Episode 5: Yvette Longenecker describes how they balance growth and profitability when managing satellite operations, modernizing facilities, and working with family

Cow-Side Conversations

Too often, we hear about dairies that are exiting the industry or those without a next generation. We don’t always hear how dairy farm families are positioning their operations for the future. In this episode of Cow-Side Conversations, Yvette Longenecker of Penn England LLC in Blair County, Pennsylvania shares how they work to find the sweet spot between growth and profitability. With six partners, about 2,100 mature cows, 3,600 acres, 50 employees and three different facilities, patience has been key when evaluating new projects or expansions. She describes their current building project and how they are working to drive efficiency and better manage milk production and quality. Yvette also opens up about how to navigate a family business during periods of growth, when to embrace opportunity versus stay patient, and how they use benchmarking to evaluate the return on possible expansion projects so they don’t over-leverage themselves.