2017 Foundation ContributorsGold Level ($25,000+)AgChoice Farm CreditAmerican Dairy Association North East*PA Dairymen’s AssociationProfessional Dairy Managers of PAsilver Level ($10,000 - $24,999)David & Janet Hileman Family FoundationFirst Citizens Community BankMidAtlantic Farm Creditbronze Level ($5,000 - $9,999)Cleveland Brothers Equipment Co. Inc.Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. Northeast AreaWeis Markets, Inc.Rutter’sThe Hershey CompanyUnivest Bank and Trust Co.Patrons ($500 - $4,999)Agricultural Veterinary AssociatesAlan & Cindy Zepp Fund of InFaith Community FoundationArm & Hammer Animal NutritionBB & TBernard C. Morrisey Insurance, Inc.Bob Rohrer – Rohrer Dairy Farms LLCCharlie GardnerColdsprings FarmsDairy Farmers of AmericaDarrell L. CurtisDavid Hunsberger – Happy Hollow LLCDon RisserElanco Animal HealthFisher & ThompsonGary HeimJocelyn RiserJoel KrallKing Construction Company, LLCMarmaras and Smith, Inc.Maystone Acres LLCMid Penn BankMisty Mountain Dairy LLCNortheast Agri Solutions Force (NASF)Northeast Dairy Beef Quality AssuranceNovak Strategic AdvisorsOregon Dairy IncPennsylvania Beef CouncilPennsylvania Holstein AssociationPA PreferredPMI Nutritional AdditivesReinford FarmsRenaissance Nutrition Inc.Rohrer Dairy FarmsSavencia Cheese USA LLCSelect Sire PowerThe Springhouse Country Store, LLCTompkins Vist Bank

Turkey Hill DairyUdder ComfortWalmoore Holsteins, Inc.Wawa, Inc.Weis Markets, Inc.Zugstead Farm, Inc.

Friends ($0 - $499)AdisseoAllen BalmerAmanda ButterfieldAustin SnookBen MullenBio-Vet, Inc.Brad PalmerCandice Dotterer WhiteCarissa WestrickCarl BrownCasandra BlickleyCharlie GardnerDanielle VarnerDan MainsDave YutzyDavid SmithDouglas A. FielyGardell GoodGary & Jane HeckmanGary KlineGearet FitzpatrickJacob KlineJared & Laura DaubertJeff & Cindy HardingJim Van BlarcomJohn & Helen CopeJohn ClarkJohn HessJohn StoltzfusKatie Dotterer-PyleLaw Office of James ClarkLonnie PalmerLynda BowmanMyrannda KlecknerPaul MasonReid & Diane HooverRobby & Jayne SebrightRonald DavisSmith Elliott Kearns & Company LLCStar Rock FarmsStephanie RoscinskiTammy WeaverTim & Deborah KurtzVinton E SmithWalker Hoof Trimming IncWay-Har Farm Market LLCWhite Oak Consulting Service

2301 N Cameron Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110 • 717-346-0849 • centerfordairyexcellence.org

our MissionTo develop and support programs which educate, cultivate and inspire

a thriving and sustainable Pennsylvania dairy industry.

our VisionWe invest in innovative, educational programs in strategic

opportunity areas, including youth development, consumer awareness, continuing education, and leadership development resulting

in a vibrant and prosperous Pennsylvania dairy industry.

our VisionTo provide the leadership, voice and programs for a vibrant dairy industry where farm families, dairy businesses and associated organizations can

thrive and be profitable.

our MissionTo empower the people, create the partnerships and coordinate the resources to grow the profitability of Pennsylvania’s dairy industry.

2017 was a continuation of growth for the Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania as it took on additional projects, including the “Calving Corner” Dairy Birthing Exhibit at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, a collaboration with the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association, and the first-ever Farm-to-Fork benefiting Pennsylvania dairy’s next generation. Support for the Foundation’s youth development and consumer education programs continued to increase, with most donations coming through corporate sponsors. The donated funds went directly to the Dairy Leaders of Tomorrow and Discover Dairy curriculums, which can be reflected in the increase of enrollment numbers.

