Dairy farmers have many people they can turn to for advice, but recommendations from advisers typically have been given independently from one another. Yet a change in one management factor can impact other parts of the farm's operation. A team may include the farm family, veterinarian, nutritionist, lender, accountant, crop adviser, milk co-op representative and other professionals. In the first year of the program, participating farmers credited their teams for helping to prioritize management decisions, making faster progress toward goals and providing a wider range of ideas for solving problems. Based on these results, Penn State plans to expand the program to more areas of the state.
Good nutrition feeds profits.
Without proper nutrition, dairy cows can't produce milk at peak efficiency. Hundreds of farmers have received the latest dairy nutrition recommendations by participating in Penn State satellite video conferences, and thousands more have been reached through videotapes, publications and the World Wide Web. Penn State faculty and extension staff also conduct customized seminars for feed industry representatives, who share that knowledge with client farmers, multiplying the educational impact. If the particles are too small, the cow's rumen doesn't function normally, and milk fat content can be reduced.