The Northeast will be the center of the Holstein, Guernsey and Brown Swiss worlds in late June and early July.
After COVID-19 forced the cancellation of breed association meetings last year, the live meetings are on for this summer, albeit with changes.
The National Holstein Convention is coming to Lancaster, Pa., from June 20 to 24. The deadline for registration is May 20.
Even though the convention will be based in Lancaster at the Marriott Hotel, much of the action is happening on farms with farm tours, a scheduled visit to New Holland Agriculture’s plant in New Holland, Pa., and a breed sale that will be held at the West Lampeter Fairgrounds.
"We want to showcase what Pennsylvania has as far as the dairy industry in Pennsylvania," says Reid Hoover, owner of Brook Corner Holsteins in Lebanon and host of the convention. “The dairy industry as a whole, it's not real bright some days, and hopefully we can say that in Pennsylvania, the dairy industry is still alive. And also we're promoting the Holstein breed and the added value of Holsteins on the farm.”
Normally, the convention includes many talks and events indoors, including some guest speakers. But because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and requirements for social distancing, Hoover says any indoor events will focus mostly on youths, and those events will have limited attendance. There will be no guest speakers, and the large banquet typically held at the end of the convention will be combined into a smaller luncheon.
The National Brown Swiss Convention is happening June 29 to July 2 at the Hampton Inn in Hadley, Mass. But like the Holstein convention, much of the action is taking place on farms or outdoors, says Kristie Kelly, convention organizer.
Unlike past years when convention organizers would organize a bus to visit area farms, Kelly says that visitors will have to drive themselves to each farm this year, an effort to promote social distancing.
Large-scale gatherings such as luncheons or youth events will take place in an outdoor covered tent at the nearby Pavilion at YFC.
The nearby Three County Fairgrounds will be home to the Brown Swiss sale dinner and the sale itself on July 2.
Attending a convention can cost upward of a few hundred dollars, but Kelly says that because of solid fundraising efforts, registration for the conventions is only $50. The registration deadline is June 6.
The focus will shift back to Pennsylvania from July 9 to 10 with a scaled-back National Guernsey Convention in Dunbar. Plans originally called for the convention to be held June 12 to 15 in Seven Springs, but convention organizers decided to shift part of the convention to a virtual format, hence this year’s theme, “Guernsey Reimagined 2021.”
The convention will include an open house at Maple Bottom Farm in Dawson, youth events, an adult awards dinner and a breed sale on July 10. Most events will be happening at the Fayette County Fairgrounds.