Barn Benchmarks for Your Success

I-29 Moo University is hosting their annual Winter Workshop series, Barn Benchmarks, to be held in five locations throughout the region beginning January 14, 2019.

“This workshop series will highlight a number of experts who will focus on topics that will help dairy producers achieve success in 2019,” explained Tracey Erickson, SDSU Extension Dairy Field Specialist who is the program co-chair, along with Kim Clark, UNL Extension Dairy Educator.

The five meeting locations are as follows:

Perham, Minn.: January 14, 2019 located at The Cactus (43521 Fort Thunder Road); held in partnership with Minnesota Milk’s Dairy Management Workshops and Midwest Dairy’s District 3 & 4 meetings.

Brookings, S.D.: January 15, 2019 located at the Swiftel Center (824 32^nd Ave.); held in partnership with the South Dakota Dairy Producers and South Dakota’s District 1 & 2 annual meetings.

Pipestone, Minn.: January 16, 2019 located at Pipestone Veterinary Services (1300 U.S. 75); in partnership with Minnesota Milk’s Dairy Management Workshops and Midwest Dairy’s District 18 meeting. It will be held in facilities sponsored by Pipestone Veterinary Services.

Orange City, Iowa: January 17, 2019 held at Sioux County Extension Office (400 Central Ave. NW).

Wayne, Neb.: January 18, 2019 held at Wayne State College, Student Center Niobrara Room (E 14th Street).

Workshop speakers

Kevin Janni is a professor and Extension engineer in the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Minnesota. He joined the department faculty in 1980. He works closely with both the Dairy and Poultry Extension teams. He has written extensively on ventilation, air quality, heat stress, odors, biofilters and biosecurity associated with animal agriculture. He teaches an air quality and pollution control engineering course.

Kim Clark is a Dairy Extension Educator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She joined Extension in 2015 and began the dairy extension program in Nebraska. Kim works closely with dairy producers across Nebraska. Her focus is on calf health and nutrition and animal welfare.  Kim is a Dairy FARM evaluator and PAACO Dairy Stewardship certified.

Jim Salfer is a Regional Extension Educator with University of Minnesota Extension. Salfer has served in his present position for 22 years. He has been involved on farm research projects studying robotic milking systems and automatic calf feeders. The focus of his education program has been to help farmers and other industry professionals understand the major factors driving dairy farm profitability.

Click here for the proceedings.