliminary Incubation Count
Brent milks 115 cows and farms about 220 acres with the help of his brother, nephew, and several employees. When Brent
Brothers Jim, Joe, and Billy Beckenstrater are the third generation on their Mount Jackson, Virginia farm and take pride in
won the award in the Less than Three Million Pounds of Production category, he was the primary milker. Today, he relies
producing a quality product for consumers. The Beckenstraters strive to keep their 150 Holsteins healthy and well cared for.
on good help to properly milk his cows. “I take great pride in receiving this award. Not only do I like the quality premiums,
From well-bedded stalls to proper cow nutrition and keeping the parlor as clean as possible, the Beckenstraters are able to
but I drink this milk and want consumers to have a quality product too,” Brent said.
achieve their low cell counts. The Beckenstraters give a great deal of credit to their long-time employee Bertine Perez, who
has worked on the farm for eight years. “Milk quality is important to our farm because we are doing something good for our
Honorable Mentions: James A. Loveday, Dundee, Ohio; Jay E. Hawbaker, Greencastle, Pennsylvania; Richard B. Bowman,
New Enterprise, Pennsylvania; Stanley W. Tucker, Jefferson, Maryland; Four Pines Farm, Ltd, Sugarcreek, Ohio.
children and grandchildren one day. We want to be producing good quality milk and do the best we can,” Jim said.
Honorable Mentions: Riggs & Stiles, Inc., Berryville, Virginia; John O. Hardesty & Son, Berryville, Virginia; Sheila Key,
Eatonton, Georgia.
A Kilby Cream cooler on a customer’s porch (middle photo)
and fresh milk in the refrigerator (bottom photo).
4
PIPELINE MAY/JUNE 2016
PIPELINE MAY/JUNE 2016
5
Members, family members and employees of Maryland & Virginia of
all talent levels are welcome to enter the contest. Winning photos will
be featured in the 2017 Member Calendar and winning photographers
will receive their choice of a BestBuy gift card or digital camera.
TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT!
Entries can be submitted electronically or via
mail. For digital submissions, please send a
JPEG image that is 1.5 MB or larger. For print
photos, please include a copy of the negatives.
Ag +Art =
Submit your favorite photos, name and contact
information via e-mail to contest@mdvamilk.com
or through postal mail to: ATTN: Photo Contest,
Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers, 1985 Isaac Newton
Square West, Suite 200, Reston, VA 20190
On-The-Farm
Fun Education
JUNE IS NATIONAL DAIRY MONTH, and
dairy farmers across the country are gearing
up to connect with consumers and share their
dairy stories. In South Carolina, the cooperative extension celebrates local farms during
a unique event known as the Ag+Art Tour.
This creative outreach started five years ago
in South Carolina’s York County. Visitors had the
chance to tour several farms and, at the same
time, support local artists showcasing their work
at each farm. Interest in the event has grown
each year, and in 2015 the tour became the
largest free farm tour in the country. The 2016
tour is set to feature farms in nine South Carolina counties during each weekend in June.
“The tour is a great way to get consumers
out to a farm and to connect them with the local
farmers growing their food,” said Caci Nance, a
Maryland & Virginia member who serves on the
York County tour committee. “Our farmers can
address consumer concerns first-hand and visitors see up-close how a farm operates.”
6
A young visitor ‘milks’ a cow, top,
and an artist’s helper hangs a quilt, bottom,
at an Ag+Art tour site.
Since 2012, more than 20,000 visitors have
attended the event. Each farm on the tour can
set their own schedule for visitors – hosting
guided tours, demonstrations or the like – while
hosting several local artists on site. This unique
combination of celebrating local business
owners has helped the tour to
reach thousands of people.
All types of farms are represented from produce and historical,
to horse farms and hydroponic operations.
“We try to showcase agriculture’s diversity. We want visitors to
leave knowing that there are all
kinds of different farms out there putting food on peoples’ plates,” said Caci.
“It’s a way for them to see all sides of
agriculture and make a connection with their
local farmers.”
Some biosecure and larger farms aren’t able
to welcome visitors due to safety concerns. Instead of missing out on the event, these farmers
attend other farms' open houses, bringing along
educational materials to talk to visitors about
how larger biosecure operations fit into the agriculture story.
“Our goal over the next few years is to
make sure larger farm operations are showcased on the tours. It’s so important for the tour
visitors to understand these farms and how
they fit into the overall picture of food production,” said Caci.
For more information about the tour, visit
the event’s website at http://www.agandarttour.com/and be sure to like them on Facebook.
PIPELINE MAY/JUNE 2016
Web Construction Nears Completion
I
Trading Post
n an effort to better serve our consumers and our members, we
are excited to announce that the Maryland & Virginia website is
www.mdvamilk.com
in the final stages of a reconstruction project.
NEW
Forgotten about our annual photo contest?
There’s still plenty of time to start photographing life on
your farm before our September entry deadline.
