The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dairy Team monthly webinar series continues Wednesday, Aug. 18 from 12 noon to 1 p.m., with the focus on corn silage.
The webinar will be led by Luiz Ferraretto who will discuss how to use corn silage to put more milk in the bulk tank and ultimately, more money in dairy producers’ pockets.
The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dairy Team monthly webinar series continues Wednesday, July 21 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. This program will focus on controlling nuisance birds on dairies.
Wildlife Biologist with USDA Wildlife Services Ernie Colboth will discuss controlling nuisance bird populations on dairies, disease issues associated with large amounts of birds and contamination and consumption of livestock feed.
The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dairy Team monthly webinar series continues on Wednesday, June 23 from 12 noon to 1 pm. This program will focus on saving energy on the farm.
Continue reading “Iowa Dairy Webinars Continue With Saving Energy on Your Farm Program”
Milk production in Iowa during April 2021 totaled 463 million pounds, up 4% from the previous April according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Milk Production report. The average number of milk cows during April, at 227,000 head, was the same as last month but 8,000 more than April 2020. Monthly production per cow averaged 2,040 pounds, the same as last April.
Timing first crop alfalfa harvest by calendar date does not usually work well. Spring climates vary from year to year, and fields managed differently also affect spring regrowth. Different varieties, age of stand, fertility, last season’s cutting schedules, fall harvest or not, all influence the rate of regrowth in spring.
Since the first cutting is usually has the highest yield with 35-40 percent of the year’s total crop, it is important that it is the quality forage your operation needs. If the first cutting is taken at a very immature stage it can be difficult to feed because its fiber level is too low for most high producing cows plus it can lower the life of alfalfa stands. Timely cutting permits aftermath growth to begin when when temperature and soil moisture are favorable for plant growth and generally increases total yield per acre.
PEAQ, which stands for predictive equation for alfalfa quality, is a quick and easy method to assess when individual alfalfa fields are ready for harvest based on a forage quality estimate. All you need is a yard stick and Table 1 in ISU Extension publication CROP 3141, which is available from your county ISU Extension office or download at: https://store.extension.iastate.edu/Product/15234
Continue reading “Timing First Crop Harvest of Alfalfa with PEAQ”
Dairy goat webinar continues with a look at disbudding management
The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach dairy team will continue its quarterly dairy goat webinar focusing on “Disbudding Management” June 2, 2021, from noon to 1:15 p.m.
Over the last several years, the Iowa State University Dairy Goat Welfare team has performed a series of kid disbudding project to evaluate alternate approaches to traditional heat disbudding and pain mitigation approaches.
Continue reading “Evidence-based Approaches to Dairy Goat Kid Disbudding”
Learn the latest information in dairy nutrition and management by attending the virtual 2021 Four-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference on June 9-10. The new format is designed to improve the participant experience.
Continue reading “Four-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference goes virtual on June 9 & 10”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is updating livestock insurance policies to improve options for producers and to create additional opportunities for producers to participate. USDA’s Risk Management Agency’s (RMA) updates to the Dairy Revenue Protection (DRP) and Livestock Gross Margin (LGM) policies will be effective for the 2022 and succeeding crop years. Continue reading “USDA Improves Livestock Crop Insurance Policies with New Options”
The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dairy Team monthly webinar series continues on Wednesday, May 19 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. with the topic of minimizing heat stress in dairy herds.
ISU Extension and Outreach Agricultural Engineer Brian Dougherty will discuss the elements of ventilation and how to mitigate heat stress in the milking herd. By minimizing heat stress, producers are able to make their cattle more comfortable and better maintain profitability through the hot summer months.
Producers, dairy consultants, and industry representatives can attend the webinar live at
https://iastate.zoom.us/my/dairyteamfredprogram. Registration is not required, and participation is free.
The webinar will also be archived for later viewing at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/dairyteam/webinars.
For more information, contact Dairy Specialist Fred Hall at 712-737-4230 or fredhall@iastate.edu.
The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dairy Team monthly webinar series continues on Wednesday, April 21 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. This month’s webinar will focus on making the most of the 2021 alfalfa crop.
Long-time ISU Extension and Outreach Field Agronomist in Northwest Iowa Joel DeJong will present an outlook for the 2021 alfalfa crop. He will review stand evaluation, fertilizer, and pest threats, as well as discuss how to use Predictive Equations of Alfalfa Quality (PEAQ) to determine when to harvest the highest-quality forage.
“Dairy producers, and all livestock producers really, rely on quality forage to help their herds maximize profits,” said Fred Hall, dairy specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “That is why we encourage producers, dairy consultants and related industry reps to attend this webinar.”
As always, there is no fee or registration needed to participate in the monthly dairy webinars. Interested individuals may join the program live at https://iastate.zoom.us/my/dairyteamfredprogram.
For more information, contact Fred Hall at 712-737-4230 or fredhall@iastate.edu.