U of M Dairy Days to be held in Little Falls

University of Minnesota Dairy Days will be held in eight locations around Minnesota the first two weeks of January, including Jan. 16 at the Morrison County Government Center in Little Falls.

This annual series of programs brings updates on current dairy research and more depth to selected topics of interest to dairy operators.

Two main themes in 2004 are forage production/utilization and reproduction.

Paul Peterson, Extension agronomist, will emphasize research on new varieties of alfalfa for disease and insect resistance, impacts of traffic on alfalfa stands, alfalfa establishment strategies and fall management of alfalfa.

Jim Linn, Extension dairyman, will talk about harvest and storage strategies toward optimizing the feeding quality of forages.

The reproduction sections of the program will feature regional extension educators Jim Salfer or Chuck Schwartau talking about the costs of high culling rates in dairy herds and what financial benefits can be achieved by managing for reduced culling rates.

Featured speakers are Cliff Lamb, University of Minnesota animal scientist, or Gary Neubauer, who will cover the topics of reproductive management and technologies available to help dairy operators do a better job of getting cows bred in a timely fashion.

A portion of the day will be devoted to a producer forum conducted by the Minnesota Milk Producers Association. This forum will provide an update on the dairy industry in Minnesota and be a time for dairy operators to tell MMPA and the University of Minnesota where research and education topics should be focused in the next couple years.

The program will start with 9:30 a.m. registration and the program at 10 a.m. Adjournment will be at 3 p.m.

Registration is $25 per person, including lunch and proceedings. Additional people from the same farm may register for $15 without a proceeding.

Pre-registration is requested. Call Chuck Schwartau at (651) 385-3100, Jim Salfer at (320) 255-6169 or Gene Krause at (218) 634-1511.

The program brochure can be found at http://www.ansci.umn.edu/dairy/calendar/dairydays2004.pdf.