Private industry partners stepped up in 2017 to increase both their financial and in-kind support of the Center for Dairy Excellence. This increased support enabled the Center to document a 1:1 match between the public side and the private side. This demonstrates the Center’s true purpose as a public:private partnership benefiting Pennsylvania’s dairy industry.

*Including sponsorship or in-kind support of the Divine Dairy Affair.

FundinG sourCes totaL $287,381Individual and Farm Donations $14,506

Grant and Foundation Donations $82,500

EITC Donations $52,000

Corporate Donations $138,375

aLLoCation oF exPenses totaL $206,821Consumer Education and Discover Dairy $78,339

Administration and Operations $10,385

Youth Development and DLT $109,902

Divine Dairy Affair $8,195

Center For dairy exCeLLenCe board MeMbers:Chairperson: Don Risser, Bainbridge, Pa.Vice Chairperson: Mark Mosemann, Warfordsburg, Pa.2nd Vice Chairperson: Gary Heckman, Mechanicsburg, Pa. Treasurer: Betsy Albright, Harrisburg, Pa.Cory Meyers, Hagerstown, Md.Steve Paxton, Grove City, Pa.Brett Reinford, Mifflintown, Pa.J. Craig Williams, Wellsboro, Pa.Robin Breeding, Greenville, De.Representative Mark Keller, New Bloomfield, Pa.Reid Hoover, Lebanon, Pa.Secretary Russell Redding, Harrisburg, Pa.Andrea Karns, Mechanicsburg, Pa.Tim Kurtz, Elverson, Pa.Jennifer Heltzel, Martinsburg, Pa.Erick Coolidge, Wellsboro, Pa.

2017 aLLies For adVanCeMent ContributorsGold Level ($10,000+)The Pennsylvania Department of AgricultureBureau of Market DevelopmentThe Pennsylvania Dairymen’s AssociationAmerican Dairy Association North EastAgChoice Farm Credit/MidAtlantic Farm CreditCountry Folks*silver Level ($5,000 - $9,999)Dairy Herd Management*DairyBusiness & HolsteinWorld*Farmshine*Lancaster Farming*Pennsylvania Association of Milk DealersProgressive Dairyman*Land O’ Lakes Inc

bronze Level ($1,000 - $4,999)Acuity Advisors and CPAs, LLPAgricultural Veterinary AssociatesFulton BankLancaster DHIAMt. Joy Farmers Co-Op AssociationRed Dale Ag Service IncStewart-PetersonFriends of the Center ($500 - $999)Agri-Applicators Inc.Dehm Associates, LLCElanco Animal HealthHerbein & Company, Inc.King Construction CoMSC Business ServicesSalem Company, LLCSimon Lever

(* indicates in-kind contribution)

FundinG sourCes totaL External Grants $127,333

CDE Foundation of PA $103,058

Industry Support $44,503

PA Preferred $40,102

Agriculture Excellence Line $1,151,427

Erick Coolidge, Jennifer Hetzel and Tim Kurtz retired as Center for Dairy Excellence Board Members in 2017. They are joined with Don Risser, president of the Center Board, to commemorate their service to the organization.

aLLoCation oF exPenses totaL Administration Operations $135,192

Partnerships $163,176

Fundraising $37,163

Events $24,627

Programs $1,004,075

Fiscal Year 2017

Territory

Guiding an

Industry through

Uncharted

Center For dairy exCeLLenCe Foundation board MeMbers:Jeff Harding, State College, Pa. — PresidentLolly Lesher, Bernville, Pa. — SecretaryBetsy Albright, Harrisburg, Pa. — TreasurerCarissa Itle Westrick, Loretto, Pa. — Vice ChairEric Boyle, Hershey, Pa.

Gary Heim, Mechanicsburg, Pa.Don Risser, Bainbridge, Pa.Gary Kline, Troy, Pa.Jim Van Blarcom, Columbia Crossroads, Pa.Dave Hileman, Tyrone, Pa.

