Beef Cow/calf workshop Slated Near Athens On August 19th

While Wisconsin is known as “America’s Dairyland”, interest in raising beef cattle is on the rise.  A recent USDA census showed that a majority of cow/calf operations have less than 50 head of cattle, but raise nearly one third of the US calf crop annually.  With a plentiful supply out-of- use dairy farm operations and pasture land available, many who work off the farm or have retired from dairying find raising beef cattle a natural fit for their available facilities.

 

A UW-Extension Beef Cow/Calf producer meeting is being offered to producers of all sizes and the agriculture professionals who service their operations.  The evening’s agenda will include a farm tour, meal, and speakers.  Speaker topics will include preventing and managing parasites, body condition scoring, and weaning.  Attendees of the meeting will qualify for one continuing education credit for Beef Quality Assurance recertification.  The meeting will be held at Geerts Farm, located at 2182 HWY A Athens, WI, Registration fee is $25 on August 19th.

 

Video: 2026 T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science - Dan Weary

T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science: "Using science to assess and improve the welfare of dairy cattle"

Dan Weary is a Professor at the University of British Columbia. Dan did his BSc and MSc at McGill and Doctorate at Oxford before co-founding UBC’s Animal Welfare Program where he now co-directs this active research group. His research focuses on understanding the perspectives of animals and applying these insights to develop methods of assessing animal welfare and improving the lives of animals. His work has helped drive changes in practices (including the adoption of higher milk rations for calves and pain management for disbudding) and housing methods (including the adoption of social housing for pre-weaned calves). He also studies cow comfort and lameness, social interactions among cows, and interactions between cows, human handlers and technologies like automated millking systems that are increasingly used on farms. His presentation will outline key questions in cattle welfare, highlight recent UBC research addressing them, and showcase innovative methods for improving the lives of cattle and their caretakers.