DAIRY NEWS – A successful reproductive program is the foundation of today’s high-performing dairy farms. The 2023 Herdsperson Workshops presented by Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW) will take a deep dive into this critical topic, providing interactive presentations by some of the industry’s top researchers in addition to farm tours to see the latest technologies and practices in action.
Two repeating one-day sessions of Herdsperson Workshop are scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11, and Thursday, Oct. 12, with simultaneous translation into Spanish for the entire program. The Oct. 11 program will be held at Arlington Research Station in Arlington, Wis., with the afternoon farm tour at Maier Farms, and the Oct. 12 program will be held at Mid-State Technical College in Marshfield, Wis., with the afternoon farm tour at Norm-E-Lane Farm.
“The Herdsperson Workshop is designed to provide information and insights that English and Spanish-speaking herdspeople, dairy managers, nutritionists and veterinarians can put to work in their own operations right away,” said John Haag, Dane, Wis., dairy producer and PDPW board president. “The interactive format with researchers and behind-the-scenes farm tours make these sessions one of the best single-day training opportunities dairy teams can participate in.”
The morning sessions of each workshop will feature three presentations:
- “Unlock high fertility,” presented by Megan Lauber, PhD candidate at University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Dr. Paul Fricke, PhD, professor of dairy science and extension specialist in dairy cattle reproduction at UW-Madison Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, will bring to life the critical aspects of transition-cow management and reproduction for high-producing herds to achieve high pregnancy rates. The session will include a hands-on exploration of reproductive anatomy, physiology and endocrinology and the inside scoop on the “high fertility cycle.”
- “Make the most of cow side care,” presented by Dr. Jerry Gaska, DVM, will focus on testing, reading and recording results to take your herd’s reproductive program to the next level. Dr. Gaska will review pros and cons of lab testing, palpitation and ultrasound, as well as tips and strategies for sample collection and handling, maximizing herd management software and more.
- “Optimize liver metabolism and production,” presented by Dr. Usman Arshad, PhD, post-doctoral research associate at UW-Madison, and Dr. Heather White, professor at UW-Madison in dairy cattle nutrition and physiology, will focus on the physiology for the transition phase and its effect on liver metabolism, productive performance and wellbeing later in a cow’s life. They will compare examples of cows with greater transition-period risk factors and look at prospective impacts on production and health.
Each afternoon, the classroom will move to the farm to apply concepts and discoveries from the morning sessions to an area dairy farm. Dairy managers will share how they leverage technology and other tools to optimize health, reproductive progress and cow comfort while simultaneously maintaining a strong, functional team.
Learn more about the Herdsperson Workshop and register your team by visiting www.pdpw.org or contacting PDPW at 800-947-7379. Follow along digitally in advance of and during the event by following @dairyPDPW and using #mypdpw on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Herdsperson Workshop is an accredited training and offers up to 4.0 Dairy AdvanCE continuing education units (CEUs) for each day. To learn more or secure credits, visit www.DairyAdvance.org. Up to 4.0 CEU credits are available to American Registry of Professional Scientists (ARPAS) members.
Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW) is the nation’s largest dairy producer-led organization of its kind, focusing on producer professionalism, stakeholder engagement and unified outreach to share ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.
