Your farm-ready research webinar series with UW Extension

Paul and Ryan will discuss the latest trends in how farms are using sexed and beef semen in dairy herds in Wisconsin and the upper Midwest. Paul will then present the latest data from UW-Madison on how to maximize fertility when using sexed semen to inseminate nonlactating dairy heifers, primiparous Holstein cows, and lactating Jersey cows.

Join Robert Van Saun DVM, MS, PhD PennState Extension Veterinarian presents a discussion on proper nutrition of the ewe or doe to prevent pregnancy toxemia and ensure lamb or kid survival and their ability to thrive.  The next critical step is providing sufficient good quality colostrum. This presentation will discuss new research addressing diagnosis and prevention of pregnancy toxemia as well as methods to evaluate colostrum quality. Criteria to determine adequacy of colostrum intake for the lamb and kid will be provided to help participants improve their colostrum management program.

If farm succession is a long (or maybe even short) term goal for your business, planning is essential. While many farmers view planning as reducing options or boxing them in, a good plan is actually the opposite. A plan based on the farm members’ values, intentions and visions, mixed with a lot of honest conversation can provide a road map that allows for opportunities to continue or grow the business. Join Kaitlyn Davis, La Crosse County Extension Educator and Joy Kirkpatrick, Farm Succession Outreach Specialist to learn how to start the conversation with your farm partners and/or family members and how to take the first steps in developing a succession plan.

Lyssa:  A successful transition period sets up a dairy cow for a stress free lactation and better conception rates.  This talk will go over a few things farmers can think about to set their dry cows up for a great lactation.

Francisco:  The advent of genomics in the last 15 years has revolutionized dairy cattle breeding, enabling more rapid genetic progress. Genomics facilitates the selection of novel traits that are important but too difficult or expensive to measure on the entire population. This could allow the selection of new fertility traits that more closely describe cows’ reproductive physiology and ultimately benefit the improvement of fertility in dairy cows.

Heather: Does Aspirin, an nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug benefit a cow when given around calving?  This presentation will seek to answer this question.

A farmer might be mulling over a change in their farm business. Should I invest in robots, on-farm storage, new or used machinery, etc.? What is holding the business back in our expansion plans? A farmer might also be seeking information to assist with financial planning. How sensitive is the business to changes in prices and costs? Why is the profitability low in the business? Do I have too much debt? What is my breakeven cost of production? Join Kevin Bernhardt, Extension Farm Management Specialist, and Katie Wantoch, Extension Farm Management Outreach Specialist, as they share financial tools and analysis methods to aid in answering these questions and making informed decisions. From financial statements, financial ratio analysis, DuPont analysis, and partial budget analysis, Bernhardt and Wantoch will discuss tools and methods that farmers can use to generate data-driven facts and information that will assist with “better planning – better decisions!” Financial analysis helps you plan for success and tracks your progress as you work your plan.

Victor and Tadeu:  In this presentation, we will launch The EZ Dairy Enviro-Money: A highly user-friendly, whole farm, environmental and economic assessment tool for dairy farmers and other stakeholders. We will explain the tool, demonstrate its use, and show how to build scenarios to answer what-if questions.

Nesli: In this presentation, I will focus on proper fan selection and maintenance to reduce ventilation costs and ventilation-related greenhouse gas emissions from dairy buildings. I will provide a few examples of supplemental cooling systems, which can help save energy while maintaining healthy building conditions for cattle.

Laura – In a study completed by her research group they aimed  to determine if increased cisternal milk impacted milk yield. Given that in traditional milking systems, take offs are set according to the fastest milking quarters. Are there possible negative effects on quarters that are not completely milked out?

Don Sockett – As part of the University of Wisconsin, in cooperation with the School of Veterinary Medicine and the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, the UW Madison Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory participates in research, consultation and education to meet the needs of many. Dr. Don Sockett will give an update on the work being done in the lab and challenges he sees emerging in the dairy industry. One of the topics he will present on is the emerging threat of Prototheca Bovis Mastitis.