Fiscal Year 2017

2017JOINT ANNUAL

SUMMARY

An Understanding of the Broader DynamicsHaving a more in depth understanding of the market factors influencing the dairy price environment is critical to managing a dairy farm today. The Center’s risk management program is an emphasis of marketing guidance on a broader scale. Alan Zepp, risk management program manager, uses his experience as a former dairy farmer to help industry professionals and dairy producers through meeting presentations, farmer visits and market information published in regional trade press.

An Exploration of Future ExperiencesIn 2017, the Dairy Leaders of Tomorrow program unveiled a new addition to its curriculum opportunities. The Exploration Experience offers high-school students interested in specific dairy-related careers a chance to get hands-on and learn more professionals that work within these fields. In May, students interested in veterinary science were able to learn about this area of science from Dr. Jared Risser at Meadow Vista Dairy in Bainbridge, Pa. These students were able to gain insight on the basics of being a veterinarian, veterinary school, and dairy cow anatomy.An Investment for Tomorrow by Starting TodayThe Foundation offers scholarships and on-farm internships to college students interested in careers within the dairy industry. Scholarships provide an opportunity to recognize commitment and provide encouragement to youth interested in entering the dairy industry. With that same commitment, the on-farm internship program furthers career development within a targeted learning environment.

The 2017 On-Farm Interns spent their summers on farms throughout Pennsylvania, New York, North Dakota and New Zealand. (First Row: Sonya Laley, Sarah Fenwick, ….., Emily Heilinger; Second Row: Alexis Ream, Michael Barton, Greg Kowalewski, and Zane Itle)

Students from Abbottston Elementary in Baltimore, MD were

able to visit Cow Comfort Inn Dairy, owned and operated by David Pyle

and Katie Dotterer-Pyle in Union Bridge, Maryland, with the help

of a Discover Dairy Farm Field Trip Grant in May 2017.

DLT Student Enrollment 360

DLT Student Enrollment 305

DD Classroom Enrollment 935

DLT Exploration Experience Attendees 25

Adopt-A-Cow Classroom Registrations 106

dairy Leaders oF toMorrow & disCoVer dairy ProGraMs 2017-2018

Heidi Zimmerman, dairy resource coordinator, talks students through Discover Dairy curriculum during a Farm City Day in Harrisburg.

There’s no question that Pennsylvania’s dairy industry is in uncharted waters. With so much uncertainty in the industry, the Center for Dairy Excellence’s role as a catalyst for

collaboration and hope is more important now than ever. Over the past year, we have engaged both the public and private sector in bringing much needed resources to the farm level and in driving a broader discussion about what Pennsylvania needs

to remain and grow as a national dairy leader. As a public:private partnership, the Center for Dairy Excellence and Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation leverage funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to strengthen Pennsylvania’s dynamic dairy industry. Our vision is for Pennsylvania to be a place where the dairy industry and its individual dairy farm families and associated businesses can thrive and be profitable. Even in

the current environment with significant challenges at hand, tremendous opportunities exist. Those opportunities can foster collaboration that leads to strengthened dairy farm families and increased prosperity at all levels

of the industry. Every day, we strive to find those opportunities to continue being a champion for the Pennsylvania dairy industry.

A Support for Dairy Farm FamiliesThe past two years demonstrate how critical financial planning and decision-making is on the farm. The Center provides planning resources and financial assistance to dairy farm families through the On-Farm Resource Programs. Dairy farm families have leveraged resources from the center to put teams together around the table and bring outside perspective into their farms, giving them options and a path forward. These

programs include the profit teams, transformation teams and transition teams, as well as the Dairy Decisions Consultant Program. In addition, there are other resources, like the Dairy Trend Analyzer Program, that can help farm families gain even more perspective on their business.Mark Mosemann farms with his father Richard, brother Scott and Mark’s wife Lauren at Misty Mountain Dairy LLC in Warfordsburg. Their profit team has become a valuable tool in stretching their ways of thinking and pushing their operation

forward. “Utilizing a team teaches you how to drop the blinders. So often on the dairy we can get tunnel vision. Bringing that outside perspective into your dairy helps you look beyond your own vision and thought process to find the best solution possible.”

