News

The Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association, is excited to announce upcoming fun dairy attractions and family activities, along with additional partnerships to celebrate the 2024 PA Farm Show, in addition to their NEW Salted Caramel Milkshake to recognize GIANT’s 100^th anniversary.

***Each day at PA Farm Show, GIANT will offer coupons for a free PA Dairymen’s milkshake to 100 fans.  

Plus, Renewal by Andersen of Central PA will sponsor PA Dairymen’s January 11^th Military Day festivities with a FREE milkshake offered to active military and veterans to help honor and thank them.

PA Dairymen’s Association Executive Director Dave Smith said, “It’s thrilling to team up with GIANT to celebrate their 100^th anniversary with our new delicious signature Salted Caramel flavor. We appreciate their extraordinary support of our Agriculture industry and of our dairy farmers, and for offering 100 fans FREE milkshakes daily throughout Farm Show.”

“We are also proud to again team up with our friends at Renewal by Andersen of Central PA. This year, we will join forces on Military Day to honor our courageous veterans and active military with a free milkshake as a small token of our appreciation. We are blessed to have generous support to help spread additional joy to attendees, thanks to wonderful businesses, like GIANT and Renewal. We are excited to see our military friends, veterans and all of our devoted milkshake and Farm Show fans,” Smith added.

AT PA FARM SHOW:

• Salted Caramel will be featured and added to those legen-DAIRY milkshake flavors, vanilla, chocolate and a mix ­­– some of the Food Court’s most popular items. Every day, GIANT will offer coupons to 100 fans to redeem a FREE milkshake at either of the PA Dairymen’s Milkshake Booths. (Military Day excluded. ***Please check www.PADairymens.com closer to PA Farm Show for coupon distribution location and details.)
• “Military Appreciation Day Thank You” on Thursday, January 11 in partnership with Renewal by Andersen of Central PA! The PA Dairymen’s Association will offer a FREE milkshake to active military or veterans with proper ID on this day to honor them, thanks to Renewal by Andersen of Central PA.
• At the Farm Show, the Dairymen will also offer:

• Delectable golden-fried Mozzarella Cheese Cubes served with Marinara,
• Scrumptious Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.
• Ice Cream and Fresh, locally produced PA White and Chocolate Milk.

• Proceeds from these dairy treats support PA Dairymen’s year-round philanthropic efforts. Over the past four years, they have donated more than $1 million to programs including The Calving Corner; agricultural and educational projects; initiatives and scholarships; the Fill A Glass with Hope® fresh milk campaign for neighbors in need; the Choose PA Dairy consumer education and awareness campaign; the PA Farm Bureau Mobile Ag Education Lab that travels to schools; the PA Dairy Princess and Promotion Program and more!
• The 2024 PA Farm Show opens on Friday, January 5, 2024 with a Food Court ONLY opening at Noon and FREE parking.  The Full Farm Show opens Saturday, January 6 and runs through January 13. 

OTHER 2024 PA DAIRY-RELATED FARM SHOW FEATURES INCLUDE:

• Ollie’s joins the Farm Show celebration and will be featured on this year’s 2024 PA Dairymen’s Association milkshake cups with a specially-designed logo to support the PA Dairy industry. 
• Friday, January 5, 11:00 a.m. – A Fill A Glass with Hope® Media Event with Sec. of Agriculture Russell Redding, U.S. Congressman GT Thompson, and former NFL Super Bowl Champion Charlie Batch (Pittsburgh Steelers) kicks off this year’s 2024 fresh milk campaign to feed the hungry. Partners include PA Dairymen’s Association, American Dairy Association North East, Feeding Pennsylvania, supporters, farmers, PA Dairy Royalty, food bank representatives, business leaders and others!

• Calving Corner returns with NEW interactive, family-friendly learning activities.  This crowd favorite is going to be a full #DestinationDairyPA showcase complete with live births, adorable calves and cows, dairy farm families and more.  The Destination Dairy Northeast Exhibit Hall with also feature a “Moo-U” interactive, STEM learning area with hands-on activities for kids of all ages. Veterinarians Dr. Jody Kull, Dr. Adrian Barragan, along with educators from the Dairy Excellence Foundation, Whitaker Center for the Arts and Sciences, PA Beef Council and REACH Cyber Academy will lead interactive activities throughout the week that introduce families to the science and technology involved in modern dairy farming practices.
• Also located in the Northeast Hall is Destination Dairy Educational Learning Space. Dairy is the largest Sector of the State’s #1 Industry, Agriculture. Come meet Dairy Princesses from across Pennsylvania and check out the interactive displays as you learn more about milk, the nutrition it provides and the dairy industry. PA Dairy Royalty and PA Dairy Princesses will join #DestinationDairyPA and will lead children and families in fun, entertaining activities from The Calving Corner!

