UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Extension Dairy Team and regional dairy industry businesses are partnering to host a Southwest Pennsylvania Regional Dairy Day event on March 1 at the Chestnut Ridge Conference Center in Blairsville, Pa. Featuring a well-known keynote speaker, a panel discussion and a trade show, the event will provide an opportunity for dairy producers and other industry professionals to learn valuable, research-based, up-to-date information.
The trade show will begin at 8:45 a.m., and educational presentations will begin at 10 a.m., concluding at 2:30 p.m. There is no fee to attend the event, but pre-registration is requested by Feb. 22. Lunch is included with registration.
The keynote speaker, Dr. Nigel Cook from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a veterinarian, researcher and popular speaker internationally on topics related to dairy facilities and animal care. He will give two presentations, the first on “Providing an Optimal Environment for Transition Cow Well-Being” and the second as part of a panel discussion on “Ventilating the Barn and Cooling the Cow.” Rick Ebert, president of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, will give an industry update, and two Western Pennsylvania dairy producers will share about their operations during the panel discussion, highlighting successful improvements to animal housing.
The entire program is designed to provide opportunities for dairy producers to interact with vendors, network with other producers and gain useful insight and tips for ensuring their dairy business is more profitable in the future.
Dairy producers who attended SW Pennsylvania Regional Dairy Day in 2017 reported several valuable management changes after learning relevant information about managing forages. A similar response is expected this year after producers are provided with meaningful information on how to best care for cows around the time of calving and how to provide an environment that will allow all of their dairy animals to thrive. One Westmoreland county producer recently shared, “This is the one meeting I always go to and haven’t missed in the last 20 years.”
For more information about SW Pennsylvania Regional Dairy Day, contact Andrew Sandeen, Extension Educator by phone at 724-465-3880 or by e-mail at ats15@psu.edu. Registration can be accomplished online at http://extension.psu.edu/sw-dairy-day or by calling 877-345-0691.
— Penn State Extension Dairy Team