UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — For the fifth year, dairy producers, employees and consultants who want to improve their operations but may not have time to attend workshops off-farm will have access to the most recent information on topics ranging from cow comfort to nutrition to animal behavior through online workshops.
These free online Technology Tuesday Webinars begin Sept. 23 and are available at no cost to anyone with a computer and a high-speed Internet connection.
The fifteen webinars take place on Tuesdays, from 8:30-10 a.m. Registration is free, but advance registration is requested.
The sessions. Dates and Topics for the remaining 2014 sessions are:
• Sept. 23: Stray Voltage in Dairy Systems. When cow performance dips, stray voltage is often mentioned as a possible cause. This webinar will define what is — and what isn’t – stray voltage, according to research-based information.
Investigation and mitigation methods will be discussed. Led by Dan McFarland, ag engineer, Penn State Extension Dairy Team.
• Oct. 7: Downed Cows and End of Life Decisions. Animal welfare on the farm is a priority to all dairy producers. This webinar will look at issues of handling downed cows, when and how to euthanize animals and proper methods of handling the carcass. Led by John Tyson, ag engineer, Penn State Extension Dairy Team.
• Oct. 21: Modernization of Dairy Businesses. As Pennsylvania’s dairy industry moves forward, modernization of the present infrastructure on the dairy is inevitable. This may mean new housing for better cow comfort, changes to feed storage for less shrink, or changes to milking for better labor efficiency. The webinar will look at how to modernize the farm without breaking the bank. Led by John Tyson, ag engineer, Penn State Extension Dairy Team.
• Nov. 18: Collection & Use of Data in Robotic Milking Systems. Robotic milking systems provide a lot of information that can be used by the dairyman, veterinarians, and dairy nutritionists to manage the production and health of dairy cattle. This webinar will provide practical examples of how the data is being used on farms.
Led by Mathew Haan, dairy educator, Penn State Extension Dairy Team.
• Nov. 25: Cow Comfort Update. Research and experience continue to demonstrate that providing an environment that caters to cows’ needs benefits health, production, well-being, and longevity. This webinar will focus on the factors that define “cow comfort,” why it is important, and how it can be applied to almost any dairy housing system. Led by Dan McFarland, ag engineer, Penn State Extension Dairy Team.
• Dec. 12: Focus on Transition Cows Transitioning cows from the dry period into and through early lactation has a huge effect on the overall production and health of the entire herd. The way we house and manage the dry and pre-fresh cows ultimately determines the level of production she can achieve.
The webinar will look at animal behavior aspects of this transition period as well as housing and management options.
Led by John Tyson, ag Engineer, Penn State Extension Dairy Team.
More details
For the complete schedule through May 2015, visit the website. All sessions are held 8:30-10:00 a.m. (EDT/EST.)
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.
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