PDMP- (Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania) So as previously stated, my father was in Harrisburg Wed, Thurs and Friday of this past week. Together with his client, John Ruedinger and colleague Mark Ludke they flew in from WI to give a brief presentation on the Wisconsin dairy farm model. To put it lightly, I had no idea what to expect. Here I come to find out that the Pennsylvania farmers were fully dialed into this meeting as Wisconsin is a leading model for the progressive dairy farmer. These 3 gentlemen gave a great presentation followed by a 90 minute Q&A session. The PA folks took full advantage of the time and drilled them with as many questions as possible. I was very proud of them and took great pride in Wisconsin. While there is something simple about the farming lifestyle, it is very evident that things are shifting towards big business. We also had the opportunity to tour a few of the local PA farms in Lancaster County (What up Brubaker Farms!!) By the end of the visit, I was starting to pick up on the farmer lingo...(dry cows, methane digester, hay stubble, sand settling lanes and more). I think deep down inside...... I might be a farmer!!! On a side note, it was so great to see my dad. We had so much fun hanging with each other and I look forward to seeing him on our family vacation in a few weeks. Love you dad!!
Sorry for all the pictures, but I had a really good time with these guys! They are so passionate about the Dairy Industry.
 |
| That's my dad in his element. |
 |
| The WI experts: (L-R Mark Ludke, John Ruedinger, Dave Mueller) |
 |
| PDMP Spokesman Jacob Mueller |
 |
| Well hello ladies. Brubaker cows! |
 |
| Working scene in the Brubaker milking parlor. |
 |
| The Brubaker's in Mt. Joy, PA [L-R Mike Brubaker (son), Jacob Mueller (PA transplant), Luke Brubaker (father), Tony Brubaker(son)] |
Mt Joy Road Race- Last minute decision, but myself and a few teammates (Rick Norton, Blair Berbert and Russ Brown) decided to jump into the Mt Joy road race. This was a 57mile road race that consisted of 10 laps of a 5.7mile loop that contained rolling hills with 1 significant kicker. Our plan going in was to sit tight for the first half of the race and let attrition work on our behalf. We would than begin our arsenal of attacks and work to create a small or solo break. A few early unsuccessful moves and soon Blair and I found ourselves in what would be the winning move of 6 riders. The break occurred with 7 laps to go. For the most part, the group worked well together with the exception of 1 rider....won't name anyone specific. Fast forward to the last lap and the group was breaking apart. It came down to myself and 1 rider from a Somerville, NJ team. He edged me at the line by less than half a wheel and I had to settle for 2nd place. Blair and Rick would roll in for a respective 5th and 6th. We walked away with tired legs and a little extra cash in our pocket. A happy footlong sandbo from Subway awaited my arrival as we ended up doing a 90 minute team ride following the race.
This coming weekend, we have our hands full as we head to the Airforce Classic on Saturday and Sunday in DC before I head to Wisco for a much needed family vacation. I'll post more on that later this week.
Last but not least, here is a brief video from last weekend's Kelly Cup BikeJam. Some of it is the pro race and some is the master's race. Enjoy!
http://www.clarkvandergrift.com/blog/ Click on the top video to watch.
No comments:
Post a Comment