Dairy Girl Direction: Issue 12 May/June 2018

The Dairy Girl Network supports all women in dairy by enhancing lives and creating opportunities.

Issue 12 l May/June 2018

Inside This Issue Dairy Girl Question and Answer with Dairy Girl Network Board of Director Katie Dotterer-Pyle .............. PAGE 2 June is Dairy Month........... PAGE 2 June 1st is World Milk Day.................. PAGE 2 Growing TogetHER Field Days coming in June and August

........................ PAGE 3 #dairygirl farm Facebook pages to follow ................................... PAGE 3 Behavioral health help may be on the way for distressed farmers............................ PAGE 4 Dairy Girl features ........... PAGE 5 Find out who you’ll see at Forward TogetHER with the speakers, Showcase and agenda ... PAGE 6-7 Reaching dairywomen everywhere and upcoming events ....... PAGE 8 Board of directors and staff .......................................... PAGE 8

Thank You

Dairy Girl Network Vision Sponsors

filled with activities, expert speakers, networking and entertainment.

Forward TogetHER

Dairywomen understand what it means to juggle schedules, multi-task and change course mid-sentence on this crazy life journey we navigate day in and day out. Regardless of the ups and downs, the strong passion to remain true to a mission helps keep one grounded. Think about the mission of the Dairy Girl Network; to connect, inspire and achieve. These three words are the foundation of this organization and resonate closely to my heart. Each step in my life’s journey has cultivated personal and professional development, which ultimately has led me on a quest to pay-it-forward for other dairywomen and why I am excited to once again, be the chair of our Forward TogetHER National Conference being held November 6-8, 2018 in Manheim, PA. If you attended the inaugural Forward TogetHER in 2016, you have a little insight into all that took place for over 270 attendees. It wasn’t like other conferences; it went beyond the expectations! It truly provided an opportunity for each and every person to learn, grow in leadership and define ways to succeed. While you might think, how could they top that? Well, I am excited to report that the planning committee is amazing and will deliver a program that will be nothing short of amazing

Not only should you want to attend, but you need to attend. You might be thinking; that’s a bold statement, but connecting your head and your heart requires investing in YOU. The journey that each of us are on isn’t spelled out in a straight path and with our industry in the midst of changes and challenges, you need to take advantage of every opportunity to build your resiliency, connect with someone new and surround yourself with positive mentors that will help you learn and inspire you to achieve your personal and professional goals. You never know where your future will take you.

From one dairy girl to another, I encourage you to take advantage of the Early Bird Registration that is being offered until May 31 to reserve your spot today for the 2018 Dairy Girl Network Forward TogetHER National Conference. Details can be found on the website at dairygirlnetwork.com.

I look forward to seeing you in Manheim, PA this November!

Kristy Pagel Dairy Girl Network Forward TogetHER Chairwomen and Board of Director

to our sponsors.

Dairy Girl Network Sustaining Sponsors

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Catalyst Sponsor

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Q and A For this edition, we introduce you to DGN Board of Director Katie Dotterer-Pyle. Katie was raised on her family’s 900-cow dairy in central PA as part of the third generation. As much as she loved her family, working with family proved difficult. Katie and her husband started their own dairy with 90 cows in 2009.

Today they milk 350 cows, mostly Jerseys, in Union Bridge, Maryland. Katie has degrees in Business Management and Marketing as well as Secondary Education, Spanish and used to teach the language. Katie is a huge agvocate and loves giving farm tours!

Q: When was the last time you did something for the first time, and what was it?

A: I just bought a concession stand! We’re going to start selling ice cream, on the farm, so there will be a lot of firsts in the next few months.

Q: What inspires you?

A: The men in my life: My dad because he’s not only told me but has shown me I can do anything in this life I want to do. And my husband’s optimistic attitude for this industry, especially when my glass is half empty right now.

Q: What do you do to agvocate as a farmer?

A: Farm tours are my favorite, followed by speaking to groups and schools. I also manage our farm’s social media platforms. I love having captive audiences on airplanes, too.

JUNE is Dairy Month How do you Promote?

I started posting a different dairy recipe each day of June is dairy month at eatfarmlove.com and on my Facebook page Eat Farm Love. It’s a lot of work but a quick way to get consumers to eat more dairy in addition to the dairy promotion.

- Renee Norman-Kenny, Pa. My family has gone to our kids classrooms and made ice cream with the kids while talking about the farm.

- Jamie Van De Walle, Wis. I pick out a few bloggers and send them a sampling of cheese produced in my area and suggest they sample them to write a review. I include information about the local cheese producer, dairy fact sheets I get from Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin (formally Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board) site and also links to dairy sites. I also include a bio about our dairy story.

