2026 NODPA Field Days
Hope for the Future:
Strategies for Success
Berks County Agricultural Center
1238 County Welfare Road
Leesport, PA 19533
September 24 & 25, 2026
26th Annual NODPA Field Days
Returning to Pennsylvania for the first time since 2023, when the NODPA Field Days were in Reedsville, we are excited to announce that the Berks County Agricultural Center, in Leesport, will be the site of this year's meeting. Like in Reedsville, we have an excellent educational program, two farm tours and are expecting a great turnout of farm families. We’ve designed a program that focuses on strategies to make the most of what you have, whether it’s better pasture management, cow health care, renewable energy strategies to lower energy expenses, or rethinking profit, reinvestment and retirement. The workshops are designed to offer hope for the future.
Join us for 2 days of educational workshops and two farm tours in Leesport, PA. We have an excellent lineup of speakers, a trade show of diverse vendors, delicious food, and plenty of opportunities to catch up with old friends and make new ones.
NODPA FIELD DAYS REGISTRATION
Take advantage of the Early Bird Rates! Register by Saturday, September 12th and pay online, by mail or at Field Days registration. Just let us know you are attending in order to get the lower rates.
Holiday Inn Express, Wyomissing, PA
NODPA has a room block at Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 405 N. Park Rd, Wyomissing PA 19610 with a room rate of $109.00 for a standard room (2 queen beds), and $119.00 for a King Suite with a sofa bed. The room count is limited so call the hotel directly at 610-373-4444 and ask for the Northeast Dairy Producers Room Block or register at this link: Northeast Dairy Producers Alliance. Guests must reserve no later than 9/11/2026 to be guaranteed a room in the block at the special rate. (Availability and rates are not guaranteed after this date.)
***Please note that when the group booking link is clicked it will automatically default the reservation for all days of the event booking, so if a guest only wants to stay for one night, they will need to adjust the dates at the top of the page.***
26th Annual NODPA Field Days Program
Thursday, 9/24/26
8:30 – 11:30 am
FARM TOUR: Country Sunrise Creamery, 48 Mountain Road, Meyerstown, PA 17067, hosted by the Nelson Martin Family. PLEASE GO DIRECTLY TO THE FARM
12:00 – 1:00 pm
NODPA Field Days Registration and Lunch, Berks County Agriculture Center, 1238 County Welfare Road, Leesport, PA 19533
1:00 – 1:30
Country Sunrise Creamery wrap-up and questions for the Martin Family
1:30 – 3:00
Big Things from Little Packages: The Important Role of Minerals and Vitamins in Cow and Calf Health. This presentation will discuss the importance of minerals and vitamins relative to immunity and disease prevention throughout the animal’s lifecycle. There will be discussions of how proper feeding of the late pregnant cow is essential for minimizing disease conditions of mastitis and uterine infections. Presenter: Dr. Robert Van Saun, DVM, Professor of Veterinary Medicine, Penn State University
3:00 – 3:15
Break
3:15 – 4:30
Silvopasture: The Challenges and Benefits of Adding Trees to Pasture: Strategic planning and techniques for effective tree establishment in actively grazed pastures. Presenter Joshua Greene, Director of Education, Trees for Graziers
4:30 – 5:00
Presentations on the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship (DGA) Program and Updates from the USDA AMS personnel
5:00 – 6:00
NODPA Field Days Trade Show and Social Hour
6:00 – 7:00
Banquet and NODPA Annual Meeting
7:00 – 8:30
Keynote Presentation: Stop Farming like You’ll Never Leave: Rethinking Profit, Reinvestment, and Retirement. Learn about a practical framework for balancing today’s demands with a future that supports both the farmer and the next generation. Keynote speaker: Ted LeBow, Good Roots (formerly known as Kitchen Table Consultants) and a farmer panel.
8:30 pm
Meeting ends.
26th Annual NODPA Field Days Program
Friday, 9/25/26
6:30 -9:00 am
Continental Breakfast, Berks Agricultural Center, 1238 County Welfare Road, Leesport, PA 19533
7:00 – 9:00
Producer-Only Meeting: A meeting in which producers can speak freely about all things related to the organic dairy industry.
9:00 – 10:15
Renewable Energy on the farm: Strategies to address the rising cost of energy on the farm, with innovative solutions that everyone can employ. Presenter: Klaas Marten, Klaas and Mary-Howell Marten Farm, Penn Yan, NY
10:15 – 11:30
From Pasture to Profit: How Grazing Management Drives Intake, Milk Yield, and Efficiency. Learn how grazing decisions influence forage quality, cow behavior, and nutrient supply, and how these translate into milk yield and system-level efficiency. Dr. Leoni Martins, PhD., Asst. Clinical Professor of Precision Dairy Nutrition, Dept. of Animal Science, Penn State University, and Dr. James Lawhead, DVM, Extension Associate, Dairy Science, Penn State University
11:30 – 12:00 pm
Introduction to Spring Creek Farms, 3880 North Church Street, Wernersville, PA, 19565, Friday afternoon’s farm tour. Forrest and Greg Stricker, hosts, will give an overview of their operation and answer questions ahead of the tour.
