Fellow producers and industry experts will share their experience, knowledge and ideas to help make your dairy operation more profitable and efficient as part of World Dairy Expo’s 2007 Education Seminars. Ten free seminars will be offered during the event. This year’s topics address nutrition, housing facilities, waste and odor management, industry image, sexed semen, leadership, calf care and biosecurity.

There will be two seminars each day, Tuesday through Saturday, in Mendota 2 meeting room, located in the Exhibition Hall. Seminars are structured with a 45-minute presentation and time for questions and discussion.

Tuesday, October 2, 11 a.m.
“Corn Prices Affecting the Starch Content in the Diet”
Jay Giesy, Dairy Specialist, Cargill Animal Nutrition

It’s no secret that the price of corn has been reaching record highs in the last year and continues to stay well above historical prices. How does this affect dairy producers’ bottom line? Jay Giesy will explore alternative nutrient sources that can serve as an option to corn as the main starch component of the diet.

Tuesday, October 2, 1:00 p.m.
“Cross Ventilation: A New Concept in Freestall Facilities”
John Smith, Extension Dairy Specialist, Kansas State University

As dairy producers continue to grow and expand their businesses, so do the barns that hold their livestock. With more cows, comes a greater need to circulate air to remove odor, excess moisture and most importantly, excess heat. As summers continue to be hot around the country, cooling cows has become a number one priority for dairy producers. In the last 10 years, cross ventilation has been adopted from other areas of animal agriculture and incorporated into freestall barns. John Smith is a leading researcher in cross ventilation and has helped numerous producers build better ventilated barns.

Wednesday, October 3, 11:00 a.m.
“CNMP, NPDES, CERCLA, EPCRA, ISO - Alphabet Soup for Complying with Environmental Regulations”
Wendy Powers, Professor, Michigan State University

Environmental regulations affect everyone. It can be difficult to understand which regulations apply to 1,000-cow dairies, 200-cow dairies or all dairies. Wendy Powers will explain these regulations and help sort out what producers need to be doing to meet the current standards. She will also discuss what can be done to promote stewardship of the land and anticipate future regulations and issues.

Wednesday, October 3, 1:00 p.m.
“Communicating to Protect and Promote Dairy’s Image”
David Pelzer, Senior Vice President of Industry Image & Relations, Dairy Management Inc.; and Les Hardesty, Chairman, National Dairy Promotion and Research Board

The public is asking more and more questions about how their food is produced and wanting better explanations. Learn words to choose and words to lose when addressing the public about animal care, food safety and environmental practices.

Thursday, October 4, 11:00 a.m.
“Opportunities and Challenges with Sexed Semen”
Joe Dalton, Associate Professor and Extension Dairy Specialist, University of Idaho

Sexed semen offers dairy producers the ability to breed heifers to have heifer calves. Perhaps more important for some dairy producers, however, will be the ability to use sexed semen to facilitate closed-herd expansion. The opportunities that sexed semen offers are not without challenges, which include increased cost per straw of semen, availability from a limited number of bulls and compromised fertility. Joe Dalton will discuss how sexed semen is produced and provide practical management recommendations for current and future use of sexed semen.

Thursday, October 4, 1:00 p.m.
“LEADERSHIP…Maximizing the Return from Your People”
Eric Spell, President, AgCareers.com

People are a business’ biggest asset. Learn the basic principles of leadership and focus on effective direction through on-boarding, motivation and management styles. You’ll take away useful tactics and unique incentive ideas to help you become an effective manager and maximize the efforts of your team.

Friday, October 5, 11:00 a.m.
“Management & Biosecurity Strategies for Your Herd of Tomorrow”
Cathy Speirs, Shiloh Dairy LLC;
Karen Marsh, Sunshine Genetics;
Karen Hall, Hall’s Calf Ranch

Whether you’re raising your own replacements or using a grower, consistent management protocols are a must when it comes to biosecurity, making housing decisions and preventing disease. These successful calf raisers are involved in setting management strategies and carrying out daily protocols that lead to raising a better herd for tomorrow.

Friday, October 5, 1:00 p.m.
“Managing the Freestall: From the Cow’s Perspective”
Marina (Nina) von Keyserlingk, Associate Professor, Animal Welfare Program, University of British Columbia

Traditionally, cows are managed based on stage of lactation or gestation. However, the latest research by Nina von Keyserlingk and her colleagues indicates that considering animal behavior may help us improve how we manage cows. For example, regrouping cows can negatively impact milk production because it affects lying behavior and how cows within the group interact with each other. Her research group has also worked extensively on understanding how changes in freestall and feed barrier design and day-to-day management impact lying and feeding behavior.

Saturday, October 6, 11:00 a.m.
“Extreme Makeover: Freestall Edition”
Nigel Cook, Clinical Associate Professor, UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine

Freestall housing has become increasingly popular over the last two decades. In an effort to breed for higher-producing animals, cows themselves have become larger. With larger mature cows in the herd, a problem arises accommodating them in aging and inadequate facilities.

Saturday, October 6, 1:00 p.m.
“What’s the Big Stink: Managing Odor in Agriculture”
John Ferguson, Mechanical Engineer and Associate, Conestoga-Rovers & Associates

Odor regulations continue to change and become stricter. John Ferguson will explain how odor is measured and discuss current policies and their impact on producers. He will also introduce what producers can do to reduce overall odor and what to expect from future regulations. Finally, there will be a discussion about EPA studies and the anticipated outcomes of these studies and future implications.  PD