UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s Extension Dairy Team will hold workshops in several locations to help producers evaluate and better understand the feeds that are available for their herds. The program will offer hands-on learning, demonstrations and group discussions and is designed for producers, herd managers, farm employees and industry representatives.
The programs will be held on farms and take place from 10 a.m. to noon.
Dates and locations of the programs are:
- Oct. 24 — Dry Creek Farm, 811 Piney Creek Road, Martinsburg, Blair County
- Oct. 26 — Shirey Farms, 157 Shirey Road, Mayport, Clarion County
- Oct. 29 — DoVan Farms,582 Rocky Ln., Berlin, Somerset County
The program is free, but registration is requested and can be done online at https://extension.psu.edu/dairy-feeding-workshop. Plastic boots will be provided.
Instructors will be Robert J. Van Saun, DVM, M.S., Ph.D., extension veterinarian; Andrew Sandeen, extension dairy educator; and Amber Yutzy, extension dairy herd health educator.
Many times, cows may not be getting fed exactly what is formulated in the ration. Instructors will discuss how this can affect your cows, ways to improve feed management and how to optimize the feed that has been harvested this fall.
Topics will include: Evaluating the Ensiling Process, Particle Length and Forage Analysis, Evaluations of Feeding and Mixing, Feed Bunk Management and Evaluation and What the Cows Have to Say.
Participants are encouraged to bring along their current ration, forage analysis or a forage sample for the educators to assess.
For further information, call 814-865-9973; to register by phone, call 1-877-345-0691.
— Penn State Extension Dairy Team