UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Dairy producers, employees and consultants will have the opportunity to gain up-to-date information on topics ranging from facilities design to financing to animal nutrition through a series of free online workshops beginning Oct. 8.
In their fourth year, these Technology Tuesday webinars are available to anyone with a computer and a high speed Internet connection.
This year a robotic milking edition series has been added to the lineup.
The 12 webinars take place on Tuesdays, from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Registration is free, but advance registration is requested.
Dates and topics are:
- Oct. 8: Precision Agriculture in Dairy Housing. Topics will include the types of data that can be collected, options to collect it, how to sort out what is useful data, and finally using that data to enhance the management. Presented by Dr. Jeffrey Bewley, University of Kentucky and John Tyson, Penn State Extension Engineer.
- Oct. 22: Robotic Milking Edition: Housing & Management; Characteristics of Dairy Farms Using Robotic Milking Technology. Find out what farmers who have already made the transition to robotic milking are doing on their farms. Presentations by Mat Haan, Penn State University Extension, and Jim Salfer, University of Minnesota.
- – Nov. 26: Robotic Milking Edition: Facility Design for Robotic Milking Dairies. Key concepts in the design of robotic milking facilities will be discussed, both benefits and challenges. Presentations by Jeff Preshew, Delaval and John Tyson, Penn State Extension Engineer.
- Dec. 10: Bedding for Dairy Cows: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. This webinar will cover the benefits and challenges of common bedding material types used, as well as effective management strategies. Presented by Dr. David Wolfgang, Penn State Extension Veterinarian, and Dan McFarland, Penn State Extension Engineer.
- Jan. 14: Is Group Calf Housing for You? Feeding methods, housing design, environmental control, and management of group housing will be discussed. Presenters include Curt Gooch, Cornell Pro-Dairy Engineer, Christine Rossiter-Burhans, VMD, Technical Support Veterinarian, Poulin Grain, Inc., and Dan McFarland, Penn State Extension Engineer.
- Jan. 28: Robotic Milking Edition: Financing a Robotic Milking Start-Up. This webinar will present factors that dairy farmers and their financial advisors need to consider to ensure a profitable and successful transition to robotic milking. Presented by Mat Haan and Tim Beck, Penn State University Extension, and Lamar King, Fulton Bank.
- Feb. 11: Heat Stress Abatement in Dairy Shelters. Now is the time to start considering modifications to housing to address upcoming summer heat events and their impact on milk production and herd health. Presenters will include Penn State Extension Veterinarians and John Tyson, Penn State Extension Engineer.
- Feb. 25: Robotic Milking Edition: Feed Management in a Robotic Milking Dairy & Success Factors for a Successful Robot Start-up. This webinar will include presentations on feeding management and managing a successful robot start-up. Presentations by Charlie Gardener, Cargill, and Ben Smink, Lely North America.
- March 11: Dairy Housing Lighting for Convenience & Performance. Work on modern dairy farms often continues well after the sun goes down. Effective lighting is necessary to accomplish tasks properly and safely. Presenters include Dr. Daniel Ciolkosz, Senior Extension Associate, Penn State Agricultural & Biological Engineering, and Dan McFarland, Penn State Extension Engineer.
- March 25: Robotic Milking Edition: Relationships Between Humans, Animals and Technology What behaviors are expected from the cows and humans in a dairy using robotic milking, and how are farming routines and activities changed? What positive and negative effects on animal welfare are associated with robotic milking? Presented by Chris Bear, Cardiff University, UK.
- April 8: Getting a Handle on Lameness Hoof health is incredibly important in a dairy herd. The design and management of both the flooring and resting area have a direct influence on overall foot health of the dairy herd. Presenters are Dr. Ernest Hovingh, Penn State Extension Veterinarian, and Dan McFarland, Penn State Extension Engineer.
- April 29: Robotic Milking Edition: Cow Behavior in a Robotic Milking Dairy Because robotic systems allow cows to select their milking frequency, the way cows interact with herd mates and with their physical environment will have a great impact on how well the system works. Presented by Janice Siegford, Michigan State University.
Learn more
All webinars are recorded; to watch past seminars, visit http://extension.psu.edu/animals/dairy/courses/technology-tuesday-series/webinars. Registration for the Technology Tuesdays Webinar Series is free of charge, but you must pre-register for the first session that you wish to attend.
Pre-register online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TechnologyTuesdays1314 no later than noon the day preceding the session. Prior to the webinar session, you will receive an email that confirms your registration and contains the webinar URL.
You need only register once; the same URL is used for all sessions.
