Touring top-performing dairies with rich histories amidst the stunning scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains will provide participants of the Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW) Dairy Tours - Virginia with a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The tour will travel from northeast to southwest across the “Old Dominion” state from Nov. 6-9, 2017.
The event will begin on Monday, Nov. 6 at 6 p.m. with a Welcome Reception at the Holiday Inn Valley View, 3315 Ordway Dr. NW, Roanoke, Virginia, with tours planned for the following morning, beginning at 7:30 a.m. and concluding on November 9 at 8 p.m.
“We are looking forward to seeing how Virginia farms – with histories dating back to the 1700s, have innovated to thrive in today’s marketplace,” said Shelly Mayer, Executive Director of PDPW. “We will see and hear firsthand how dairy farm families have adopted technologies, built top-performing herds, found new marketing opportunities and become more sustainable to succeed and provide opportunities for the next generation.”
Dr. David Kohl, leading dairy economist, financial expert, and professor emeritus from Virginia Tech University, will lead the tour of Homestead Creamery, where he is an owner, and also attend the tour of Stoney Brook Farm. From robotic dairies, to new university facilities, and on to herds with renowned genetic lines, the nine tour stops will include:
- Homestead Creamery, Burnt Chimney, Va.
- Stoney Brook Dairy, Wirtz, Va., owned by Jamie and Brandon Montgomery
- Virginia Tech Dairy Science Complex – Kentland Farm, Blacksburg, Va.
- Hillside Farm, Dublin, Va., owned by Dale and Janet Flory and Scott and Laura Flory
- Ingleside Dairy, Lexington, Va., owned by Charles, Linda, Beau and Jennifer Leech
- Cave View Farm, Weyers Cave, Va., owned by Gerald Garber, Paul Wilson and Keith Wilson
- Stoney Run Farms, Inc., McGaheysville, Va., owned by Fred and Shirley Smith and Jeff and Noma Smith and their children
- Harvue Farms, Berryville, Va., owned by David and Debra Hardesty and Matt and Ashley Hardesty
- Waverly Farm, Clear Brook, Va., owned by Mike Stiles and Paul Stiles and families.
Space is limited to the first 50 dairy farmers. Registration includes the welcome reception, three nights’ lodging – Monday through Wednesday, eight meals, tour transportation and training materials. Tour participants will be responsible for their own airfare.
The PDPW Dairy Tours - Virginia is an accredited training and offers up to 18.0 Dairy AdvanCE continuing education units (CEUs). To learn more or secure credits, visit www.DairyAdvance.org. Up to 21.6 CEUs are available to UW-School of Veterinary Medicine (UW-SVM).
To learn more about the Virginia tour and to register, visit www.pdpw.org, contact PDPW at 1-800-947-7379, or follow on social media with #PDPWToursVirginia.
Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW) is the nation's largest dairy producer-led organization of its kind, focusing on producer professionalism, stakeholder engagement and unified outreach to share ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed."
