Thu., April 16, 2026 TBD
Thu., April 16, 2026 No Specific End Time
Spotlight Holsteins
91 Frystown Road
MYERSTOWN, Pennsylvania
877-345-0691
MYERSTOWN, Pa. — Penn State Extension Dairy staff will host a Dairy Field Day from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 16 at Spotlight Holsteins, 91 Frystown Road. The cost to attend is $15 and includes lunch.
Led by Extension staff and other Penn State faculty, the all-day field day will offer local dairy producers, employees and dairy professionals an outstanding opportunity to join hands-on demonstrations and practical discussions to allow them to implement best management practices and strategies to improve their operations.
Topics include dairy and beef research, transition cow management, soybean research and dairy data management.
Spotlight Holsteins producer Adam Light will host the event and guide a tour of his operation, which includes a DeLaval robotic milking system installed in September of 2024, a methane digester, a Lely feed pusher and Galaxy brand calf auto-feeders. He acknowledged that automation, while helpful and offering some savings on feed, means there is a lot to maintain. Light milks 220 cows and farms 380 acres and also raises and directs markets of Holstein and Wagyu crosses.
Emphasizing that you have to love farming to do it, he said he likes talking with other farmers. Light is a firm believer in the value of farming, saying, “It is an important industry – the availability of food and food safety is so important.” He doesn’t like to romanticize farming, saying it involves a lot of hard work and sacrifice.
According to Light, while farming offers a unique business model that can justify automation for greater efficiency, there can be volatility in choosing to invest. Events like Field Days offer peer-to-peer interactions with farmers and industry professionals so they can understand the multiple factors that go into implementing changes.
Instructors include Extension Beef Cattle Specialist Tara Felix, Extension Associate James Lawhead, Associate Research Professor Adrian Barragan, Assistant Professor Melissa Cantor, Assistant Clinical Professor of Precision Dairy Nutrition Leoni Martins, Extension Educator Daniela Roland and Extension Educator Emily Fread.
Registration deadline is April 9, though walk-in registrations will be accepted. To register and for more information, visit online or call 877-345-0691.