- Pam Selz-Pralle, Wis.

What do you do for June is Dairy month? Go to the Exchange page and comment on the pinned post where Renee asked this question.

As seen on

Q: We have heard about a fun activity you do on the farm in June. Tell us about the Cow Camp that you and your husband started last year- what made you start and it and what is the goal?

A: It was my husband’s idea and a project for his YDLI class. Cow Camp is a week long day camp for 9 to 13-year-old kids who have never stepped foot on a farm. Each camper gets their own heifer calf to take care of all week. They learn how to wash, clip and show their calf and get to show off their hard work at the end of the week to family during a mock show. Each day, an industry professional comes to do a handson educational segment: veterinarian, nutritionist, hoof trimmer, Land O’Lakes. We also build a “Redneck” pool out of large straw bales and trench plastic. The goal is for these kids to learn where their food comes from and to learn the truth about dairy at an early age (so they won’t be become hateful vile vegans in the future, ha) Q: Any tips for others trying to spread positive information about agriculture on social media?

A: Don’t get hung up by the bullies. You develop a thick skin after a while. Know that what you’re doing does matter to someone out there. Most times, they are your “silent” followers. The banned word list on Facebook and Instagram is PRICELESS. Thanks for sharing, Katie. Good luck in the ice cream business! facebook.com/DairyGirlNetwork

@dairygirlnetwork

June 1st www.worldmilkday.org #WorldMilkDay #RaiseAGlass 2

Join us for one of

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Facebook Farm Pages You Should be Following

Milking R- The Rucks Family, Florida

Join Mycogen Seeds and Dairy Girl Network for one of FOUR Growing TogetHER Field Days to be held this year in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The Growing TogetHER Field Days are designed for EVERY DAIRYWOMEN! They are a hands-on learning event with infield demonstrations that have been developed specifically to enable dairywomen to be able to go back to their own farm and understand how they can improve their corn silage production. By attending, Dairy Girl Network members will receive tools and knowledge to identify problems and improve agronomics in their own fields as well as access to a team of agronomy experts willing to help.

Make plans to join us at a location near you!

• June 5th – De Grins Oer Dairy, Blanchard, Michigan • June 6th – Dotterer Dairy, Mill Hall, Pennsylvania • June 26th – Quarry Hill Dairy LLC, Rolling Stone, Minnesota • August 7th – Jauquet’s Hillview Dairy, Luxemburg, Wisconsin Each event will begin with registration at 10:30 a.m. and ends at 3:00 p.m. Please pre-register at DairyGirlNetwork.com.

Michigan and Pennsylvania registration will close June 1st.

The Field Day experience costs $20.00 and includes lunch along with swag items and “tools” to help you in the field.

Connecting with our community and being able to share this life we are fortunate enough to live, alongside our family, employees and the amazing dairy cow, is both humbling and makes us strive to be better than we were yesterday.

Weiss Centennial Farm, Michigan Teaching people about the rich history of ag in the Saginaw Valley while also offering a look into modern farming practices on a real, operating dairy farm. The farm also hosts a corn maze every year that draws thousands of guests each fall to learn about agriculture.

New Day Dairy, Iowa The page helps people develop a connection with where their milk comes from in hopes that they’ll be blessed knowing their food is not only safe but cultivated in love, and that if they want to know more they can come and tour or even stay at the future bed and breakfast.

Hidden Valley Dairy, California We started our Facebook page to share our dairy story and be as transparent as possible with consumers wanting to know how their food is produced.

Edelweiss Farms Inc, New York Our goal is to be an advocate for farmers and to educate the overall public with the real truth about farming. If we don’t share our story, someone else who is not for farmers will.

Minglewood, Wisconsin We started a Facebook page a few years ago to initially share farm happenings with friends and neighbors. As time passed, we realized that we needed to help tell dairy’s story and why we enjoy what we do as dairy producers. We love being able to share our story through social media. facebook.com/DairyGirlNetwork

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Behavioral Health Help May Be on the Way for Distressed Farmers

Article by Dr. Mike Rossman.

Dr. Rosmann is a psychologist and farm resident near Harlan, Iowa. He will be speaking at the 2018 Forward TogetHER conference and has an Enhance webinar scheduled with Dairy Girl Network for June.

Some farmers avoid seeking behavioral healthcare, even when needed. Negative stigma about behavioral healthcare is declining among farmers as evermore farmers seek to be optimally healthy and productive, but there are still too many who avoid assistance.

The current era is a difficult one for many farmers in which to make a profit; it raises the specter of another farm crisis reminiscent of the 1980s.

Several successive years of net losses or marginal profits by many farmers, increasing attention to farm stress issues in the media, such as a December 7, 2017 article in The Guardian about the excessively high rate of farmer suicides and the recent termination of contracts with several hundred dairy producers in the eastern U.S., have also raised public awareness.

Although news accounts and anecdotal testimonies aren’t sufficient to establish clear trends, there are concerns within the current federal Congress and several state legislatures about farming-related stress and farmer suicide. To illustrate, Washington state legislators recently established farm crisis services in response to farmer suicides, stress and opioid addiction in their underserved rural areas.

The U.S. House Agriculture Committee released proposed legislation in mid-March that would establish a Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) and which would be administered through the USDA to assist distressed agricultural producers. The proposed legislation is being sponsored by Representatives Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota) and Collin Peterson (D-Minnesota), along with 14 cosponsors on both sides of political aisle.

Their proposal would amend the 2008 Farm Bill to reauthorize the FRSAN, but with a new title: Stemming the Tide of Rural Economic Stress and Suicide (STRESS) Act. Thus far, there haven’t been any changes to the proposal on the House floor, according to key House Ag Committee staff members with whom I conferred as I wrote this.

The U.S. Senate Ag Committee also has also proposed legislation to establish a range of behavioral health resources to support farmers in crisis.

Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Tami Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) sponsored the Senate legislative effort, entitled: Farmers First; four additional senators-both Democrat and Republican—are cosponsors. The Senate bill has not yet been debated on the Senate floor.

The Senate and House versions of the proposed legislation are fairly similar. They would provide $10MM for each of five years, to be administered through the USDA on a competitive grant application basis. Land-grant university Extension Services, state Departments of Agriculture and non-profit organizations would be authorized to submit grant applications.

Individual states or two or more states could form a regional application for funds to set up farm crisis telephone/email helplines for people engaged in agriculture, to make referrals for additional services when needed and to help pay for counseling similar to what an employee assistance plan provides. Other funded services include dissemination of information about available resources, community education workshops about financial and behavioral health matters, training of providers such as behavioral and medical professionals in culturally appropriate services, and for innovative interventions that address farmer stress and suicide.

Intensive program evaluation would be undertaken by an independent entity, along with technical assistance to the successful program grantees and research that investigates causes and solutions to farm stress and suicide. The differences between the House and Senate bills are minor and can be resolved readily if Republican and Democratic officials continue to work together, and if President Trump approves the final bill.

The STRESS Act and Farmers First proposals are based on the FRSAN program that was authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill. Funds were requested then but not appropriated.

The original FRSAN proposal and the current House and Senate bills would implement services that were found to be effective by the non-profit organization, AgriWellness, Inc., which served seven states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa) from 2001-2013 and which were designated as “best practices” by federal officials and the National Rural Health Association.

AgriWellness was funded by federal research and service grants that were obtained on a competitive basis and combined with state funds, foundation grants, and contributions to maintain the AgriWellness efforts that I have described in previous Farm and Ranch Life columns.

Some persons criticize the current Farm Bill proposals for behavioral health supports as a band aid on a wound rather than curing the causes of the wound. Nonetheless, agricultural behavioral health assistance is needed more than at any time since the 1980s, and will continue to be needed as an investment in healthy agricultural producers.

Several other countries are also looking into similar measures as U.S. officials are considering to assist distressed farmers. This progress seemed unreachable several years ago but now many parts of the world consider agricultural behavioral health important, and even necessary to have optimally functioning producers of food and materials for all people. facebook.com/DairyGirlNetwork

@dairygirlnetwork

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Dairy Girl Features

These three dairywomen are all active via social media

In each issue, we will feature Dairy Girls with their stories. and in their community to promote dairy!

Katie Grinstead grew up in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, on a 50-cow registered Holstein dairy farm. After college, she returned to the farm to raise calves. Now, she manages the calves and does all the bookwork for the dairy, which has grown to 2,200 cows. Katie developed a Facebook page where she can keep her followers up-to-date with what is happening on the farm. They also host a Fall Festival on the Farm every other year where they invite the community out to take tours of the farm, have activities for kids and a dairy kid friendly food stand. “I want kids to walk away and think the farm is fun and cool because they had a great time, and parents walk away and feel more informed about their food” Katie said.

As for June Dairy Month, Katie and her family have hosted Breakfast on the Farm before and plan to do it again in the future. Katie also sends dairy-friendly snacks and treats to school as much as possible.