“At Destination Dairy and The Calving Corner, our dairy farmers really love welcoming children, families and individuals of all ages to experience an up-close look at farm life and help answer questions about our animals, farming, where milk comes from and about our world-class dairy industry.  We are grateful to our farmers and to all who support us and our philanthropic projects,” Smith added.

PA DAIRY FACTS:   

• Milk is the official beverage of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
• Pennsylvania is home to 5,000 dairy farm families.
• Dairy contributes to $11.8 billion in annual revenue for Pennsylvania.
• Pennsylvania’s dairy industry supports 47,000 jobs.
• PA ranks 2^nd in the nation for the number of dairy farms and 8^th in total milk production nationally.

• One 8-ounce serving of whole milk delivers 13 essential nutrients including 8 grams of protein.
• Every one cow supports $24,000 in annual economic revenue in Pa.
• Every 10 cows support one job in the dairy food supply chain.
• 99 percent of all dairy farms in Pennsylvania are family owned.

ABOUT PA DAIRYMEN’S ASSOCIATION:  The Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association is the oldest dairy group in Pennsylvania. The Dairymen’s Milkshake is the top-selling food item at the Food Court. The Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association has been supporting “Fill a Glass with Hope®” with agriculture partners, Feeding PA, American Dairy Association North East, corporate partners and food banks since 2015. Over the years, the PA Dairymen have donated more than $1 million to programs including The Calving Corner; agricultural and educational projects; initiatives and scholarships; the Fill A Glass with Hope® fresh milk campaign for neighbors in need; the Choose PA Dairy consumer education and awareness campaign; the PA Farm Bureau Mobile Ag Education Lab that travels to schools; and the PA Dairy Princess and Promotion Program. Their philanthropic efforts build a brighter future for all Pennsylvanians. For more information, visit www.PADairymens.com.

ABOUT CALVING CORNER: Witness the Miracle of Life In-Person or Stay Updated at Home and via Social for exciting Calving Corner news!

The Calving Corner is the cornerstone in the “Destination Dairy” Northeast Exhibit Hall, giving visitors a firsthand look at the Pennsylvania dairy industry and providing educational learning activities for children of all ages.  The Calving Corner, a live dairy cow-birthing center, gives visitors the chance to experience the miracle of life while learning about the care and stewardship that happens on today’s dairy farms. With the help of their dairy farm owners and veterinarians, watch as 16 calves will be delivered over the stretch of the week thanks to the support and dedication of this year’s Calving Corner host farms.

Four Pennsylvania dairy farms will share their story with visitors throughout the 2024 Calving Corner exhibit and demonstrate the dairy birthing process. Cows representing the four farms will calve on site during the entire length of the Farm Show. Farms include Reinford Farms owned by Chad, Brett and Drew Reinford of Juniata County, PA: Kish View Farms owned by Keith and Kent Spicher of Belleville, Pa; Schrack Farms owned by Kevin Schrack, Jim and Lisa (Schrack) Harbach and their family of Loganton, Pa.; and Mowrer Farms owned by Mike and Nate Mowrer and Family of Huntingdon County, Pa.

The Calving Corner also live streams the exhibit throughout the Farm Show, reaching more than 31,000 people virtually each year. The Calving Corner’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq47ONMjfw-HtnRIYfLrYKw) will live stream the births to give families, educators and Farm Show fans the chance to witness the miracle of birth and hear from our farmers and veterinarians from the comfort of their homes and classrooms. For real-time updates, sign up for text alerts by texting calvingcorner to 833-985-1834 (text and data rates may apply) and follow the Calving Corner Facebook and Instagram pages. More information at www.thecalvingcorner.org.

The Calving Corner is made possible by the Friends of Pennsylvania Farm Show Foundation, Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association, American Dairy Association North East, Center for Dairy Excellence, Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania, Farm Credit Foundation for Agricultural Advancement, Allied Milk Producers, Northeast Agriculture Education Foundation, Inc., Horizon Farm Credit, and additional dairy organizations with support from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.