New facility now operational, stocked with cows
Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Ellen Jordan, 972-952-9212, e-jordan@tamu.edu
STEPHENVILLE – The annual Southwest Dairy Day will be Oct. 18 at the new Southwest Regional Dairy Center and hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Tarleton State University.
The center is located at 2929 N. U.S. Highway 281, approximately one-half mile north of Stephenville. While it was the site of last year’s Southwest Dairy Day, it had not been stocked with cows at the time, said Dr. Ellen Jordan, AgriLife Extension dairy specialist in Dallas and program co-coordinator.
“We are excited to get to go back this year and see the facilities in operation,” Jordan said.
The program will run from 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. and offer two dairy outreach program area credits required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality of dairy owners or representatives, she said.
Jordan said booth vendors, equipment dealers and educational activities make the event successful each year, attracting an average of approximately 700 people annually.
Topics and speakers during the educational seminars will be:
– Emerging technology to improve air quality for dairies, Dr. Saqib Mukhtar, AgriLife Extension engineer, College Station.
– Texas dairy industry update, Darren Turley, executive director of the Texas Association of Dairymen, Austin.
– Various environmental issues affecting dairy producers, Jim Bradbury, attorney, Austin.
– TMR (total mixed ration) audits: Ways to improve your feeding strategies, Dr. Jeff Mikus, Diamond V Mills dairy technical service specialist, Lubbock.
State Rep. Sid Miller of Stephenville and State Sen. Craig Estes of Wichita Falls will be keynote speakers during lunch, which is provided courtesy of Hi-Pro, Jordan said.
To register, go to https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu and type in the keyword Dairy. For more information, contact Choyia Holley at 254-968-4144 or c-holley@tamu.edu or visit www.texasdairymatters.org .
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