A Strong Foundation for a Student’s EducationEstablished in 2010, the Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, was created to serve as an education source for the Center and other dairy organizations. The Foundation invests its resources into programs that continue to showcase the state’s vibrant dairy industry through in-class curriculum, industry-recognized certifications and hands-on learning experiences. In 2017, both the Discover Dairy and Dairy Leaders of Tomorrow Educational Programs underwent transformations to offer a fresh new look and greater resources for teachers. The increased engagement and interest around the new programs was overwhelming. “My students loved the opportunity to adopt a cow. We enjoyed reading the updates about our cow, Sonja. The students were always interested to see what was new with her development,” said Rachel Weidenhammer, a fifth-grade teacher at Cornell Terrace Elementary in Sinking Spring, Pa. “The Adopt a Cow program is a wonderful way to connect the classroom to agriculture in the surrounding community of Pennsylvania.”

Dr. Charlie Gardner, consultant and

veterinarian, assists students learn more

about bovine anatomy during the Dairy

Leaders of Tomorrow Explorations

Experience in May 2017.

Jayne Sebright, executive director

Jeff Harding, president of Center Foundation Board

on-FarM resourCe ProGraMs 2017-2018Dairy Families with On-Farm Resource Teams 77

Dairy Families with Dairy Decision Consultant 57

Dairy Farms Enrolled in Dairy Trend Analyzer Program 246

Annual Dairy Summit Participation 539

risk ManaGeMent ProGraMs 2017 totaL reaCh

Presentations, Meetings and Discussions +3,900 dairy farmers

Weekly Newspaper Columns +124,000

Financial and Risk Management Conference 135

Professional and Producer Roundtable Meetings 136

“My internship was in one of the top dairy counties and productive land counties in the country,” said Zane Itle, 2017 On-Farm Intern and student at Penn State. “[The internship] is unique because I don’t think a lot of people have gotten to experience the things that I am learning this summer. With that, you’re bringing in a young mind with a different perspective and take on things. That can help to communicate better and how to clarify different procedures. You never know what type of experiences that intern can bring that can truly benefit the farm.”

Jackson Takach, economist for Farmer Mac and lead author and co-creator of The Feed, discussed analyzing credit, interest rate and other market-based risk during the 2017 Financial and Risk Management Conference in September 2017.

Zane Itle, junior at Penn State,

participated in the 2017 On-Farm Intern

Program where he spent his summer

at Brubaker Farms, owned by Tony and

Mike Brubaker of Mount Joy, Pa.

Don Risser, Center for Dairy Excellence Chairman

A Network that Fosters Industry DevelopmentThe Center works closely with industry partners to strengthen communications, increase marketing and develop processing throughout Pennsylvania. For example, over the last three years, the Center and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Bureau of Market Development to support dairy processors and retailers through grants to promote the PA Preferred™ program.In 2017, the Center partnered with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for an in-depth look at the opportunities and inhibitors to growing dairy in the Commonwealth. In addition to other findings, the study pointed to a unique opportunity within Pennsylvania for additional dairy

product processing. Armed with the findings of the study, both the Center and the department started the conversation with key players to encourage them to take a second look at Pennsylvania and include it in their growth strategy.

dairy CoMMuniCations and MarketinG 2017 totaL reaCh

Newspapers and Publications +275,000

Social Media Platforms +350,000

Mark Mosemann (right), of Misty Mountain Dairy LLC in Warfordsburg, not only is a producer that benefits from the Center’s On-Farm Resource Programs, but he is the vice chairsperson of the Center Board.

“The Center for Dairy Excellence continues to put on a quality program for agricultural related financial institutions,” said Scott Hauseman, senior vice president of Fulton Bank Agriculture Financial Services. “The program provides high quality speakers that discuss pertinent dairy topics each year, which helps us to reflect and grow. I know our bank would not miss this annual conference.”

Each fall, the Center hosts the Dairy Financial and Risk Management Conference for agricultural lenders and financial consultants. This event is continuously growing because it provides valuable perspectives on market dynamics and challengers that confront dairy farms.

Alan Zepp, risk management program manager

Myrannda Kleckner, communications and marketing manager

Karen Purnell, accounting

manager

Heidi Zimmerman, dairy resource

coordinator

Melissa Anderson, dairy programs and operations manager