Midwest Dairy and Beef Husbandry Conference scheduled for March

The care and well-being of dairy and beef cattle is the focus of the upcoming Midwest Dairy and Beef Husbandry Conference to be held on March 1, 2012 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis.

Dairy and beef producers, their employees, veterinarians, and anyone working with cattle are encouraged to attend this conference offered by University of Wisconsin-Extension

The Midwest Dairy and Beef Husbandry Conference includes live dairy and beef cattle handling demonstrations by Dr. Ben Bartlett who will share the why and how of low stress cattle handling. Dr. Bartlett is a veterinarian and cattle producer who has worked with cattle for over 50 years. He will demonstrate and discuss his philosophy on handling cattle which includes: less is more, slower is faster, and it is possible to out-think a cow.

The conference includes presentations by nationally known experts on cattle comfort, and pain management. Featured speakers include:

• Dr. Nigel Cook, clinical associate professor in the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, who will discuss strategies to reduce lameness and increase cow comfort. Dr. Cook will also present an overview of the Dairy Initiative introduced at the UW-Madison School Of Veterinary Medicine.
• Dr. Hans Coetzee, Iowa State University Associate Professor, will discuss pain management in cattle along with management practices that can be used to reduce pain in cattle. Dr. Coetzee will also lead a break out session on castration pain management.

Other breakout sessions include:

• Dehorning and Pain Management presented by Sandy Stuttgen, UW-Extension agriculture agent, and Edie Brandt, DVM, De Pere Vet Service
• Caring for Compromised Cattle by Amy Radunz, UW-Extension beef specialist
• Dairy Beef Residues by Dr. Dave Rhoda, DVM, Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association

The conference concludes with a producer panel moderated by Jim Massey, editor of the Country Today, focusing on “Telling Agriculture’s Story.” Three producers will share their insight into understanding the public’s perception of agriculture and what they are doing on their operations to help boost consumer confidence in animal agriculture products.

Cost to attend this conference is $50 per person and includes a noon meal. The registration deadline is Feb. 20, 2012. An additional $5 late fee will be charged for registrations received after this date. A registration discount is available for groups of 20 or more. Six veterinary CEU credits will also be available for an additional fee of $25.

Participants can register for the conference directly on-line or print out a brochure and registration form at the Midwest Dairy and Beef Cattle Husbandry Conference web site at: http://fyi.uwex.edu/animalhusbandryconference/

Program supporters for this conference include the UW-Extension Dairy and Beef Teams, WI Farm Bureau, Equity Livestock and Priefert Ranch Equipment. More information about the program can be found at http://fyi.uwex.edu/animalhusbandryconference/ or by contacting Mark Mayer, UW-Extension Green County dairy and livestock agent at mark.mayer@ces.uwex.edu or 608-328-9440.

The Alliant Energy Center is located at 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, Madison, WI.