Change doesn’t happen overnight, and what’s worthwhile isn’t always what’s easy. Big changes require big effort — and lots of planning.
“You have to be patient,” said Penn England Farms partner Yvette Longenecker on the Center for Dairy Excellence’s “Cow-Side Conversations” podcast. “Putting projects on hold is a part of business, especially in the agricultural industry. My team waited until we were at the right place, at the right time, and now we can get it done and be more efficient.”
Longenecker was referring to the facilities upgrade and satellite operations consolidation project she and her team began conceptualizing for their business 10 years ago. Penn England Farms near Williamsburg, Pa., has been a three-location operation since 2009, when they incorporated their second and third properties — dairies run by relatives who were soon to retire — within three months of each other. They went from one milking facility to three in three months — an opportunity Longenecker called “quite the growing experience.”
The Penn England team is now working on consolidating Farm 3 into the main farm (Farm 1) to improve efficiency and limit costs, as well as to make management more streamlined across operations. Since Farm 2 is solely a milking facility, whereas Farms 1 and 3 house heifers, dry cows, and fresh cows, Longenecker sees it staying as-is.
A long journey
Even though the plan from the beginning of Penn England’s acquisition of Farm 3 was to incorporate it into the home farm, various financial setbacks forced the team to wait. It took eight years before they were able to put the plan to paper, and another two to break ground. Now, they’re full-speed ahead on the project and highly aware of the challenging year to come.
“Our team gets together every morning to talk about what needs to get done that day,” Longenecker said. “We communicate with each other often and talk about this being a long, hard project.”
The renovation is not only aimed at making possible the housing of an extra 500 cows, but it is also an opportunity to build updated, modern facilities. Projects included an upgraded milking parlor, a new direct load shed and milk house, renovations to the freestall barns, and a new manure pit.
Reproduction for growth
In terms of prioritization across Penn England’s operations, Longenecker and her team emphasize cow care and conservation above all else.
“Good cows make good business,” Longenecker said. “We believe in taking care of our herd and improving genetics.”
Penn England Farms started flushing cows in 1978 — a practice in which a cow receives a series of hormonal injections to help it produce extra eggs, which are then fertilized by artificial insemination and “flushed out” to either be planted in a surrogate or frozen for later use. Penn England exports their embryos to countries around the world, including Japan, France, and Germany. These embryos may be planted in surrogates with desirable qualities, such as an easy time calving.
“In 2023, we transferred over 1,700 embryos within our own herd,” Longenecker said. “We concentrate on a select number of cow families and produce as many offspring from those as we can.”
Playing around with bull genetics is a key factor for Penn England, too. Genomic information about semen makes possible the selection of qualities a dairy farmer may want in their herd.
Though it’s a pricey endeavor, Longenecker believes it to be crucial for the betterment of the herd.
“We want to grow a good herd with good cows,” she said.
Doing so creates a return on investment, anyway. Quality genes make for desirable animals, and Penn England is able to regularly market theirs.
As for their 3,600 acres of crop land, Longenecker said they are intentional about every step from plant to harvest, ensuring the ration the cows receive is nutritious and sustainably sourced.
Working together
Anything is possible if you have the right people in management.
At least, that’s how Longenecker accounted for her dairy’s success so far.
To her, the biggest factor in staying afloat and balancing growth and profitability is planning ahead — and doing so with a team.
“Know where you need to be and how to get there, and communicate with each other often,” said Longenecker. “We all talk to one another. Each facility is just as important as the other.”
Also included in regular communication are outside advisers, nutritionists, veterinarians, and bankers. Such a well-rounded group of voices makes the farm’s efforts to “watch production, control costs, and make investments where efficiency can be gained” that much more manageable.
Moving from three to two facilities — thus making most decisions under one roof — will be a huge benefit for the working environment, too. All employees will be able to more easily engage in production goals, have a say in improvements, and employees and management alike will be able to move seamlessly back and forth between needs.
Longenecker said one of her favorite parts about Penn England Farms is this collaborative nature. It makes the kind of massive business transition she and her team are tackling possible.
Looking ahead
In the coming months, Longenecker and her partners will oversee the remaining renovations of the farm her parents purchased in 1978, when no barn graced the property.
As for the next generation, Longenecker admitted they are still figuring that out. But if Penn England’s track record of growth and profitability is any indication of the operation’s future, odds are that whoever takes it over will be walking into something truly spectacular.
Still, working with family has its ups and downs. “Sometimes we have to take a deep breath, remember we all love each other, and know that we are all there for the same outcome at the end of the day.”
Longenecker sees value in “taking opportunities as they come, because you never know when or if they’ll come again.”
And isn’t that what dairying is all about — taking the daily opportunities of land, weather, climate, and animals to create beautiful, rich, and nutritious products to be put on shelves around the world?
Penn England Farms is on their way to a new era of operation, and they’re taking all who pioneer with them.
OCTOBER 2024 issue:
