DCHA INFORMATION

MEMBERSHIP SERVICES

The Professionals

MEETINGS

MEMBERS ONLY

Dairy Calf and
Heifer Association
16020 Swingley Ridge Road, Suite 300
Chesterfield, MO  63017
Ph. (636) 449-5077
Fax (636) 449-5051

All pages copyright © 2007
DCHA
All Rights Reserved
http://www.calfandheifer.org

Professionally managed by
Drake & Company

The concept of a dairy heifer growers association was introduced in a fit of frustration on a snowy morning in Harrisburg, PA on January 11, 1996. It was in the midst of the worst blizzard in 100 years in the northeastern US, known as the Blizzard of '96. It was at the NRAES Calves, Heifers, and Dairy Profitability Conference. I has just finished presenting a paper to about 200 dairy farmers on the non-financial issues they should be considering when determining whether or how to contract someone to raise their heifers for them. In the audience were about 15 dairy heifer growers from throughout the US.

In the midst of the fielding questions following the formal presentation, I became frustrated with my inability to answer questions being posed by the heifer growers that related to the demographics, scope, and common practices of the dairy heifer grower industry. In a fit of panic, I answered one question with a question that had just crossed my mind, and I stated it without any previous consideration or forethought. The question was, "Have you as growers ever considered forming an association?" I then proceeded to enumerate off the top of my head several roles and services such an association could provide to the industry. After the program, virtually every grower in the audience surrounded me to discuss the issue. Robert Lewis of Windsor, CO asked the question that everyone else was hedging on "Could I help them in forming such an organization?" Not being one to shirk responsibility, and knowing from past experience that one who speaks often must follow up words with action, I swallowed hard and said yes without a clue as to how it was all going to happen. In addition to organizational skills, it was very clear that such an endeavor was going to take people and money. Two very big questions loomed; who were the right people and how to get in touch with them, and where was the money going to come from?

I have forgotten much of the rest of the conference, except that I got snowed in for an extra day because of the blizzard. I became preoccupied with what to do next and found myself talking to many people over the next two days. Fortunately, some key people were also at the conference. Not long after the presentation, Rhonda Franck of Dairy Herd Management, Lenexa, KS approached me with information that her magazine had done a survey of their subscribers and had a list of about 4,000 names of people who classified their primary dairy function as a heifer grower. Jason Karszes of Cornell Cooperative Extension, Warsaw, NY and Pat Hoffman of the University of Wisconsin, Madison were there and were very supportive of the concept of a growers association; both agreed to serve on a planning committee. Representatives of Elanco Animal Health and Roche Vitamins were also present at the conference and expressed interest in the concept.

During February 1996, a small mini-proposal to form a planning committee comprised of 4 extension personnel, 3 industry representatives, and 5 growers was submitted to Elanco Animal Health and Roche Vitamins. They agreed to co-fund the proposal. Coincidentally, I presented the paper from Harrisburg at the Southwest Animal Nutrition Conference in Phoenix, AZ. At that meeting, there was also support for a national association of heifer growers. Mark Kibler of Willcox, AZ was particularly interested. As a result of the financial support provided by Roche Animal Health and Elanco Vitamins, the following people met in Las Vegas, NV in April 1996 to plan the first steps: Ray Williams, grower, Milton-Freewater, OR; Mark Kibler, grower; Steve Bechard, grower, Plattsburg, NY; Maynard Moen, grower, Mora, MN; Robert Lewis, grower; Rhonda Franck, Dairy Herd Management; Glenda Borcher, Elanco Animal Health; Fred Nye, Roche Vitamins; Dave Winston, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg; Pat Hoffman, University of Wisconsin; Jason Karszes, Cornell Cooperative Extension; and Roger Cady, Washington State University, Puyallup.

The plan that developed was to put together a national heifer conference with two purposes: 1) to bring growers from throughout the US together to develop the framework for an organization and 2) to provide a high quality educational program developed specifically with the heifer grower in mind. Originally, the first conference was to be held in the central part of the country, but because of the inability to find hotels with vacancies in the desired price range, the conference was scheduled for mid-April 1997 for Atlanta, GA. As a result of the tie to Georgia, Dr. Larry Guthrie, well-respected Dairy Extension Specialist from the University of Georgia, was asked to join the planning committee in June 1996. Eugene Rodberg of Roche Vitamins was also added to the committee.

Thanks to a quality program, lots of team work, and strong industry support, the first National Dairy Heifer Growers Conference drew 250 people, over a hundred of which were growers from throughout the US. One day prior to that conference, a facilitated, organizational development meeting lasting 9 hours was held. The purpose of this meeting was to develop some key concepts that could be used to provide the framework of a national dairy heifer grower association. Over 80 growers attended this meeting. Key accomplishments of that meeting were:

• Development of an association name (Professional Dairy Heifer Growers Association - PDHGA)
• Development of a mission statement
• A division of the US into representative districts
• The formation of a PDHGA task force charged with the development of an organizational structure

Also, because of the success of the first conference, the conference planning committee was willing to commit to a second conference. The task force has consisted of 2 grower representatives from each of the 6 districts, three Extension advisors, and a facilitator. The grower members of the task force have been Ray Williams and Melinda Eden, Milton-Freewater, OR; Maynard Moen; Barbara Drewry-Zimmerman, Plymouth, WI; Susan Blackburn, Batavia, NY; Tim Saber, Chambersburg, PA; Mark Kibler; Eveliene Currier, Brawley, CA; Denis Turner, Hartville, MO; Mark Quinn, Waxahachie, TX; and Don Gardner, Huddleston, VA. Extension advisors have been Dave Winston, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg (replaced by Bob James, Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg); Greg Bethard, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces; and Mike Brouk, University of Missouri, Columbia; and the facilitator has been Roger Cady, Washington State University. Glenda Borcher from Elanco Animal Health has provided an industry perspective to the Task Force.

For the past year, two groups have been functioning: the Conference Planning Committee, which has developed the 1998 conference program and the PDHGA Task Force, which has been meeting monthly and has met twice in two-day, face-to-face meetings to develop the structure of the PDHGA organization. The Conference Planning Committee was enhanced with several new members including Mike Brouk, University of Missouri; Denise Mullinax, University of California-Davis Cooperative Extension; Gloria Basse, Pfizer; and growers Richard and Luann Flurry, Alma, WI and Phil Sumner, Leesburg, GA were added to replace Ray Williams, Maynard Moen, and Mark Kibler who retired to serve on the PDHGA Task Force.

Response from allied agribusiness industry has been phenomenal. Elanco Animal Health, Roche Vitamins, Dairy Herd Management, and Pfizer have provided invaluable support to the conference planning process. Pfizer s responsible for the PDHGA hats. Elanco Animal Health has provided recording services to the PDHGA Task Force and deferred some meeting and phone expenses. Cargill provided the design expertise and covered the costs of the PDHGA logo development. Land O'Lakes and Roche Vitamins have sponsored regional educational meetings promoting the development of PHDGA. Support from sponsors for the 1998 conference was overwhelming, allowing the conference committee to surpass its sponsorship goal by 50%, which is also a 50% increase over 1997.

Throughout the past year, development of grower leadership has been a key goal. If PDHGA is to grow into an effective organization, leadership must come from the growers themselves. That leadership has been flourishing within the task force as people have gotten to know each other and have focused on common goals for the entire industry. In December 1997, Barbara Drewry-Zimmerman was elected Chair of the PDHGA Task Force, as the growers have assumed more and more responsibility for the direction and leadership of that group.

On April 15, 1998, PDHGA members will meet in Reno, NV to vote on a set of by-laws for PDHGA and to install its first slate of officers. This meeting will be the last meeting planned by a consortium of industry representatives, growers, and extension persons; the 1999 conference planning committee will report to the PDHGA Board of Directors. For the organization to survive, it will take the efforts of paid staff. Therefore, three finalist candidates will be interviewed to provide administrative services to the association. There are three strong contenders for those services that are very committed to the concept of PDHGA.

Growth and support of the PDHGA concept has been expanding. The PDHGA mailing list of 250 people that attended the first conference in 1997 has grown to 1,000 people because of word of mouth and promotion by the dairy trade press and industry publications. Attendance for the 1998 conference is expected to be 350 people, a 40% increase over the 1997 conference, and as of April 9, 1998, over 100 people have become members of PDHGA.

The PDHGA has a long way to go before it accomplishes some of the goals it has set for itself. Nonetheless, it has come a long way from that snowy day in January 1996 when it was just the ramblings of a frustrated man standing in front of 200 dairy producers and 15 dairy heifer growers. It has taken the commitment of resources and efforts by a large number of industries, universities, and most of all, growers to even get this far. From here, the history looks bright as long as PDHGA stays focused and the leadership and dedication from growers remains strong.