I-29 Dairy Outreach Consortium hosts Raising Your Best Calf Ever workshops

BROOKINGS — Dairy producers are encouraged to attend one of the, one-day workshops, focused on Raising Your Best Calf Ever, hosted by the I-29 Dairy Outreach Consortium. The workshops will be held in South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota beginning January 5, 2015.

Topics to be covered include:

• Automatic Calf Feeders – Pro’s and con’s when utilizing: presented by Jim Paulson and Jim Salfer, Regional Extension Educators/Dairy, University of Minnesota.

• Ventilation – When tube ventilation works and doesn’t work: presented by Kevin Janni, Ag Biosystems Engineering Specialist University of Minnesota

• Milk Replacers: Accelerated growth vs. non-accelerated feeding: presented by Hugh Chester Jones – Dairy Specialist University of Minnesota

• Heifer diets and considerations when feeding DDGS: presented by Jill Anderson, Assistant Professor SDSU Dairy Science Department

• Calf Health – Dealing with respiratory and scours problems, and considerations for raising a healthy calf. Also a 15 minutes brief FYI on the Veterinary Feed Directive update – presented by Russ Daly, DVM, SDSU Extension Veterinarian.

To register for the workshop, visit http://iGrow.org/store. The early registration rates are $50 for adults and $20 for students. After December 30, the rates will adjust to $65 for adults and $25 for students. The Western Iowa Dairy Alliance (WIDA) will cover up to $50 of the registration fee for members.

Workshops begin at 10 a.m. and run until 3 p.m.

Iowa: Jan. 5, 2015 at the ISU Sioux County Extension Complex, Central Ave. NW, Suite 700, Orange City, IA

South Dakota: Jan. 6, 2015 at the Days Inn, 2500 6th Street, Brookings, SD

Minnesota: Jan. 7, 2015 at the Ottertail County Government Center meeting room 520 West First Ave, Fergus Falls, MN

North Dakota: Jan. 8, 2015 at the Baymont Inn – Seven Seas, 2611 Old Red Trail, Mandan, N.D.

For more information, contact Tracey Erickson, SDSU Extension Dairy Field Specialist, tracey.erickson@sdstate.edu or 605-882-5140.