FOR SALE
The website has been completely redesigned, featuring a
mobile responsive, easy-to-navigate interface that will make
visiting the site on tablets and smart phones simple and efficient.
From a member perspective, the new site will feature an up-
dated Member Portal. This section will house all of the familiar
pieces of the current Members Only section, but will boast an array
of useful resources and tools from field representative contact information and futures prices options, to downloadable quality data
and much more. All of these additions are easily viewed and accessed from a mobile device, making the site a useful, on-the-go
tool for your dairy businesses.
square bales.
High quality alfalfa and brome grass in big
Toctin Farm in
Glen,
Allen
Jim
Call
ble.
availa
ery
Deliv
Maryland at 240-409-8432.
Four surge weigh jars with holders. Call
or 301-748-9299.
240-674-7670
artments.
1995 Walker trailer. 6000 gallon, 2 comp
14.
77-29
443-2
at
Please call Larry
FOR SALE
The website unveiling will be announced soon. In the meantime, keep an eye out for additional materials to arrive in the mail
regarding setting up your new member portal access once the site
Top Co•op Cooks
is launched.
Celebrate your love for dairy this month by creating this hearty meal that includes your favorite
dairy items – milk and cheese!
Mushroom
Roasted Broccoli
oli florets
2 cups small brocc
shrooms
mu
d
ere
art
qu
p
cu
1
)
all
sm
if
(halved
d
1 Tbsp butter, melte
d
ide
div
er,
pp
1/4 tsp pe
d
ide
div
lt,
sa
tsp
1/8
tion. One
Two Harvestore silos, 20 x 70 ft, in good condi
12
unloader with new chain. Call 717-653-26
Mozza Frittata
6 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
or thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
zzarella
mo
d
de
red
sh
p
cu
1
d
ide
div
cheese,
ss pie
per. Butter a 9” gla
with parchment pa
lted
eet
me
sh
s,
g
om
kin
ro
ba
sh
d
mu
me
li,
5°F. Line a rim
, combine brocco
wl
15
t
bo
ou
m
ab
diu
for
me
Preheat oven to 42
a
ast
g sheet. Ro
ow baking dish. In
d on prepared bakin
In the
F.
rea
0°
Sp
t.
35
plate or 6-cup shall
sal
to
e
d
ur
an
rat
er
of the pepp
ce oven tempe
butter, and half each and browned. Let cool slightly. Redu
salt and pepper
r
basil and remaining
de
lk,
ten
mi
til
un
gs,
eg
or
er
eth
tog
Sprinkle brocminutes
te.
isk
pla
wh
p,
pie
measuring cu
into prepared
re
xtu
mi
g
eg
minutes or
ur
Po
same bowl or large
t
la.
. Bake for abou 25
half of the mozzarel
to immerse slightly
la on top.
rel
ing
until frothy. Stir in
ess
zza
pr
mo
gs,
ing
eg
o
s evenly int
d sprinkle remain
an
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fro
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and almost set. Remo melted.
is
until evenly puffed
e
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ch
til
nutes or un
Broil for about 3 mi
Double 6 herringbone pipeline and 600 gallon
Sunset
bulk tank, with spare parts. $3500 for every
thing; price
negotiable. One Jersey cross breeding-a
ge heifer, one
Holstein breeding-age heifer, both out of
Select Sire
bulls. $1,000 each. Call Blair Burrage at
704-606-2040.
FOR SALE
6 inlets;
Eight ASC II Delaval takeoffs; Manifold with
r for takeoffs;
forme
trans
er;
wash
PL
2 jar Holdren Brothers
ted 2” stain6 Delatron pulsators – 70/30 ratio; 16 assor
ot and one
less steel pipes – 239 feet total, two 20-fo
” black pipe.
16-foot with no holes; two 20-foot, 1-1/4
301-943-2500.
Can be seen in Bedford County, Pa. Call
FOR SALE
Milking equipment: Surge receiver assembly control box
$250; compressors, cooler and tank washer $5,500; all stainless steel gates and parallel stanchions $1,500; 18 Boumatic
milkers $900; Surge Alamo vacuum pump $800; 1 Surge and
2 Boumatic pulsation controls $900; 18 pulsators closed air
filters and piping $1,200. Milk transfer pump, stainless steel
receiving jug, filter canister, and pipeline 3" x 20' milk line,
2" x 40' wash line, and an additional 30' $2,000. Everything
for $12,000. Call James Smitherman at 335-469-5564.
WANTED
Dairy milking help. Middle Tennessee, 2x
day milking and
calf feeding. Approx. 80 cows milking. Call
615-516-6418
or wendilamb@hotmail.com.
24-32 milk cows to buy on milk assignmen
t or lease.
If available for lease, would like to buy
out after lease
ends. Located in Southern Va. Contact
Johnathan
Wooldridge at 434-660-7301.
Dairy farm to buy in Pa. or Md. or within
50-60 miles
of Sharpsburg, Md. Looking for fairly mode
rn facility.
