CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — Penn State Extension is excited to announce the return of its summer Youth Dairy Day events. These events will once again be offered in-person for all youth ages 8-18. Parents are not required to attend with their child(ren). However, a parent/guardian is required to pre-register their child(ren) prior to the event due to COVID-19 restrictions. In order for the events to be held, masks must be worn for the entire duration of the event. Please be aware, lunch will not be provided this year due to COVID restrictions and the event will end at 12:00 PM.
Topics that will be covered during this year’s event will include best milking practices, cow comfort, hoof health, and reproductive physiology. These 4 topics will be separate educational, hands-on stations where participants will rotate in small groups, being sure to follow the necessary spacing guidelines. Cow comfort will focus on heat abatement measures that should be followed during the summer months to keep animals cool. Best milking practices will cover milking procedures to maximize production, identifying mastitis, and lowering somatic cell counts. A station on hoof health will give participants a first-hand look at proper hoof care and cadaver hooves for illustration purposes. In order to learn more about reproductive physiology, we will use harvested reproductive tracts from cows to aid discussion about anatomy, reproductive function, and the process of artificial insemination.
For those in the Franklin County region and surrounding areas, the Youth Dairy Day event will be held on Tuesday, June 15 from 8:30 to 12:00 PM at the Shippensburg Fairgrounds on Possum Hollow Road. For those unable to attend at this location, there are 2 additional options available. Wednesday, June 16, held at the Indiana County Fairgrounds and two time slots offered on Thursday June 17 at the Huntingdon County Fairgrounds. Any young person with an interest in the dairy industry is welcome to participate, a farming background is not necessary to join in the fun.
Extension Educators will be leading the workshop and additional adults will be on hand to help with the event. Although free to attend, registration is required prior to the event for both youth and adults. Visit https://extension.psu.edu/youth-dairy-day for more information and to register. Be sure and register adults as well the youth attending. The 3 locations are listed on the website, so please choose your desired location when registering. Please call the Extension office at 717-263-9226 with any questions or assistance with the registration process. Questions can also be emailed to the Franklin County Dairy Educator, Cassie Yost at clm275@psu.edu. We look forward to seeing you at a 2021 Youth Dairy Day event near you.
–Cassie Yost, Penn State Extension