Noon – 1:00
Lunch and Door Prize Drawing
1:15 pm
End of meeting and departure for Spring Creek Farms, Wernersville, PA
SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT
JOSHUA GREENE
Joshua Greene, Director of Education, Trees for Graziers, joined TFG after a decade of dodging falling ash trees and grazing cattle at Greene Kitchen Farm. He has fond childhood memories of climbing pecan trees as his grandfather taught him the value of nuts: “good eating!” He hopes to inspire generations of graziers to create cool, productive perennial silvopastures. Joshua makes his home in northeastern Pennsylvania with his wife and children who love to drink coffee, burn firewood, breathe fresh air, play an occasional game of Scrabble, and watch the grass grow.
DR. JAMES LAWHEAD, DVM
Dr. James Lawhead, DVM, Extension Associate, Dairy Science, Penn State University is a Dairy Extension Program Specialist with Penn State University. Jim joined Penn State after a long career as a practicing dairy veterinarian in Central Pennsylvania. He has a wide range of interests, but his emphasis is on improving farm profitability through nutrition and herd management.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: TED LEBOW, GOOD ROOTS, CEO
Ted LeBow, Good Roots (formerly known as Kitchen Table Consultants) is an experienced serial entrepreneur committed to financial resilience and helping others achieve business success. His journey began in 1980 with a farm in Idaho, leading to a career managing and owning eleven small businesses. A Cornell graduate with a degree in Business Management, Ted has focused on guiding entrepreneurs to understand how they make a profit and engage their team of people passionately.
In 2024, he merged his firm, Kitchen Table Consultants, with Taste Profit Marketing to form Good Roots, where he serves as CEO. Ted has raised over $60 million for various organizations and has played key roles in regenerative agriculture. He lives in Bala Cynwyd and enjoys woodworking, fly fishing, and time with his family.
KLAAS MARTENS
Klaas Martens of Klaas and Mary-Howell Martens Farm, Penn Yan, NY, is a third-generation grain and livestock farmer who, along with his wife Mary-Howell Martens and son Peter, is a thought leader, frequent public speaker and author about the organic farming movement. They were among the first in America to farm organically, starting back in the early 1990s. The founder of Lakeview Organic Grain, he’s recently transferred the operation to his son Peter who currently farms 1,600 acres of certified organic crops in New York State.
DR. LEONI MARTINS, PH.D.
Dr. Leoni Martins, PhD., Asst. Clinical Professor of Precision Dairy Nutrition, Dept. of Animal Science, Penn State University. Dr. Leoni Martins is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Precision Dairy Nutrition at The Pennsylvania State University. His research and Extension programs focus on precision nutrition and its interactions with lactational performance and nutrient use efficiency in dairy cows. Hi goal is to advance feeding strategies that optimize nutrient delivery to individual cows, enhance animal performance and health, and reduce the environmental impact of dairy production.
DR. ROBERT VAN SAUN, DVM
Dr. Robert Van Saun, DVM, Professor of Veterinary Medicine, Penn State University Dr. Robert Van Saun is a Professor of Veterinary Science and Extension Veterinarian in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University. He has been on faculty at Penn State since 2000 with responsibilities in teaching, extension, and field investigation. Robert received his veterinary degree from Michigan State University in 1982. He also completed a Master’s degree in nutrition and residency training in theriogenology at Michigan State University. He earned a Ph.D. in ruminant nutrition from Cornell University. Robert is a board-certified diplomate of the American College of Theriogenologists and American College of Veterinary Nutrition. He was in private veterinary practice in New York and Michigan and an ambulatory clinician at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University. He has received teaching and research awards at Oregon State and Penn State University. His research and extension programs focus on integration of nutrition, animal health, and productivity and emphasize the critical role of pregnancy nutrition on animal performance. His research spans across various species including dairy and beef cattle, horses, and small ruminants.
FARM TOURS
Thursday, September 24, 2026, 8:30 - 11:30 AM
Country Sunrise Creamery and Farm Store
48 Mountain View Road Myerstown, PA 17067
Hosted by the Nelson Martin Family
PLEASE MEET AT THE FARM AT 8:30 AM
Although this grass-based farm isn’t certified organic, it employs organic practices. The Nelson Martin Family manages this farm using no pesticides and herbicides. It has an on-farm processing facility where they produce milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, ice cream and grass-fed beef, all sold at their farm store. Come tour this farm where the Martin’s are using a variety of innovative practices on their thriving dairy farm.
FARM TOURS
Friday, September 25, 2026
Spring Creek Farms
3880 North Church Street Wernersville, PA 19565
Hosted by Greg and Forrest Strickler
Spring Creek Farms is one of the pioneers of organic and grass-based dairy in the US. Forrest and Greg Stricker will share their wide variety of innovative practices they use on their 600-acre (combination of owned and rented land) organic, grass-based farm.