How often have you looked at a lamb crop and thought, “Do I sell them or feed them out?” Perhaps, you wonder, “What is my breakeven for this year’s production?” Or “Is expanding the flock a good business decision?” UW-Madison Extension’s Sheep Operation Enterprise Budget Excel Spreadsheet can estimate the cost of production using your farm’s historical and current data. Utilizing records and an enterprise budget can assist in answering these questions and making informed decisions. Join Carolyn Ihde and Bill Halfman for an in-depth look at the newly released UW-Madison Sheep Operation Enterprise Budget Excel Decision-Making Tool.

Join Katie Wantoch, Farm Management Outreach Specialist, and Leonard Polzin, Dairy Markets and Outreach Specialist, as they discuss how to effectively glean and utilize information provided in market outlooks.  The Outreach Specialists will share how to recognize the facts that are the most influential to your farm’s bottom line and how to use those facts to assist with decision-making on the farm. “There are economic facts and there’s economic predictions and economic predictions are a total waste.” ~Peter Lynch  Join us in deciphering market outlooks and separating facts from predictions. Information on the 2023 Wisconsin Ag Outlook forum is available at renk.aae.wisc.edu….

Luiz Ferraretto – The corn plant has a unique fatty acid profile.  With corn silage, corn grain and corn byproducts utilized in many rations, consideration of fatty acid composition of the diet may have big impacts on animal performance and butterfat test.

Mary Beth Hall- How can diets high in corn silage be tweaked to get the most out of the fiber, non-fiber carbohydrates and protein fractions corn provides?

Francisco- Feed accounts for half the costs on most dairy farms. Cows with greater feed efficiency, cows that need less feed for each pound of milk produced, are likely to be more profitable. Cows that are more efficient need less land, create less waste and methane per pound of milk produced. Feed Efficiency is a heritable trait now measured as Residual Feed Intake  (RFI) and Feed Saved.  How can you incorporate these traits to create a more efficient profitable herd?

Alison Pfau and Matt Lippert- How silos are managed, feed mixed, management of the manger, ration formulation and cow comfort can all impact feed loss and efficiency.  We have come a long way from just considering bulk tank milk, or even pounds of milk solids produced to evaluate efficiency.  As margins tighten, evaluating conversion of feed into milk and what can be done to improve it is important.

Preparing properly for the breeding season will help to ensure success during lambing or kidding.  This presentation by Dr. Justing Luther from UW-River Falls covers the basic management requirements of small ruminant males and females for optimal fertility and productivity.  Nutrition, general health, and reproduction management will be discussed.  Producers are encouraged to participate with questions and willingness to share past management experiences.

First impressions matter!  Consider the welcome your farm is giving to new hires on their all-important first day at work.  Join Jim Versweyveld, Farm Management Outreach Specialist to learn about valuable onboarding tips.  Improve the retention odds on your farm by putting a plan in place to improve the employee onboarding experience.

Doug-Milking BioModels and Management of Robotic Milking Systems

Angie and Jackie-Somatic Cell Counts and Foot Health in Robotic Milking Systems; concerns and solutions

Automation and technological advances offer many opportunities to increase labor efficiency and productivity, but they also carry risks and large costs. John Shutske, UW-Madison Professor and Extension Specialist in Biological Systems Engineering, and Steph Plaster, Extension Farm Management Outreach Specialist, will discuss information, considerations, and tools available to help set a farm’s technology investment strategy and determine what will make the most impact on the business’ success.

Access YouTube premiere on date of premier here: farms.extension.wisc.edu…

Is your tax bill higher than you would like? As a landowner your woodlots are often an overlooked source of cost. Join Darrin Kimbler and Tony Johnson as they discuss the different tax assessment options for woodlots. You will learn about land use assessment and Managed Forest Law as means of reducing your tax burden. You will also get resources on who to contact about the different programs.

Join us for a grilling and cooking demonstration by Cody Heimke.