Evangelical Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, 200 E. Logan Street, Reedsville, PA 17084
Farming With Financial Clarity, Confidence and Optimism
(Without Digging the Hole Any Deeper)
23rd Annual NODPA Field Days Program
Evangelical Lutheran Church, 200 E. Logan Street, Reedsville, PA 17084
The Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA) is excited to announce the upcoming 23rd Annual NODPA Field Days, taking place in Reedsville, PA on September 28 & 29, 2023. This year's theme is "Farming with Financial Clarity, Confidence and Optimism (without digging the hole deeper)", aimed at providing organic dairy farmers with valuable insights and strategies to increase profits and make solid business decisions by focusing on the financial side of their farms. Some organic dairy producers are thriving in today’s economy while others are dealing with extreme financial challenges. The educational program will speak to all farmers, from all regions, acknowledging the many differences. Visit our webpage for the full schedule, event information, and to register here. Our lineup of speakers and activities is designed to provide you with the tools and knowledge to increase profitability on your farm without digging the hole any deeper.
Thursday, September 28, 2023
8:30 – 11:30 am:
Farm Tour: Sunny Crest Farm, hosted by David Peachey, 579 Greenwood Road, Bellville, PA, 17004
12:00 – 1:00 pm:
Registration and Lunch at Evangelical Lutheran Church, 200 E. Logan Street, Reedsville, PA 17084
1:00 – 2:45 pm:
The Foundations of Profitability in Organic Dairy Presenter: Alvin Peachey, Saddlers Run Farm, Allensville, PA, will identify the key principles to profitability, from understanding the role of soil health to important decision-making strategies, and more.
2:45 – 3:00 Break
3:00 – 4:30 pm
What Does Profitability Look Like on Your Farm, and how do you approach it? A Farmer Panel Discussion: Invited panel members: Dwight Stoltzfoos, Springwood Organic Farm, Kinzer, PA, Kirk Arnold/Kathie Arnold, Twin Oaks Dairy, Truxton, NY, Eric Sheffer, Sheffer’s Grassland Farm, Hoosick Falls, NY, (others?) Moderator: Ted LeBow, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Kitchen Table Consulting, Bala Cynwyd, PA4:30 – 5:30 Social Hour and Trade Show
5:30 – 7:00 Banquet and NODPA Annual Meeting
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Keynote Presentation: Farming with Financial Clarity: By focusing on the financial side of your business, you can increase profits and make solid business decisions. Ted LeBow, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Kitchen Table Consulting, Bala Cynwyd, PA
9:00 pm Program ends.
6:30 – 9:00 am
Continental Breakfast, Evangelical Lutheran Church, 200 E. Logan Street, Reedsville, PA 17084
7:00 – 9:00 am
Producer-only Meeting
9:00 – 10:00 am
The 6 Principles of Soil Health: Where profit comes from and how to increase it every year. Presenter: Roman Stoltzfoos, Springwood Organic Farm, Kinzer, PA
10:00 – 11:00 am
Profitability: Putting the Foundations into Practice. Alvin Peachey, presenter. Alvin will describe the process he uses to increase profitability on his farm, tying together all of the elements—soil and animal health, and clear financial decision making—he successfully employs on his farm, ahead of the afternoon farm tour.
11:00 – 12:15 pm
Whole Herd Health: holistic cow care practices to enhance health and productivity on your farm (with a special emphasis on herbal medicine and homeopathic practices) Dr. Cynthia Lankenau, DVM, Holistic Center for Veterinary Care, Colden NY
12:15-1:00 Lunch, door prize drawing, final announcements
1:00 Travel to Saddlers Run Farm, 12337 Metztown Road, Allensville, PA 17002
1:30 Farm Tour: Saddlers Run Farm, Allensville, PA hosted by the Alvin Peachey family
Ted LeBow is the Co-CEO and co-founder of Kitchen Table Consultants (KTC) and Taste Profit Marketing (TPM), a growing 25-person, national food and farm Financial, Management and Marketing Consulting firm, founded in 2009. KTC and TPM have provided advisory services to over 600 farms, food hubs, co-packers, e-commerce, DTC food marketers and non-profits in the local food sector, in 35 states. Our mission is to Make Farm and Food Businesses Profitable for Good.
Ted’s roots are in farming; his first business was a farm in Idaho and his degree is from Cornell University’s College of Agriculture. He’s a serial entrepreneur and has run 12 small businesses, owning all or part of six.
ALVIN PEACHEY, SADDLERS RUN FARM, ALLENSVILLE, PA
Alvin Peachey is an Amish organic dairy farmer from central Pennsylvania. Along with his wife and children, he owns and operates Saddlers Run Farm, Allensville, PA. Over the course of more than a decade, Alvin has grown his operation to 90 100% grass-fed cows on 92 acres, implementing regenerative practices that flip the script of the status quo for dairy farmers. Saddler Run Farm was the featured farm in the September 2021 NODPA News. To learn more about Alvin and his farm, click on this link: /n/5998/FEATURED-FARM-Grass-fed-Growth-Finding-what-Works-Saddlers-Run-Farm-Allensville-PA
DWIGHT STOLTZFOOS, SPRINGWOOD ORGANIC FARM, KINZER, PA
Dwight Stoltzfoos, together with his wife Brenda and their children operate the farm in an ongoing slow transition from his parents, Roman and Lucy. Organic, natural farming is a passion of Roman Stoltzfoos as well as his son Dwight and they have kept at the cutting edge of natural, organic methods and under their care SpringWood Organic Farm has become a model of success, providing organic products to retailers and consumers. SpringWood’s herd of 200 dairy cows produces milk for Organic Valley GrassMilk.
