The Go-To Resource of the Dairy Industry Located At One Website
A new resources called the Dairy Directory is being unveiled at Ag Progress Days, August 12-14, in Rock Springs, Pa. Industry professionals are encouraged to visit the Center for Dairy Excellence booth in the Dairy Tent to complete the online registration to be included in the directory. Staff will be on site to help complete the registration forms.The Dairy Directory was developed by the Center for Dairy Excellence in conjunction with the Penn State Extension Dairy Team. It is intended to help dairy farm families to access contact information for resources in specific areas where their farm needs expertise. Categories have been designed for easy navigation ranging from Dairy Herd Management, Business Management and Nutrient Management to Crop, Construction and Human Resource contacts. Sub categories are also defined, and a special function will allow farms to recommend those individuals they have found especially helpful in working with their dairy.
"Time is valuable, and creating relationships is important to us. We believe that, when the who's who' of the industry can be centralized and available in one place, it will be a win-win for everyone involved," Amie Howes, communications specialist with the Center for Dairy Excellence said. "Implementing change has its own stresses, so creating direction and something of value for producers was important for us to offer."
Agribusiness representatives providing a service to producers are encouraged to register to be included in the Dairy Directory, which will be available online by late August. Once it is available, both producers and those listed in the directory are encouraged to give feedback on the ease of use and the information that will soon be available at the click of a button. Producers will also have the option to leave ratings for any consultant on the directory, which will encourage excellence from those on this list. More information will be available after Ag Progress Days.
Contact information for both the center's "Allies for Advancement" representatives and "Dairy Decisions Consultants," as well as Penn State Extension Dairy Team representatives, will automatically be entered into the database. Others should register online or at Ag Progress Days. Once online, the directory will be available within the "Business Tools" section of the center's website at www.centerfordairyexcellence.org.
For more information about the Dairy Directory and how to be included in it, please contact the center at 717-346-0849 or email Amie Howes at ahowes@centerfordairyexcellence.org.