PDPW Calf Care Workshops to Focus on Calf Growth and Data

Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW) will host a series of Calf Care Connection workshops this fall, focusing on getting calves off to the right start and using data to track their progress. The one-day workshops are designed for calf care managers, calf feeders, and dairy team members. Each workshop will feature three breakout sessions facilitated by leading experts, followed by lunch and two farm tours.

The breakout sessions will cover a range of topics, including:

• Using data to optimize calf growth, presented by Dr. Noah Litherland, PhD, dairy technical specialist for Vita Plus. Dr. Litherland will focus on using on-farm data and a simple scoring system to explore calf performance and discover reasons behind variations in growth.
• Unleashing the power of colostrum, presented by Dr. Sylvia Kehoe, PhD, professor of dairy science at University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Dr. Kehoe will outline the newest recommendations for successful transfer of passive immunity as a way to further evaluate a dairy’s colostrum and calf program.
• Making the most of that first day, presented by Dr. Ryan Breuer, DVM, DACVIM-LAIM, diagnostic case and outreach coordinator at the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and clinical assistant professor at UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Breuer will cover practical insights and first-response skills for those managing calves at delivery and in the maternity pen.

The workshops will provide participants with the latest research and management practices for raising healthy and productive calves.

The workshops will be held on October 17, 18, and 19 at three different locations in Wisconsin:

• October 17: Arlington Research Station, Arlington, Wis., with afternoon farm tours at Jazzy Jerseys and Blue Star Dairy.
• October 18: Agricultural Heritage & Resources Farm, Kewaunee, Wis., with afternoon farm tours at Pagels Ponderosa and Hall's Calf Ranch.
• October 19: Chippewa Valley Tech College Energy Education Center, Eau Claire, Wis., with afternoon farm tours at Triple T Farms and Solhawk Dairy, Inc.

The workshops are accredited training and offer up to 4.25 Dairy AdvanCE® continuing education units (CEUs) each day. Up to 5.0 CEU credits are also available to American Registry of Professional Scientists (ARPAS) members.
 

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