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A week ago at the 2011 World Dairy Expo, Dairy Management, Inc. hosted a presentation called "Leading the Conversation: Answering consumer questions about dairy." The event was led by Jane Hillstrom and Michele Ruby and provided dairy producers with the opportunity to practice responding to tough questions from consumers.
Calf raising tips, tricks and critical steps that can make a big difference on your dairy will be shared at two upcoming one-day Calf Care Workshops: Wednesday, Oct. 19, Marshfield, and Thursday, Oct. 20, Arlington. Developed by dairy producers for dairy producers, the workshops are for calf managers and caregivers who want to take their calf-raising capabilities to the next level.
The hands-on workshops will focus on raising healthy, content calves. Calf raiser Minnie Ward will kick off the workshop with “Get Calf Savvy – Latest Research and Information,” and focus on three important calf care areas: automated calf feeders, colostrums and ventilation.
In a significant technological move forward for agriculture, the National FFA Organization will stream its 2011 National Convention in Indianapolis Oct. 19-22 live online via the newly launched Alltech Ag Network on iHigh.com. The televised convention will be accessible real time via computers, iPads and all iPhone, Android and BlackBerry mobile devices.
As FFA membership stands at more than a half-million students throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, iHigh.com expects this to be their largest telecast ever. Yet the significance of the convention broadcast goes beyond record-breaking metrics.
The All-American Dairy Show, held Sept. 17-22 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, featured six days of high-quality dairy cattle, youth activities and industry meetings.
For the first year in the show's 48-year history, Progressive Dairyman attended the event, giving away magazines and sponsoring the daily Barn Grazing newsletter. Each day the newsletter featured trivia questions, and those who were the first to answer received a free Proud to Dairy hat.
Precision Diagnostics LLC, based in New Holland, Pennsylvania, will be hosting an embryo transfer school October 18-20. The training will take place at Red Knob Farm in Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania. For more information about the program, contact Doug Speicher at (717) 443-4662 or visit the website at www.precisiond.com.
The three-day course provides intense, hands-on training about embryo placement and specifics related to handling, paperwork and equipment involved in embryo transfer.
Managing for success is the theme of the Dairy Middle Managers Conference offered Nov. 8 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, by the Penn State Extension Dairy Team. The conference is designed specifically for dairy middle managers.
“Middle managers are critical to the success of dairies. They put dairy owners’ decisions into practice and deal with the day-to-day challenges of managing people and cows,” explains Conference Coordinator Dr. Lisa Holden, associate professor of Penn State Dairy and Animal Science. “The Middle Manager’s Conference was created to help middle managers develop the management and leadership skills they need to make positive changes in their operation while keeping front-line employees happy and productive,” she adds.
Growers of high quality forage will be rewarded with cash prizes in the 2012 World Ag Expo Forage Challenge, presented by Mycogen Seeds.
The competition challenges farmers and ranchers in 11 western states to enter their best alfalfa hay, standard corn silage or brown midrib (BMR) corn silage to honor those who produce the highest-quality forages in the West.
Dec. 13 update: The deadline to enter has been extended to Dec. 19.
Enjoy a day filled with agricultural activities and free entertainment for the whole family! The International Agri-Center will host its first Ag-Fest event on Saturday, Oct. 15, in Tulare, California. The event will include a 5K run, food demonstrations and a performance by 2011 America's Got Talent musician, Ryan Andreas.
An introduction to cow-centered housing will be the topic of the next session of the Technology Tuesdays webinar series offered by the Penn State Extension Dairy Team. The webinar will be held Oct. 11 from 8:30 to 10 a.m., Eastern Time, and is free of charge.
“If you are making your living from the dairy cow, then she should be central to a lot of your decisions,” notes Dr. Robert Graves, agricultural engineer, Penn State Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. “A cow-centered housing system starts with a cow-centered owner, managers and workers. While each has responsibilities and concerns that include more than the cow, they must be rooted in the firm foundation of ‘what’s good for the cow is good for the dairy!’”
The Badger Dairy Club's new text message ordering system should shorten the time World Dairy Expo visitors wait for a grilled cheese sandwich at lunchtime. For the first time, the club will accept an order of 15 or more sandwiches and schedule a time for the order's pickup via text message. These bulk orders can be collected at the back of the club's tent next to the Arena Building.
"This service is targeted at exhibitors who are at Expo for the long haul and know they are going to need a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches at one time," says Mackenzie Fochs, co-chair of the Badger Dairy Club's stand and a senior at the University of Wisconsin –Madison.
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