Reproductive Drill-Down Workshop
December 4 & 11, 2009
- Ickesburg Firehall, Perry County
- Intersection of Routes 74 & 17, Ickesburg, Pa.
December 8 & 15, 2009
- Somerset County Cooperative Extension Office
- 6024 Glades Pike, Suite 101, Somerset, Pa.
Hours: Day 1 - 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Day 2 - 9:30 a.m .to 2:30 p.m.
Fee: $20 per person for PA producers and their employees, thanks to a grant from the PA Department of Labor and Industry; $50 for non-PA producers/employees. Attendance is limited. To register:
About the program:
Click here for a workshop flyer.
This workshop is for dairy consultants, veterinarians, educators, and their dairy producer clients. It is designed to help participants better identify the factors limiting reproductive performance. Participants will utilize the Penn State Reproductive Drill-Down Assessment Tool to evaluate and identify specific areas of management that limit reproductive performance. Participants will visit and evaluate a dairy herd and develop a strategy to address the weaknesses. New concepts in reproductive management, synchronization systems, and herd health will be covered.
“The Reproductive Drill-Down Tool is pretty easy to use on a computer; it’s straightforward. It helps me by examining the broad spectrum of reproduction management so it points out what I may be overlooking when I’m just focusing on the big picture.” — Jessica Slaymaker, producer, Milan, Pa
Day 1 Agenda:
- Introduction to the web version of the Penn State Profitability Assessment (PA) Dairy Tool.
- Evaluating factors effecting heat detection.
- Evaluating factors effecting conception rate – Nutrition, MUNs, heat detection accuracy, timing of service, artificial insemination concepts affecting conception, health factors (mastitis, uterine infections, etc.)
- Demonstration of Reproductive Drill-Down Tool and farm visit
Day 2 Agenda:
- Strategies to eliminate bottlenecks to reproductive performance.
- New concepts in reproductive management.
- Herd diagnostics.
Program instructors:
- Dr. Michael O’Connor, professor, dairy science
- Dr. David Wolfgang, Penn State Dept. of Veterinary & Biomedical Sciences
- Local Penn State Cooperative Extension educators
Program developers:
- Tim Beck, Extension educator
- Robert Goodling, Extension educator
- Gary Hennip, Extension educator
- Brian Kelly, Extension educator
- Dr. Michael O’Connor, professor, dairy science
- Amber Yutzy, Extension educator
Program partners:
- Genex Cooperative
- Intervet Schering-Plough Animal Health
- Precision Diagnositcs
PAST PARTICIPANTS GAVE THIS WORKSHOP HIGH MARKS:
91% of participants surveyed said they will use the Reproductive Drill-Down Tool to evaluate strengths and weaknesses in reproductive management on their own dairies;
95% said they were prepared to more critically evaluate DHIA or other record systems to monitor reproductive performance and identify problems.
For more information:
Contact Dr. Mike O'Connor, toll-free, at 888-373-7232 or at moconnor@psu.edu
