Dairy Discovery Workshop
The annual Dairy Discovery program provides New York youth with fun, hands-on science-oriented learning experiences in dairy production and management topics that feature the unique facilities, industry professionals, and staff at Cornell University.
The statewide program for youth ages 14 to 19 years-old is held one Saturday in March. Youth learn will understand, observe and participate in technical skill training by rotating through a series of hands-on stations that focus on specific aspects of the dairy industry, including:
- Dairy Herd Health and Management
- Calf and Heifer Production Management
- Quality Milk and Milk Production
- Whole Farm Management Planning
- Maximizing the Feed Management Program.
Youth who are 14 to 19 years of age on January 1 of the program year and have an interest in dairy cattle and production management are eligible and strongly encouraged to attend (with their parents or chaperones). This program is not limited to any organization, 4-H project members, FFA youth, and others with a dairy interest or desire to learn about dairy are all welcome.
March 29 - 30, 2024
Cornell University | Frank Morrison Hall
2024 focus: Calf and Heifer Production Management
Replacements heifers are an investment in the future of a dairy. The heifer enterprise represents the second largest cost on a dairy farm second only to dairy feed. The average age at first calving for Holsteins in New York is 21-22 months and 24 months across the breeds, with an average daily cost of $3.45. Raising heifers is 15 to 20% of the cost of producing milk. For every month that the Age at First Calving is delayed beyond the 22-month target, the cost to producers is about $100 per animal, primarily because of lost milk production opportunity and a loss in the number of days in an animal’s productive life.
A quality dairy replacement program is a management system that consistently generates quality heifers efficiently. Calving practices, newborn calf care, and feeding programs play a critical role in the management of a heifer-raising program. Technical and analytical skill development in the areas of: Calf delivery, newborn calf care, colostrum management, and monitoring growth are necessary for assessing and optimizing the heifer raising programs potential.
Proper calving procedures and techniques
- Cow hygiene, using calving chains
- The first 30 minutes post-calving
Colostrum management & analysis of passive transfer
- Timing, quality & quantity
- IgG’s: what is means and how to measure
Analyzing the heifer program
- Growth: BCS, height and weight
- Identification
- Biosecurity
- Heifer economics 101
