WOOSTER, Ohio – According to Wayne County extension agent and dairy expert Tom Noyes, it has been awhile since there has been a producer meeting in Ohio dedicated solely to calf and heifer management.
And yet, he said, heifer replacement is an increasingly expensive problem for dairy producers.
“All you have to do is look at the area sales to find that good quality springer heifers are bringing $2,000 per head. A nationwide survey has shown calf and heifer losses are over 10 percent. Combine this with 14 and 15 month calving intervals and you can begin to see why replacement heifers are in short supply.”
Now a pair of information workshops have been planned to bring to Ohio producers one of the nation’s leading calf and heifer management researchers.
Offered twice. “Calf and Heifer Jeopardy” will be offered Feb. 5 and 6 in Wayne and Ashtabula counties.
Michael VanAmburgh from Cornell University will be the primary speaker.
VanAmburgh’s primary research interest has been calf and heifer nutrition. He has done considerable research on milk replacer quality and improved performance of calf growth, as well as the new target growth system, which has heifers growing and maturing more quickly.
Also on the program from OSU Extension will be Noyes, Kent Hoblet, Dianne Shoemaker, David Marrison covering Best management practices at birth; costs of treating sick calves; calf health, including information on Scours; and calf and heifer housing.
Registration. Registration for the program is $15, which includes refreshments, lunch and materials.
The Wayne County meeting on Feb. 5 will be at Memories Conference and Party Center, 2437 Back Orrville Rd., Wooster.
The Ashtabula County meeting on Feb. 6 will be at the Williamsfield Community Center.
Both start at 9:30 a.m. with registration.
Call the the Wayne County extension office at 330-264-8722 or the Ashtabula County extension office at 440-576-9008 by Feb. 1 to make reservations.
