The Professional Dairy Heifer Growers Association (PDHGA) along with the University of Minnesota (U of M) and University of Wisconsin (U of W) are hosting a tour in central Wisconsin that will focus on raising heifers. The tour will be August 17-18 at the Marshfield Agricultural Research Station and the surrounding area. A bus is available at no charge for Minnesota participants. The bus will depart in Fargo, N.D., and follow I-94 with possible stops in Sauk Centre, Monticello and western Wisconsin based on general locations of registered participants. The tour will visit Purvis Premier Calves, a calf grower with 300 calves in hutches, to learn how to get calves off to the right start. There will also be a stop at Heeg Farms, where older heifers are raised on a mound system with minimal housing. The tour will also spend time at the new Marshfield Ag Research Station, which has a new state-of-the-art heifer research facility. The facility was completed this spring and has several on-going research projects. Topics for workshops in the program include: o Efficacy of on-farm pasteurized waste milk systems. o A survey of replacement heifer mineral feeding practices on Wisconsin dairy operations. o Changing agronomy practices in heifer rearing operations. o The Integrated Dairy Research Facility: An Update Dr. Lance Fox will discuss Basic Immunology and the 5-Cs of Calf Raising: Back to the Basics; and Dr. Hugh Chester-Jones, U of M, and Pat Hoffman, U of W, will discuss the research collaboration of two new facilities in Waseca and Marshfield, Wis. Registration is $35. For more information, contact Mike Strayer at (218) 631-4170, or Jim Salfer toll-free at (888) 241-4591 or by e-mail at salfe001.umn.edu. To register for the bus call Bobbi Talmadge at (701) 328-4159.
