The Daily Livestock Report indicates cow slaughter in October was 563k head, down 5.2 percent compared to a year ago. Even when adjusting for the difference in marketing days, cow slaughter was still 0.8 percent lower than the previous year and the fifth consecutive month of lower cow slaughter. The decline was entirely due to fewer dairy cows coming to market. With cheese and milk prices on the retreat, it will be interesting to see how long this trend continues.
Month: November 2020
The Monthly Iowa State University Dairy Team Webinar Scheduled For Nov. 18 Has Been Re-scheduled
The monthly Iowa State University Dairy Team webinar scheduled for Wednesday, November 18 has been re-scheduled due to a death in the presenter’s family. Dr. Koltes’ presentation “What is new in the December Sire Summaries” has been rescheduled for 1 pm on Tuesday, December 8.
The presentation will be part of the virtual Dairy Directions program. The free program link is:
https://iastate.zoom.us/j/92375973003
The virtual program will feature updates to the December Genetic Evaluation. Dr. Koltes will focus on the development of the “feed saved” genetic evaluation and the “heifer livability proof, and how these will be incorporated into the SNM index in April. Plus, he will review the calving ease changes from the August proofs. In addition, Fred Hall will present a short milk market review.
For questions or more information contact Fred Hall at 712.737.4230 or fredhall@iastate.edu.
Annual Dairy Discussions Seminar on Dec. 1 will focus on “Manure Management Practices and Opportunities in Renewable Natural Gas (RNG)”
The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dairy Team will host its annual Dairy Discussions Seminar on Tuesday, December 1, from 10 a.m. to noon. The program is sponsored this year by EcoEngineers, a renewable energy consulting and auditing firm headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, and the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA). The program will be virtual due to health concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s focus is on manure management systems, opportunities in renewable natural gas (RNG) to maximize profitability in the dairy industry, and the benefits of co-locating a dairy near a biofuel facility in the Midwest. The presentations will include a case study for an Iowa dairy and the minimum project size to make RNG project economics work.
Monthly Dairy Webinar: What’s Changing on the New Sire Summaries
The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dairy Team monthly webinar series continues on Wednesday, November 18 from 12 noon to 1 pm. This program “What’s Changing on the New Sire Summaries?” features a presentation by Dr. James Koltes, Assistant Professor, Iowa State University.
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