Harrisburg, Pa. – The Center for Dairy Excellence is offering twenty scholarships for dairy farmers and dairy farmemployees to attend the 2016 Women in Dairy Conference. Coordinated by the Penn State Extension Dairy Team, the event is scheduled for Wednesday, November 2, at the Red Lion Hotel in Harrisburg from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Thescholarship will cover the entire registration fee to attend.

“Women represent the fastest growing segment of farm owners and managers in the U.S., with women representing 30 percent of farm operators and fourteen percent of principal farm operators,” said Jayne Sebright, executive director forthe center. “The center supports opportunities for professional development within the dairy industry, and we believe this is an incredibly opportunity for dairy women to come together, grow their skillset and leave with a broader network to leverage in the future.”

Join Penn State's Dr. Kerry Kaylegian, dairy food research and extension associate, at the pre-conference reception on Tuesday, November 1, from 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Dr. Kaylegian will speak about value-added products and farm product diversification.

During the main conference, the keynote speaker, Mary Creek, 2012 Dairy Farm Woman of the Year, is complemented by a panel of women discussing farm diversification. Breakout sessions include Calf Care, Farm Succession Planning, Maintaining Animal Health and Well-Being in a Consumer-Focused Marketplace, Records, Budgets and Cash Flows – Oh My!, and Using Dairy Technologies.

The twenty scholarships will be made available on a first-come, first-serve basis to any Pennsylvania-based female dairyfarmer or dairy farm employee up to two scholarships per farm. The first twenty dairy farm women from withinPennsylvania who register will receive the scholarship. The scholarship covers the full cost of registration for both the conference and pre-conference activities. Hotel or traveling costs are not included in the scholarship and will be at theexpense of recipients.

To take advantage of the center’s scholarship opportunity, you must register through the Penn State Extension’s Women in Dairy webpage. Deadline to register is Monday, October 17, 2016. Visit http://extension.psu.edu/women-in-dairy to register or find more information about the conference and hotel accommodations.