KIRK ARNOLD, TWIN OAKS DAIRY, TRUXTON, NY
Kirk Arnold is co-owner, with his mother, Kathie Arnold, of Twin Oaks Dairy in Truxton, N.Y Kirk and Kathie are the third generation in their family to own and work Twin Oaks Dairy in Truxton NY. Over the years the dairy has made a few transitions. In 1990s the dairy transitioned to management-intensive grazing and in 1998 made the official transition to a certified organic farm. The dairy farm has 140 milking cows and a total herd of 240. The dairy sits on 700 acres which include corn, grass, and pastures. In 2016 a new free stall and milking facility was built and the milk is distributed through the Upstate Niagara Cooperative Inc.
ERIC SHEFFER, SHEFFER'S GRASSLAND FARM, HOOSICK FALLS, NY
Eric Sheffer is the sixth generation to farm at Sheffer’s Grassland Dairy in Hoosick Falls, NY. After graduating Cornell in 2008, Eric returned to the farm and he and his father, Wally, began operating as a successful, conventional dairy farm, which included grazing as an important part of its herd management. While there have been many changes throughout the centuries, the latest has been their 2017 transition to organic certification. They began transitioning to organic in 2014, with full certification in 2017. The farm, which supplies milk for Stonyfield Organic, is certified by Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO). Today, the dairy employs four full-time people, and Wally continues to work alongside Eric. Eric and his wife, Jillian, are proud that their son Jackson who is the seventh generation of Sheffer's is being raised on the farm.
ROMAN STOLTZFOOS, SPRINGWOOD ORGANIC FARM, KINZER, PA
Roman Stoltzfoos was an early adopter for organic production at Springwood Organic Farm, Kinzers, PA, and started his organic journey in 1987. He was one of the first four organic Milk Producers in the country. Roman is an active member of Lancaster County Graziers, taking a lead role in organizing the annual Southeast PA Grazing Conference, as well as providing critical content to the organization of this year’s NODPA Field Days. He is the senior partner in Springwood Dairy and owner of Springwood Poultry.
DR. CYNTHIA LANKENAU, DVM, HOLISTIC CENTER FOR VETERINARY CARE, COLDEN, NY
Cynthia Lankenau, DVM graduated from Cornell’s Veterinary College in 1981 and joined a 99% dairy practice in upstate NY with a total love of working with small dairy farms. In the attempt to expand her practice knowledge, she joined the Peace Corps and worked in Malawi, Africa in 1984-1985, returning to the US to join a mixed animal practice in western NY. With the decline of family farms in NY, and seeing an incredible increase in chronic diseases, Dr. Lankenau started down the path of alternative medicine; starting with acupuncture training in 1991 (IVAS); herbal training in western herbs in 1993; Chinese herbs in 1995; and chiropractic (AVCA) and homeopathic (AVH) training in 1995. She has completed Chi’s MS (TCVM); CIVT’s Western Graduate Herbal program, and Chinese herbal degree; is a registered herbalist (RH) through the American Herbal Guild, completed David Winston’s professional herbal training, and additional Chinese Herbal training with Dr. Evan Rabinowitz. She is a past president of the VBMA, Secretary/treasurer of the ACVBM, founder of the NY CAVMA, and on the board of WATCVM. Since 1993, she has practiced in a solo 100% alternative modality mixed animal practice in Colden, NY.
Thursday, September 28, 2023, 8:30 am
David and Suzanne Peachey, Sunny Crest Farm, 579 Greenwood Road, Belleville, PA 17004
David and Suzanne, along with their two young children, farm Sunny Crest Farm, a 100% grass based organic dairy. They have a milking herd of 65 cows and 25 replacement heifers on 62 acres, owned, and 23 more, rented, with approximately 30 more rented and certified by the end of the summer. By focusing on producing premium 100 percent grassfed milk, the Peachey’s have been able to reduce their variable costs while selling milk at a premium. The farm ships to Organic Valley’s Grassmilk® label. David refers to his farming practice as the “lean method of farming.” The practice is based upon the goal to “graze every acre that we have and buy every ton of forage that we feed,” David said.
Friday, September 29, 2023 at 1:30 pm
Alvin and Marianne Peachey, Saddlers Run Farm, 12337 Metztown Road, Allensville, PA 17002
Alvin, Marianne and their 4 children own and operate Saddlers Run Farm, a 100% grass-fed dairy herd of 75 cows on 150 acres of pasture. They’ve perfected a system in which they purchase all of their supplemental feed, which consists solely of high-quality certified organic baleage. The decision to focus on grazing and herd management, and leave the growing of hay to someone else, was one of many which was made to enhance the economics of the dairy far as it has evolved since its establishment in 2010. The Peachey’s ship their milk to Organic Valley. Alvin is also a crop consultant and Keystone Bio-Ag dealer. His bottom line is: “understand your finances.”