Dairy Month: Joseph P. Harner III was honored for his pioneering work in heat abatement in dairy barns.
When he first came to Kansas State University more than 40 years ago, Joseph “Joe” P. Harner III taught sewing machine repair workshops as part of his Extension outreach. It may not entirely have been in his wheelhouse as a state agricultural engineering Extension specialist, but it was information the people needed, and he was there to serve.
That dedication to Kansas farmers and farm families in finding solutions that would improve their lives at home and on the farm was just one of the many reasons why the Kansas Dairy Association Board recognized Harner as its 2024 Kansas Dairy Leader, during its annual meeting March 22 in Manhattan, Kan.
Harner provided 28 years of technical support to the dairy industry as a member of the K-State Dairy Team. During that time, he pioneered new strategies and new engineering designed to ease heat stress and improve cow comfort in dairies. Among them:
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He collaborated in the development of global heat stress abatement strategies.
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He conceptualized the idea of a low-profile, cross-ventilated, dairy-free stall housing system.
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He designed the single-row, dairy-free stall housing system for smaller domestic and international dairies.
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He developed guidelines and methods for recycling sand used for bedding in freestalls.
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He developed the dairy weep wall manure system, protecting the waters of the state of Kansas.
In recognizing Harner, Mike Brouk, K-State Dairy Extension specialist, said he helped improve designs on farms that are industry standards today — such as the low-profile freestall system. His work reduced costs for farmers and improved cow comfort and productivity for large and small farms, in Kansas and around the world, Brouk said.
Lynda Foster, a dairy farmer and member of the KDA, said, “Dr. Joe” years ago helped her family dairy design a new barn after a storm destroyed their old freestall barn years ago. “He made sure our construction crew understood the importance of getting the pitch just right on the roof” in order to mitigate any heat that could affect cow comfort, she said. It was his attention to detail, and his offer of help to all dairy farmers improve their operations, that made him a leader in the industry, she added.
Harner said it was truly an honor to be named 2024 Dairy Leader and join a list of giants in the industry with their plaques up in Call Hall. He credited the members of the Kansas Dairy Team with using their individual talents for the good of all dairy farmers, in the state and around the world, no matter who got the credit. He also thanked the Kansas dairy farmers for their support of research projects on the farm that changed the industry for the better today and in the future — across the nation.
“The state of Washington has received a large federal grant to look at new technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the manure handling process,” Harner said. There was one technology that stood out on that list of tools that the state is implementing, he added, and that was weep wall basins — which have been used in Kansas for 20 years. Those came about because of the partnership between Extension and dairy farmers.
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