Raising Quality Dairy Heifers Program scheduled on Feb. 28

A management seminar designed for custom heifer growers and dairy farms raising their own replacements will be held at Liberty Hall here on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

The program is being sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Extension Service and its Team Dairy.

Starting at 10 a.m., dairy science specialist Pat Hoffman of the research station at Marshfield will discuss how genomics can be used to its advantage by heifer growers.

Then Oconto County Extension Service agriculture agent Abby Huibregtse will review the recent data on heifer raising costs.

To complete the morning program, practices to prevent drug residue accumulations in dairy cattle will be described by veterinarian Jeff Bleck of the Dairy Doctors clinic at Plymouth.

After the noon lunch, a roundtable session will be presented on University of Wisconsin research about how to control feed costs.

The presenters and their topics will be dairy nutrition specialist Dave Combs on how to limit calf starter without sacrificing quality, Hoffman and colleague Samantha Nellis on recent feeding research at the Marshfield station, and research agronomist and dairy scientist Wayne Coblentz on new ideas for dairy heifer rations without additions of straw or concerns about sorting.

The Sheboygan County Extension Service office is handling the registration for this program.

The $30 fee, payable to UW Extension should be sent to UW Extension Sheboygan County, Attn: Ann Herzog, 5 University Drive, Sheboygan, WI 53081.

For more information, call 920-459-5902.