Open to different situations like a retirin
g farmer.
Call 240-446-9756.
Tractor sold by Zetor in the 1990’s. Mode
l ‘Zebra’ 3520.
Will travel to pick up. Call 814-233-0821.
HEY CO-OP COOKS – SHARE YOUR FAVORITE DISHES! Submit your recipe, contact information, and fun facts
about you or the dish to Daniela Roland at droland@mdvamilk.com or by calling 814-386-8000.
PIPELINE MAY/JUNE 2016
To place a listing, contact Daniela Roland at
814-386-8000 or droland@mdvamilk.com.
7
Pipeline March/April
2016
PIPELINE
MAY/JUNE
2016
PRST
FIRST CLASS
U.S. Postage
PAID
Where Members Matter
GAM PRINTERS
Permit #379
Dulles, VA
1985 Isaac Newton Square West, Suite 200
Reston, VA 20190-5094
HAVE YOU HEARD?
“We’re doing our very best
to serve you better.”
DAIRY NEWS FROM AROUND THE INDUSTRY
Wearable Technology and Ag Safety
FIELD REPRESENTATIVES
– ––
Did you know that wearable technology goes beyond just counting your steps? Dr. Aaron
Yoder, University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Linda Fetzer, Penn State Extension Ag
Safety and Health Program are working on an i3Corp project through eXtension, an online
constellation of resources for Cooperative Extension System professionals, that will use a fitness tracker with a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) as a tool to evaluate the ergonomics of a manure
fork designed specifically for women.
Yoder and Fetzer will work with Green Heron Tools who have previously designed and tested tools for
women in agriculture. While using the handle designed by Green Heron with different manure forks attached to
it, testers’ heart rates will be tracked by using wearable technology while using the test manure forks. Increased
heart rates while using the test manure forks will be used to evaluate which forks were easiest to use; this data
will help Green Heron Tools develop and produce a manure fork that will meet the needs of women in agriculture.
More information about the testing and the final tool design to come after the study. – Penn State Extension News
Meet the Site that’s like Uber – But for Tractors
Hannah Walmer I 717-304-7967
hwalmer@mdvamilk.com
Bob Cooksey I 410-778-4603
bcooksey@mdvamilk.com
Kelli Davis I 301-471-4152
kdavis@mdvamilk.com
Pat Evans I 717-756-9193
pevans@mdvamilk.com
Ernie Fisher I 301-788-4154
efisher@mdvamilk.com
Grant Gayman I 717-261-6856
ggayman@mdvamilk.com
Robin Harchak I 814-515-5772
rharchak@mdvamilk.com
Ashley Hoover I 571-328-1803
ahoover@mdvamilk.com
Jim Howie I 704-534-7958
jhowie@mdvamilk.com
Jordan Hickel has a long row of ultra-expensive tractors and other machinery parked on his farm in central Kansas.
“There’s well over a million dollars of equipment out here,” the 31-year-old farmer said, waving his hand
at the vehicles while walking toward the crown jewel of his collection: A bright red 8120 CASE IH combine that he
uses to harvest corn, soybeans, alfalfa and wheat. But Hickel uses the towering machine only two months out of
the year. This summer, he’s shipping the combine off to Colorado then Washington state — renting it out to other
farmers through a website that hopes to bring the sharing economy to the farmstead. Think Uber, but for tractors.
The site, MachineryLink Sharing, is the brainchild of a Kansas City company that started about 15 years
ago as a traditional combine leasing business. Last year it launched the website that helps farmers make money
by renting their equipment to those who can't afford the cost of buying the machines
outright.“This is a big idea,” said MachineryLink president Jeff Dema — and one that
comes as growers are struggling in the face of low crop prices that the U.S.
Department of Agriculture projects will help make 2016 the least profitable
year for America’s farm sector in more than a decade.
The platform now has more than 1,200 users and
features “tens of millions of dollars worth of equipment,”
according to the company. Listings show several hundred
different tractors, planters and combines available for rent
around the country. – The Washington Post
Laura Jackson I 540-272-0140
ljackson@mdvamilk.com
Dave Kleintop I 717-548-4089
dkleintop@mdvamilk.com
Janae Klingler I 717-305-8257
jklingler@mdvamilk.com
Galen Kopp I 717-653-1567
gkopp@mdvamilk.com
Kevan McDonald I 706-340-5161
kmcdonald@mdvamilk.com
Carl Privett I 336-466-0566
cprivett@mdvamilk.com
Peter Schaefer I 717-756-6949
pschaefer@mdvamilk.com
Larry Seamans I 434-372-4534
lseamans@mdvamilk.com
Johnny Sparkman I 931-657-6455
jsparkma@mdvamilk.com
Steve Yates I 615-425-6670
syates@mdvamilk.com
TANK CALIBRATOR
Mike Kidd I 814-623-8340
mkidd@mdvamilk.com
8
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