Dairy signal: methane emissions, animal treatment and cover crops on tap

Earn Dairy AdvanCE continuing education credits and participate in interactive conversations with experts

PUBLISHED ON April 28, 2024

JUNIAU, Wis. – This week’s episodes of The Dairy Signal from Professional Dairy Producers (PDP) will feature the latest research in dairy sustainability and animal care. Listen Tuesday to the options for reducing methane emissions in dairy production. Wednesday’s episode will highlight the Mooving Cows™ game and animal handling, and Thursday will discuss ground cover and manure management.

Tuesday April 30
Developing new technologies and practices to sustainably reduce enteric methane emissions from dairy cattle is a priority for the industry. Tune in to learn about obstacles and opportunities including phenotyping, trait definition, developing a reference population, using mid-infrared spectra of milk as a non-invasive approach, and manipulating the rumen microbiome. The presenters of the episodes are:

• Dr. Fransico PenagaricanoPhD, assistant professor, quantitative genomics, UW-Madison
• Dr. Guillermo Martinez BoggioPhD, research assistant, UW-Madison

Wednesday May 1
Learn about the Mooving Cows game developed at UW-Madison to teach cow handling skills and hear the latest expectations in quality assurance programs (i.e. FARM Animal Care) and public perception of handling practices. Dr. Van Os will also share plans for future learning resources. The presenter of the episode will be:

• Dr. Jennifer Van OsPh.D., assistant professor and extension specialist in animal welfare, UW-Madison

Thursday May 2
Manure represents a resource for crop production and soil, but can pose problems in achieving water quality objectives. While cover crops can provide solutions, there can be trade-offs with production. Join this interactive conversation to review research that could lead to widespread benefits in Wisconsin. The presenter of the episode will be:

• Dr. Matt RuarkPhD, professor and extension soil scientist, UW-Madison
• Tanner Juddgraduate student, soil science, UW-Madison

Episodes of The Dairy Signal are accredited through Dairy AdvanCE® (DACE), allowing dairy producers, industry professionals and students to earn continuing education units to attend. Those wishing to earn up to 0.5 DACE Continuing Education Units per episode will complete a short online quiz related to each specific webinar, live or recorded. Dairy AdvanCE is an online continuing education management tool for dairy farmers and other professionals that simplifies finding, tracking, and managing Continuing Education Units (CEUs). For more information, visit www.DairyAdvance.org. Farmers and students are eligible for a free subscription; Allied industry professionals can subscribe for a one-time fee of $75.

The Dairy Signal is a weekly series of educational episodes that provide practical insights and tools for dairy farmers and food systems professionals across the value chain. Episodes air live every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 12pm to 1pm CT. Live sessions offer participants the opportunity to engage in open-ended questions and answers with the speakers; recorded sessions are available shortly after the episodes air. View all previously broadcast sessions at www.pdpw.org.

For more information, contact PDP at 800-947-7379 or email [email protected]. Join the conversation digitally by following @dairyPDPW and using #TheDairySignal on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Professional Dairy Producers (PDP) is the largest dairy producer-led organization of its kind in the country, focused on producer professionalism, stakeholder engagement and collective outreach to share ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers to be successful.

— Professional dairy producers