Toward Racial Justice: Voices from the Midstate
Potato doughnuts and potato pancakes sit alongside a stack of milkshakes at the 2024 Farm Show. Ben Wasserstein- WITF
Potato doughnuts and potato pancakes sit alongside a stack of milkshakes at the 2024 Farm Show. Ben Wasserstein- WITF
AIRED; September 12, 2025
Listen to the podcast to hear the full conversation.
The Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association may be best known for its long lines at the Farm Show milkshake stand, but Executive Director Dave Smith says the nonprofit’s mission goes far beyond a sweet treat.
“My role has expanded over a number of years,” Smith explained. “Obviously, we do the milkshakes at the Pennsylvania Farm Show that we’ve become well-known about, but the organization has evolved so much. Now we do milkshakes throughout the year with our milkshake trucks, and profits go right back into the community and agriculture all across the state.”
Those milkshake sales fund scholarships, internships, and youth development programs, as well as efforts like “Fill a Glass with Hope,” which has provided 36 million servings of milk to families in need over the past decade.
The Association also works to keep milkshakes fresh—literally. “We have a small select committee that does a little taste testing,” Smith said about choosing each year’s special flavor. “It’s a democracy and we take a vote… every year is different.”
The decision to launch milkshake trucks, known as Milkshakes on the Moo-ve, proved critical. “Our board made a really strategic move,” Smith recalled. “Within a year of that decision, we had a global pandemic that shut everything down… it just worked out really well for us to be diversified throughout the year.”
Smith stressed that the work always comes back to farmers. “I continue to call out and provide attention to our dairy farmers. They care for those animals 365 days a year, and we’re so blessed to have local dairy farms that provide fresh fluid milk.”
Pennsylvania ranks second in the nation for the number of family-owned dairy farms, with 99% run by families. Smith said that legacy is what makes the state stand out. “So many of those farms are intergenerational… three generations involved. The older generation gives responsibility at a fairly young age, and that carries forward into their adult world.”
From scholarships to milkshakes, Smith says the Association’s mission is simple: support dairy farmers while reminding Pennsylvanians of the role agriculture plays in their daily lives.
Support for WITF is provided by:
Become a WITF sponsor today »
Support for WITF is provided by:
Become a WITF sponsor today »
Toward Racial Justice: Voices from the Midstate
Get the WITF Mobile App
Subscribe to Our Newsletters
4801 Lindle Road
Harrisburg, PA 17111
(717) 704-3000
customerservice@witf.org
Driving Directions
Request a Tour