Katie noted, “I love that June is Dairy Month, but we try hard to promote dairy and the farm all 365 days of the year!” Katie’s tip to other agvocates? “The biggest tip I have is make sure your farm is clean and tour ready all the time. I think it’s important that when people drive by your farm, they like what they see.”

Mary Mackinson Faber is the fifth generation to call Mackinson Dairy Farm home. Growing up on a dairy and grain farm, she knew she was not cut out to be there every day. She pursued degrees in Agriculture Business and a Master's in Business Administration and now is the Controller for an agriculture cooperative that serves her local community. On the farm she feeds calves after work or on the weekends, whenever her schedule permits, as well as manages the farm's digital presence. In college, Mary truly learned about the disconnect between the farmer and consumer. "I have been striving to bridge that gap ever since. My favorite thing to do is to welcome a fellow mom to the farm and share our story. For those unable to physically visit our farm, we open our barn doors virtually by sharing stories through pictures and videos on the Mackinson Dairy Farm social media channels", Mary said.

June Dairy Month is a great opportunity for farmers to reach their community, whether big or small event. Mary said, "My all-time favorite June Dairy Moth activity that I have participated in was called 'Cheesecake and Calves'. We created an intimate event where one could see baby calves and learn where milk comes from, all while enjoying cartons of milk and mini cheesecakes. We were able to illustrate the farm-to-fork concept with the help of a few calves." Mary wants other advocates to be themselves and find what they love, then use that unique opportunity and excel in it.

Emily Zweber grew up on a hobby farm, but almost 20 years ago she met a cute dairy farmer at the county fair. "A few years later we were married and I start this crazy dairy farming life."

Emily said. She also studied Ag Economics and Marketing at South Dakota State University and had a career in agriculture leadership before she returned full-time to their current farm. Every day, Emily agvocates for the dairy industry through the use of social media, on-farm tours, retail events and visiting schools. For everyone wondering how to agvocate for themselves, she says to do what feels comfortable. "Are you good at capturing video? Then start a Youtube channel.

Do you like giving tours? Then host on-farm tours. There are no right or wrong ways. Your check-off program has many items to help make your advocacy a success. Make sure to contact them and utilize their resources." she mentioned.

As for June Dairy Month, Emily takes time April through June to visit nearly 1,000 students, teachers and parents in their schools, focusing on preschool through first grade. Her program includes reading a story, showing students pictures from her farm, having students touch and feel feed samples and also making butter. facebook.com/DairyGirlNetwork

@dairygirlnetwork

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Speakers, Sponsors, Showcase Three speaker highlights are: See full conference agenda on the next page.

Thank you sponsors of Forward TogetHER 2018: Conference brought to you by Diamond V

Dairy Girl Network Vision partners

Dairy Girl Network Sustaining partners

Dairy Girl Network National Event partners

Dairy Girl Network Forward TogetHER partners

Sponsorship opportunities are still available, contact Andrea Brossard at andreab@dairygirlnetwork.com.

Announcing the

Forward TogetHER SHOWCASE at

Brought to you by

FORWARD TOGETHER SHOWCASE WILL BE A BLEND OF

Conference Sponsors l Dairy Girl Network Partners l l Boutiques l Artists l Ag Businesses l And More l

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GATHERED TOGETHER FOR THE DGN FORWARD TOGETHER CONFERENCE

November 6 - 8, 2018 | Manheim, PA | The Warehouse Hotel To find out how to sign up as a booth visit DairyGirlNetwork.com.

facebook.com/DairyGirlNetwork

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Agenda

Tuesday, November 6, 2018 Afternoon u Pre-Conference Sessions n Tell Your Story: It’s in your DNA, sponsored by Mycogen Seeds

n Local Ag Industry Tour

u Registration Open

Evening u Welcome Reception and Activity, Sip and Savor: Taste of PA, sponsored by PA Preferred

Wednesday, November 7, 2018 Morning u Get Up and Get Moovin’, fitness class, sponsored by Feed Components

u Breakfast Buffet u Registration Open

u Welcome

u Opening Speaker, Laura Daniels, Founder and President of Dairy Girl Network, Business

Development Manager at Star Blends, and Owner of Heartwood Farm u

Breakout Sessions n Knowing You, Greta Halahan, Leadership Coach, sponsored by Udder Tech Inc.

n Signals of Stress in Farmers and What to Do, Dr. Mike Rosmann, Clinical Psychologist,

sponsored by TechMix n Calf Audit, Dr. Kelly Reed, Ruminant Field Technical Specialist at Diamond V, sponsored by

