Badger Dairy Insight
A webinar series to provide the latest research-based dairy information to improve animal welfare, breeding and genetic selection, automation and modernization, and nutritional decisions for producers, dairy workers and managers, ag professionals, and educators.
Join the University of Wisconsin-Madison – Division of Extension’s Dairy Program on the third Tuesday of each month from 11am-12 pm CST for the Badger Dairy Insight webinar series. New this year we are switching our webinars to a monthly platform. We are featuring your local Extension Dairy Program Educators and UW Specialists as they present on current dairy topics. Take the opportunity to learn from and discuss with experts on the dates below.
There is no charge to participate in the sessions, however pre-registration is required to allow access.
all webinars will be the third Tuesday of the month at 11 am
Fall 2023 Topics
September 19, 2023
Fresh cows: fetching the cow and blood money
Ryan Pralle, Assistant Professor in the School of Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville will talk about two projects he is currently working on. The first topic will be on a novel blood panel developed that will predict high liver triglyceride status in multiparous cows as a proxy for fatty liver. His second topic will be on the impact of early lactation milking frequency (3x vs 6x) on multiparous dairy cow production and health from cows at the UW-Platteville farm utilizing Lely robotic milkers. He will discuss the differences in productivity, possibly nutrient partitioning, and surprising lack of habituation/training on the high frequency cows to high voluntary visits after they stopped fetching intensively.
October 17, 2023
Manure Processing Systems
Rebecca Larson, Professor and Extension Specialist in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will talk about manure processing systems. The information will cover a wide variety of research trials and extension information on the types of manure processing systems available including their benefits and limitations. She will cover composting, anaerobic digestion, solid liquid separation, sand separation, struvite recovery, pelleting/granulation, drying, pyrolysis (biochar), membrane treatment, and treatment to clean water. The presentation will include the basic system components, current status of the technology, future direction of the technology, products and nutrient values they each produce, and general limitations and operating requirements. A recently published manure processing series of fact sheets can also be found at UW-Extension learning store that has more detail on each system, https://learningstore.extension.wisc.edu/collections/animals (please scroll down to find the newest manure processing series).
November 21, 2023
Moving cows without the cows: new options for interactive employee training
Handling cows is necessary to harvest milk and provide animal care, but these interactions also present a risk of injury to personnel. Inappropriate cow handling threatens animal welfare, milk production, and public trust in dairy farming. But how can the industry best teach these skills? Interactive learning experiences can help build confidence by allowing dairy workers to actively participate in their own training.
Interactive training methods, such as group activities, simulations, games or other hands-on methods, keep employees engaged in the learning process and create a safe space for questions. In collaboration with Wisconsin dairy stakeholders, Extension Dairy Welfare Specialist & UW Madison Department of Animal & Dairy Science Assistant Professor, Jennifer Van Os, created an innovative learning tool for people to practice the appropriate handling of dairy cows.
Join Jennifer Van Os and Extension Farm Management Specialist Jim Versweyveld as they discuss interactive learning and the Mooving Cows(TM) digital educational game in which learners practice moving cows in simulated dairy farm environments. The game, like a flight simulator, is a way for participants to “learn by doing.” The learning objectives in the game are to understand how human actions affect cow behavior, stress, productivity, and worker safety.
December 19, 2023
Udderly efficient: management strategies for optimal performance
Faith Reyes and Carolina Pinzón, newly appointed statewide Dairy Outreach Specialists at the University of Wisconsin – Madison Division of Extension, will be presenting this webinar to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of effective dairy animal handling, grouping strategies and their impact on efficiency in the parlor and beyond.
Winter 2024 Topics
January 16, 2024
Selection of dairy cows for consistent performance under unpredictable conditions
Kent Weigel is Professor and Chair of the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences at UW-Madison. He holds research, extension and teaching appointments and serves as a technical consultant for numerous companies and organizations in the dairy genetics industry. In this session, Dr. Weigel will present current research on the day-to-day consistency of dry matter intake, milk yield, and the genetics behind it.
February 20, 2024
Balancing diets for energy and amino acids to maximize milk components
In this presentation, Sebastian I Arriola Apelo, Assistant Professor of Metabolism at UW-Madison in the Animal & Dairy Sciences Department, will discuss amino acid balancing when feeding different energy sources to maximize milk protein and fat. Discussion will include various scenarios, including consideration of an induced milk fat depression. Amino acid balancing strategies will be focused on commercially available rumen protected amino acids and bypass proteins.
March 19, 2024
Reproduction & genetics focus
Strategies for improving reproduction in dairy herds. Drs. Fricke and Martins will discuss their new latest research on optimizing use of sexed and beef semen in dairy herds, managing heifer growth and reproduction, and optimizing re-synchronization programs in lactating dairy cows.
