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Cow-Side Conversations

Center for Dairy Excellence
Dairy Farming
Center For Dairy Excellence
Milk Production
Robotics In Dairy Farming
Farm Transition
Mountain View Holsteins LLC
Robotics
Tioga County
Dairy Nutrition
Pleasant View Farms
Dairy Technology
Lancaster County
Zahncroft Dairy
Dairy Farming In Pennsylvania
Herd Management
Finances and Debt Management
Kulp Family Dairy LLC
Labor Management
Generational Transition
Diversification (winery and Distillery)

“Cowside Conversations” is a monthly podcast brought to you by the Center for Dairy Excellence. We’ve heard time and time again that dairy farmers learn the most from other dairy farmers. So, in this podcast we’re going to share real-time farmer insight, tricks of the trade, and inspiring stories from dairies across Pennsylvania.

PublishesMonthlyEpisodes71Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
ManagementBusiness

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Latest Episodes

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In this episode, Brent Copenhaver from Talview Dairy, a 500-cow dairy milking at two different locations in Lebanon County, spoke about his journey into the dairy business, g... more

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In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Jim Harbach from Schrack Farms in Clinton County, Pennsylvania dives into all things cropping as we prepare for spring planting sea... more

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In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Kate (Kulp) Musselman of Kulp Family Dairy LLC in Blair County, Pennsyvlania gives an inside look at their 3,000-cow dairy operatio... more

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In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Alan Davis of Davis Farms LLC in Butler/Armstrong County, Pennsylvania describes his family’s decision to upgrade to robots versus ... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Jim Harbach
Farmer, Schrack Farms
Schrack Farms
Episode: Episode 6: Jim Harbach dives into strategies for no till, cover cropping, soil health, and fertilizer savings ahead of spring planting
Kate Musselman
Owner of Kulp Family Dairy LLC; one of the five current owners
Kulp Family Dairy LLC
Episode: Episode 5: Kate Musselman describes expansion for their 3,000+ cow herd, balancing family and business, and optimism about the PA dairy industry
Alan Davis
Dairy farmer who transitioned to robotic milking
Western Pennsylvania dairy farm
Episode: Episode 4: Alan Davis discusses the shift to robotics and how data, herd health and profitability are intertwined
David Sattazahn
Partner at Zahncroft Dairy
Zahncroft Dairy
Episode: Episode 3: David Sattazahn reflects on expansion, transition, and key factors that influence profitability
Jeremy Martin
Owner of Mountain View Holsteins LLC, Bethel, Berks County, PA
Mountain View Holsteins LLC
Episode: Episode 2: Jeremy Martin shares how he unexpectedly found himself managing a dairy at 17 and how that shaped his management philosophy on the farm
Kerri Weber
Farmer, Rustik Dairy LLC
Rustik Dairy LLC
Episode: Episode 1: Kerri Weber shares how an unexpected brain injury changed everything for their family and farm but how that taught her to celebrate each day
Steve Harnish
Dairy producer and leader at Central Manor Dairy
Central Manor Dairy, Lancaster County
Episode: Episode 12: Steve Harnish talks about the herd health data that matters and shares his leadership journey
Dee Shafer
Dairy farmer at Shafton Farms, Maryland
Shafton Farms
Episode: Episode 11: Dee Shafer shares how their farm moved from high risk to financially strong
Jennifer Metzler
Owner of Pleasant View Farms
Pleasant View Farms, Blair County
Episode: Episode 10: Jennifer Metzler opens up about a recent parlor fire and the community support that carried them through the aftermath

Host

Jane Seabright
Host of Cow-Side Conversations; Center for Dairy Excellence

Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars from 10 ratings
  • Cruel barbaric dairy industry

    The dairy industry is hidden with many cruel practices including taking babies forcing them to be confine, impregnated and produce too much milk. They love a horrible life then get slaughtered. Stop this lying podcast

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Alex Funicello
    United States4 years ago
  • Thank you

    This is a great podcast. It’s giving me some motivation I’ve kinda lost in this industry.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    larry ligjt
    United States4 years ago
  • Congratulations!

