Business : Four-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference Set

The 2014 Four-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference will be held on June 11-12 at the Grand River Center in Dubuque, Iowa. The conference will present the latest research on issues concerning the dairy industry including feed efficiency, calves and transition cows.

This conference is a collaborative effort of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, University of Illinois Extension, University of Minnesota Extension and University of Wisconsin-Extension.

The program starts on June 11 with a pre-conference symposium. Milo Wiltbank will cover reproduction and amino acid balancing and Dan Luchini will discuss the benefits of feeding methionine during transition. Other topics include amino acid balancing for lactating cows and factors affecting vitamin availability. Select breakout topics include: Can genomics improve feed efficiency, What cows have to say about NDF and starch digestion, The first 60 days: can we make it better, Economics of intensified calf feeding programs, Automatic calf feeders study update, Can amino acids improve use of non-milk proteins on milk replacers, Wisconsin cost of raising heifers survey results, Transition cow health: meeting lactation demands while maintaining a healthy liver, How robotic dairies are feeding their cows.

“This conference has more than 20 different speakers during the symposium and breakout sessions. Every producer will find something relevant to their work in the dairy,” said Jim Salfer, University of Minnesota Extension educator.

Other topics to be covered include understanding mastitis diagnostic results, dairy title of the farm bill, dairy nutrition models, hemorrhagic bowel syndrome and transition cow crowding. For more information and to register, visit http://wiagribusiness.org/fourstate.php or contact Wisconsin Agri-Service Association, 608-223-1111, or Jim Salfer, Extension Educator at salfe001@umn.edu or 320-203-6093. The conference registration fee is $150 early until May 31 and $175 after.