 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
Media contact: Dr. Steve Washburn, professor of animal science and North Carolina Cooperative Extension specialist, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, North Carolina State University, 919.515.7726 or steve_washburn@ncsu.edu
Registration information: www.cefs.ncsu.edu
North Carolina to Host Mid-Atlantic Dairy Grazing Conference
The Sixth Mid-Atlantic Dairy Grazing Conference will be held in Goldsboro, N.C., on Tuesday, Oct. 31 and Wednesday, Nov. 1. The conference begins at noon on Oct. 31, and deadline for early registration is Oct. 20.
Conference presentations kick off at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 31. The keynote speaker will be Gary Zimmer of Mid-Western Bio-Ag, an organic dairy producer from Wisconsin and author of The Biological Farmer.
The Center for Environmental Farming Systems offers a wide range of multi-disciplinary studies, including dairy, long-term cropping systems, organic cropping, a hoop house swine unit, and a beef cow-calf system. Optional tours of the work at the center will be conducted before the conference on the morning of Oct. 31. CEFS is a partnership of North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
The conference will feature highlights of recent applied research work at the CEFS dairy unit. This dairy comprises a 160-cow herd managed under a fall-calving, pasture-based system and includes purebred Holsteins and Jerseys and crosses between these breeds. A three-year trial with cows stocked at either one cow/acre or 1.5 cows/acre is just being completed. Information on production, reproduction, economics, parasite control, indicators of health and immune function, milk flavor differences from pastured cows, and other topics will be presented.
Dairy genetics researchers from around the U.S. will join dairy graziers on Tuesday afternoon and evening to discuss breed selection strategies for pasture-based dairy systems. The Tuesday afternoon program will include presentations on several practical research topics, and a tour and discussion of various aspects of the management of the dairy unit, which will be in the middle of the fall calving season.
On Wednesday, conference activities will move to the nearby Wayne County Agriculture Center in Goldsboro for more presentations and discussion. Topics for the day include:
- Competitiveness of pasture-based dairy production systems
- Optimizing nutrition in pasture-based dairy herds
- The effect of carbohydrate source on nitrogen capture in dairy cows on pasture
- Indicators of immune function by breed and pasture management system
- Update on local organic dairying in Pennsylvania
- Managing farm transitions to new generations
- Current management practices and plans for the future
Registration information for the conference is available at the CEFS Web site, www.cefs.ncsu.edu , or by contacting Steve_Washburn@ncsu.edu or 919.515.7726. Registration is $30 through Oct. 20 and $50 after that.
-Natalie Hampton, 919.513.3128 or natalie_nampton@ncsu.edu-
OTHER NEWS RESOURCES
Current news releases
| Earlier
news releases | Media
guide to experts | Extension On-Line
News | Economic
Focus and Economic Perspective | Media guide to disaster
recovery experts | Perspectives On Line |
Teletip
To receive our releases before they are posted here or sent out in hard copy, subscribe to our e-mail news service.