Diamond V

n Managing Employee Panel, sponsored by Udder Comfort n Transition Cow Management, sponsored by Center for Dairy Excellence

n The Cutting Edge in Robotics

n What Food Companies are Telling us about their Dairy Demand, sponsored by Cargill

n Milk Fatty Acids, Heather Dann, Research Scientist at the William H. Miner Agricultural

Research Institute, sponsored by Adisseo Afternoon u Lunch u General Session, Succession Planning Panel, Panel lead by Emily Selner, Law Student at

Marquette University, sponsored by AgChoice Farm Credit and MidAtlantic Farm Credit u General Session, Steve Bodart, Senior Dairy Consultant at Compeer Financial

u Experts Among Us: Dairy Girl Network Roundtable

Evening u Dinner and Nashville-based country duo Dairy Daughters, Shelby Dressel and Megan Gertken

u Dessert and DGN Networking Reception

Thursday, November 8, 2018 u Get Up and Get Moovin’, fitness class, sponsored by Feed Components Morning

u Early Bird Gets the Worm: Policy Panel, Panel lead by Leah Hurtgen Ziemba, Attorney at Michael

Best & Friedrich LLP u General Session, Milk Markets and Important Trends

u Brunch

u General Session, Animal Welfare Panel, Panel members Emily Yeiser Stepp, Director of FARM

Animal Care Program and Jolynne Schroepfer, Dairy Facilitator at Sartori Cheese u Closing Speaker, Krysta Harden, External Affairs & Chief Sustainability Officer at Corteva

Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, sponsored by Mycogen Seeds

Afternoon u Post Conference Session Schedule and agenda may be subject to change.

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Reaching dairywomen everywhere

UPCOMING DAIRY GIRL NETWORK EVENTS

June 5: Growing TogetHER Field Day in Michigan; Blanchard, MI June 6: Growing TogetHER Field Day in Pennsylvania; Mill Hall, PA June 15: Enhance Webinar; Mental Health with Dr. Rossman June 26: Growing TogetHER Field Day in Minnesota; Rolling Stone, MN

Plan to join us for a This summer, find a Growing TogetHER Field Day in your state of Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. In November, we will be hosting our Forward TogetHER conference in Manheim, PA.

Enhance your knowledge from the comfort of your home or farm with our monthly webinar. Join us on the third Friday of each month at 12:00 p.m. CST as we cover topics important to all dairywomen.

Encourage local peer groups allow women to connect in person. Would you like to join a group of dairywomen near you?

Visit our website to sign up.

August 7: Growing TogetHER Field Day in Wisconsin; Luxemburg, WI

Inspire mentorship is in the “beta” stage and will launch to all members this year.

October: Sharing Wisdom, Empower, Connect Event; World Dairy Expo, Madison, WI* November: Forward TogetHER, Manheim, PA

* DGN event date not confirmed

Board of Directors and Staff Members Dairy Girl Network Board of Directors Carrie Mess, Johnson Creek, WI Laura Daniels, Cobb, WI

Kristy Pagel, Malone, WI

Michelle Philibeck, DePere, WI

LuAnn Troxel, Hanna, IN

Sadie Frericks, Melrose, MN

Tami Smith, Williamsburg, PA

Katie Dotterer-Pyle, Union Bridge, MD

Michelle Schilter, Chehalis, WA

Dairy Girl Network Advisory Board Leah Ziemba, Madison, WI

Dairy Girl Network Staff Members Brenda Gilbertson, Strategic Lead

brendag@dairygirlnetwork.com Renée Norman-Kenny, Creative Development Lead reneek@dairygirlnetwork.com Andrea Brossard, Educational Resource Lead

andreab@dairygirlnetwork.com Amanda Borkowski, Interactive Media Lead

amandab@dairygirlnetwork.com

Thank You

Dairy Girl Network Vision Sponsors

Front row, L-R; Sadie Frericks, Laura Daniels and LuAnn Troxel. Back row, L-R; Andrea Brossard, Amanda Borkowski, Carrie Mess, Kristy Pagel, Michelle Philibeck, Brenda Gilbertson and Renée Norman-Kenny. Missing from photo are Tami Smith, Michelle Schilter, Katie Dotterer-Pyle and Leah Ziemba.

If you would like a PDF of this edition to print, please email reneek@dairygirlnetwork.com.

to our sponsors.

Dairy Girl Network Sustaining Sponsors

facebook.com/DairyGirlNetwork

@dairygirlnetwork

Catalyst Sponsor

Connection Sponsor

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