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Pennsylvania dairy leaders cite labor, vet access and higher input costs as top risks to farm continuity
Summary
Glenn Gurell, president of the Pennsylvania Dairymen's Association, told legislators that labor shortages, rising electricity and input costs, fewer large-animal veterinarians and weather-driven feed shortfalls are squeezing dairy margins and complicating succession for new producers.
Glenn Gurell, president of the Pennsylvania Dairymen's Association and a dairy operator in Bradford County, told the Agriculture & Rural Affairs hearing that dairy farms face a convergence of challenges—including tight labor markets, costly H-2A guest-worker requirements, fewer large-animal veterinarians and weather-related feed losses—that threaten production and farm succession.
Gurell described the mechanics of labor pressures: "Domestic labor has not kept up. Farms have turned to Hispanic labor to bridge the gap," he said, adding that H-2A is "not a cheap source of labor" and carries additional housing and travel costs. He told legislators that a single plane ticket for an H-2A worker can exceed $1,700 and that H-2A does not always supply the skilled labor producers need.
Why it matters: Dairy producers described immediate cash-cost pressures—electricity bills that recently doubled on one farm and late hay and corn planting that reduce feed quality—as factors that lower milk yields and compress margins. Those pressures complicate opportunities for young or beginning farmers to acquire operations.
Gurell also raised concerns about veterinary access. He said large-animal veterinarian clinics have consolidated; in his county the number declined from five clinics to two. "Less vets in the average dairy farm better be able to do about 90% of what a vet can do," he said, underscoring the need for stronger local veterinary services and training. Weather impacts were also prominent: delayed hay cutting and late corn planting, he said, are expected to reduce yields and feed quality for the year.
Gurell urged attention to processing capacity and market access as well, noting Pennsylvania often loses processing investment to neighboring states; he said expanding local processing would help keep milk within state supply chains. He closed by urging programs and private support to assist young producers and preserve family farms.
Ending: Gurell asked policymakers to prioritize workforce solutions, veterinary services, processing investment and measures that improve entry pathways for new farmers to sustain Pennsylvania dairy production.
