Anyone who has ever coordinated a birthing center at a public event knows it’s a gargantuan task. That was Miriam Miller’s task for the first-ever live-calving exhibit at the eight-day 2018 Pennsylvania Farm Show. “The Calving Corner served as a great forum for the dairy industry and the public to meet and learn more about each other,” Miller says.

More than 100 volunteers from all aspects of the industry turned out to help support and staff the event. That included experienced herdsmen, college interns, dairy farmers, veterinarians and industry volunteers.

Four family dairy farms committed and hand-picked cows for the event — Meadow Vista Dairy, owned by Don, Gerald, Eric and Justin Risser of Bainbridge, Pa.; Kreider Farms, owned by Ron Kreider of Manheim, Pa.; Brubaker Farms, owned by Mike and Tony Brubaker of Mount Joy, Pa., and Meadow Lane Dairy, owned by Glenn, Brad and Geoff Rohrer of Lancaster, Pa. Each business selected four ready-to-calve cows, and 16 calves were delivered.

ROUGH FIRST DAY, BABE? This is one of 16 calves greeted upon arrival by audiences of curious onlookers.

Couldn’t have happened without…
Key sponsors and partners in the project were: Pennsylvania Dairyman’s Association, The Center for Dairy Excellence, Professional Dairy Manager of Pennsylvania, Land O’Lakes Foundation, American Dairy Association North East, and Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

Other financial supporters included: Professional Dairy Producers Foundation, Dairy Farmers of America, Sturdy Built Manufacturing, Oregon Dairy and Select Sire Power.

“Friends of the Calving Corner” support came from Agricultural Veterinary Associates, Renaissance Nutrition, Amanda Butterfield, Bernard C. Morrissey Insurance, Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition, Northeast Dairy Beef Quality Assurance, Marmaras & Smith, Pennsylvania Holstein Association, Pennsylvania Beef Council, Nasco, Elanco, Bio-Vet, JBZ Dairy Advantage, Brandt’s Farm Supply, Adisseo, Iron Rock Nutrition and Hanoverdale Agway.

Learn more about the Calving Corner and the four farm families “delivering” on the project at thecalvingcorner.org. You can also check it out on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Source: Pennsylvania Center for Dairy Excellence