• NEDPA Conference this Week
• CAFOs and Custom Manure Applicators: Here’s what you need to know
• Separated Manure Solids for Freestall Bedding
• Herd Manager Training
• NY Cattle Pest Management Survey
• Save the Date!

NEDPA Conference

This year's Northeast Dairy Producers Conference Wednesday and Thursday at the Holiday Inn, Liverpool features dynamic and informative sessions to challenge your thinking, re-energize your business and improve performance. Connect with other progressive dairy producers and advisors to build your network for long-term success.

A variety of break-out sessions are offered in addition to presentations, including Energize the Enthusiasm Within to Inspire Teamwork and Leadership; Pricing and Marketing of Milk: What are Potential Models?; Key Management Strategies for Success, You, Your Team, and Your Culture: What's It Like Working for You?; and Leading the Conversation About Sustainability.
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CAFOs and Custom Manure Applicators
Here’s what you need to know

The CAFO permits that were issued in July of 2017 have several new and updated requirements. Farm managers should read the permit so they understand their obligations, can identify questions and so they can best work with farm staff, vendors and advisors to meet the permit terms. Karl Czymmek, Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY, has written an overview of the CAFO Guidelines changes.

Separated Manure Solids for Freestall Bedding

Robert A. Lynch, DVM, Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY Dairy Herd Health & Management Specialist, has released a summary of a project that analyzes separated manure solids for freestall bedding.

Mastitis is one of the costliest diseases for the U.S. Dairy Industry, and management decisions that may affect mastitis risk are considered carefully. One such decision is the choice of a bedding substrate that helps keep cows clean and comfortable. Maintaining good udder hygene does reduce mastitis risk. Several bedding options are available, and each has advantages and disadvantages. Separated manure solids (SMS) have been used as a dairy cow bedding substrate for many years. Some farms have used SMS successfully, meaning the transition to manure solids bedding did not increase mastitis and/or reduce milk quality. Other herds experienced increased mastitis around the time they switched to manure solids, and attributed this to bedding. Much research has been done to help the industry understand best management practices for use of this organic bedding substrate, but consensus still lacks on if and how SMS should be used.

The specific objective of this project was to analyze the records of collaborating farms specific to their management of manure solids as a bedding material. The five farms that participated in this study represent a variety of SMS management systems in New York.

For more information about PRO-DAIRY, visit prodairy.cals.cornell.edu.

Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY Celebrates 30 Years!

Julie Berry, Editor | Tom Overton, Director | Facebook

Herd Manager Training

Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY is offering a two-day Herd Manager Training in March at several on-farm locations statewide. The Herd Manager Training locations in Northern NY on March 12 & 19 and 13 & 20 and in Central NY on March 15 & 22 still have openings. The regional program will include a combination of presentations, demonstrations, farm walk-throughs and discussion, and is eligible for FSA Borrower Credits. Registration is $75.00, and includes program, materials and lunch. More information is available online.

NY Cattle Pest Management Survey

The NYS IPM Program at Cornell University is conducting a Dairy and Beef Biting and Nuisance Fly Educational/Research Needs Assessment survey for farmers and others involved in IPM for flies on cattle to help direct future efforts in management of biting and nuisance fly pests on cattle.

Save the Date!

CNY Dairy Day
March 13, Otesaga Resort Hotel, Cooperstown

Don’t miss out on an exceptional program. This year’s program is about how new milk analysis tools can help you manage your herd better. Speakers include Nicole Martin, from Cornell University, who will address Spore Counts in Milk. This may be the next raw milk test that comes along. Dr. David Barbano, from Cornell, will discuss new milk analysis technologies to improve dairy cattle performance and Dr. Heather Dann, from Miner Institute, will talk about how the Use of Milk Fatty Acid Metrics can be used to make nutrition and management decisions. Register online.

Make the Most of Advances in Forage Management Webinar
March 15 | 12:30 - 1:00 PM
Joe Lawrence, Dairy Forage Systems Specialist, Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY

Many exciting developments, from improved forage varieties, to precision equipment, to advances in the understanding of fiber digestibility, continue to enhance the value of forages in feeding programs. This webinar will address harvest and storage strategies that are at times the missing link in capitalizing on these other advances.

2018 Herd Health and Nutrition Conference
April 9 - 10, 2018 at the
Doubletree by Hilton, East Syracuse, New York

The Herd Health and Nutrition Conference provides an opportunity for dairy producers, veterinarians, feed industry representatives and agriservice personnel to increase their knowledge of current herd health and nutrition management techniques while interacting with other professionals.

Topics include: Milk Fatty Acids as Herd Management Tools, Vaccination Protocols and Immune Status of Dairy Herds, Non-GMO Feeding and Cropping, Forage Fiber (In)Digestibility and Physical Form: What You Need to Know in 2018, Feeding Management for Robotic Parlor Farms, and Strategies for Low Milk Margin - View From Outside the Northeast.

Transition Cow Management Online Course
​Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY is offering a seven-week Transition Cow Management online course April 2 through May 18, 2018. The course targets dairy business on-farm personnel who are seeking to increase their knowledge of transition cow management. Participants should possess a formal or informal background in dairy cattle management, but not necessarily in transition cow management. Register online before March 19 and receive a $25 early bird discount. Cost is $265.00 per person.

Topics include: nutritional strategies for transition cows, fresh cow health management, metabolic disease, non-nutritional management and monitoring health. Presentations for each topic are prerecorded and are accessible at the participant’s convenience. A live Q&A session with a presenter will be held weekly via webinar. Corresponding assignments are due each week. The course is offered through Moodle, an easy-to-use online interface, through your personal computer. Participants will receive a certificate of completion from PRO-DAIRY.