    Thank you Jayne and congratulations on the podcast’s one year anniversary.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    FarmerPreacher
    United States5 years ago
  • Thanks!

    Thank you so much for a podcast for dairy farmers, especially for us in Pennsylvania!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    FarmerPreacher
    United States5 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Consistently showcases practical dairy management insights from peers.
Nice mix of farmer stories and actionable takeaways for sponsors and guests.
Positive, practical, and community-focused.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Episode 5: Kate Musselman describes expansion for their 3,000+ cow herd, balancing family and business, and optimism about the PA dairy industry
Q: Can you talk about the latest project and the plans you have for expansion?
Kate describes a multi-site expansion with a 100-stall DeLaval Rotary, 6-bay direct load, two 9-row freestyle barns adding about 3,000 new stalls at the home farm, and a timeline targeting completion from mid to late year, with cows moving back from Farm 3 as facilities come online.
Episode 8: Greg Hemsarth shares how they’ve integrated robots into the herd, built trust with employees, and took a proactive approach to transition planning
Q: What has been the biggest learning curve in implementing the robots?
The biggest challenge was developing a flexible, dependable fetching protocol that prevents cows from training the farmer. We had to redesign how staff interact with the cows and adjust schedules so that the operation remains balanced and productive as the cows learn to navigate the system.
Episode 8: Greg Hemsarth shares how they’ve integrated robots into the herd, built trust with employees, and took a proactive approach to transition planning
Q: Why did you decide to adopt robotic milking for your herd?
The primary driver was labor availability and cost, along with the need to access a more stable labor pool while improving data and efficiency. The robots allowed us to re-think shift structures and reduce routine manual labor by relying on automation for milking and monitoring.
Episode 9: Zach Kreger describes how small dairies can continue to compete and shares how simple improvements have almost doubled production
Q: How do you approach diversification and keeping the operation financially sustainable with a relatively small herd?
Diversification is limited; they maintain 10-12 brood cows and a small beef herd, primarily to utilize extra hay and pasture. The main focus remains on the dairy, with emphasis on careful cost monitoring and maintaining strong cow health and productivity.
Episode 9: Zach Kreger describes how small dairies can continue to compete and shares how simple improvements have almost doubled production
Q: Zach, can you describe what changes were most pivotal when you returned to the dairy and started investing in improvements?
The pivotal changes included introducing a TMR mixer, improving tunnel ventilation, upgrading mats, and developing a close working relationship with a nutritionist to optimize the cow diet and overall health, which together helped raise production and stabilize profitability.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Cow-Side Conversations

What is Cow-Side Conversations about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show centers on real-world dairy farming insights from Pennsylvania, featuring farmer-to-farmer conversations about practical practices, leadership, succession, and technology adoption on family operations. Episodes consistently emphasize soil health, forage and nutrition, herd management, robotics, expansion projects, and resilience in the dairy sector, often with concrete financial and governance takeaways. A notable strength is its hands-on, story-driven format that blends operational detail with community and industry context, making it useful for peers, suppliers, and sponsors looking to reach dairy decision-makers and farm families.

Potential listeners can expect pragmatic discussions, transparent sharing of challenges and strat... more

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How many listeners does Cow-Side Conversations get?

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To see how many followers or subscribers Cow-Side Conversations has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Cow-Side Conversations?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Cow-Side Conversations:

1. Progressive Dairy Podcast
2. Wheat Pete's Word – RealAgriculture
3. Discover Ag
4. The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe
5. The Dr. John Delony Show

How many episodes of Cow-Side Conversations are there?

Cow-Side Conversations launched 6 years ago and published 71 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Cow-Side Conversations?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Cow-Side Conversations?

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What guests have appeared on Cow-Side Conversations?

Recent guests on Cow-Side Conversations include:

1. Jim Harbach
2. Kate Musselman
3. Alan Davis
4. David Sattazahn
5. Jeremy Martin
6. Kerri Weber
7. Steve Harnish
8. Dee Shafer

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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