Professional Dairy Heifers Growers Conference Oct. 28-29
BATAVIA, N.Y. A dynamic program has been
planned for the 2003 Northeast Regional Confer
ence of the Professional Dairy Heifer Growers Asso
ciation (PDHGA) Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct.
28-29 here at the Holiday Inn.
Heifer growers, dairy producers raising their own
replacements, and allied industry representatives
will benefit from this opportunity to convene in
scenic western New York to learn the latest, share
ideas, tour farms, and develop their programs.
Raising dairy replacements is a key management
area on any dairy farm, and professional growers
are in demand. Regional conferences are just one
way PDHGA provides important resources, educa
tion, professional development and motivation
dedicated to helping growers maintain and increase
profitability and add value to the heifers they raise.
PDHGA conferences, newsletter, website and data
base also provide a vital communication network.
“The conference experience definitely helped me
be more professional and more accountable to the
customers I’m growing for,” said Lynn Neer of
Greenwood Farm in Belleville. Neer has been
custom-raising dairy replacement heifers for four
and a half years, and he recently became a member
of the PDHGA after attending his first conference.
“I was impressed with how professional and or
ganized the event was,” Neer explains. “The trade
show was excellent, and I was able to bring back in
formation about a new technology to help one of my
customers. It was very beneficial for me to visit with
veterinarians and other growers from different
areas, and the farm tours were a great way to see
how others do it. You get a lot of good ideas.”
This year, the conference focus is reproduction,
and Tuesday will be the day to hear from the ex
perts. Speakers will cover timely information on
subjects ranging from breeding programs, econom
ics and handling facilities, to post-fresh results of in
tensified feeding and BVD/Lepto impact and
protocols. The day will conclude with the ever
popular producer panel and a summary of best
management practices. The schedule offers plenty
of time to interact with other growers, speakers and
trade show vendors.
An optional dinner and evening program are also
planned for Tuesday, Oct. 28 at the Batavia Holiday
Inn, with Dr. Roger Saltman, Pfizer, as the keynote
speaker on the topic of Process Management.
Farm tours have been planned for Wednesday,
Oct. 29. Conference-goers will visit three large dairy
heifer operations Alan Hainesworth’s Calf Facil-
ity in Mt. Morris, which raises 6,000 calves annu
ally; Stokoe Farms in Avon, which is a renovated
dairy farm handling 700 head post-weaned; and
Heifer Haven Farms in Stanley, which is a custom
grower operation handling 1,750 post-weaned heif
ers.
For registration by Oct. I, the cost is $5O; after
Oct. 1, $6O. Walk-in registration will be $75.
PDHGA members receive a $lO discount on regis
tration prior to the conference ($4O by Oct. 1 and
$5O after Oct. 1; no discount for walk-in registra
tion). Cost for the optional dinner with speaker on
Tuesday evening is $25. Wednesday’s farm tours
are $27.
Make checks payable to “Cornell Cooperative
Extension” and mail with name, address and phone
number, to: Northeast PDHGA Conference, Attn:
Wendy Garrett, Cornell Cooperative Extension,
420 East Main Street, Batavia, N.Y. 14020.
For more information about the conference or to
become a member of PDHGA, contact Steve Bee
hard, PDHGA Northeast Director, at (518) 846-
8422 or (518) 846-7375. Or visit the Website at
www.pdhga.org.
National Workshop To Honor McDaniel
RALEIGH, N.C. World-renowned dairy cattle
geneticist Ben T. McDaniel will be honored at the
National Dairy Genetics Workshop set for Oct. 20-
21 at the Hilton North, Raleigh, N.C.
McDaniel, a distinguished educator, researcher
and mentor, has led the world dairy industry in
tackling issues such as the genetics of fitness traits
and their relationship to profitability. From his stu
dent days at Clemson University to his experiences
at USDA, Beltsville, to his education and faculty
position at North Carolina State University,
McDaniel has made an impact on dairy genetic
evaluations and the industry’s application of re
search findings. Former students can be found in
both academic and industry roles worldwide.
For additional information on the workshop, con
tact Dr. Bennet Cassell of Virginia Tech,
bcassell@vt.edu, phone (540) 231-4762; or Cari W.
Wolfe of the American Jersey Cattle Association,
cwolfe@usjersey.com, phone (614) 861-3636.