YUBA, Okla. — Dairy producers in Texas and Oklahoma, as well as surrounding states, are invited to the 1999 Southwest Dairy Field Day.
The Alan Ritchey Dairy near Yuba, Okla., will host the field day on May 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This new facility has twin, state-of- the-art double-25 herringbone parlors with rapid-exits. An overhead observation room doubles as a conference room. There are eight freestall barns for the 3,500 milking cows, a hospital parlor with treatment barn, and calf-raising facility.
Nearly 8,000 acres of cropland and pasture is planted to provide the forages required to feed the milking and replacement herd. Wheat, alfalfa and corn are raised for silage. The farm conducts trials to determine which variety to plant the following year. The corn plots will be available for viewing.
“Informal presentations by Extension specialists and industry professionals will answer questions concerning nutrition, heat stress management and reproductive management,” said Dr. Ellen Jordan, Texas Agricultural Extension Service dairy specialist in Dallas. “And, other parts of the program will cover freestall management, milking facility equipment and design, biosecurity, nutrient management, information management to enhance profits, risk management and heifer rearing.
“This broad range of topics lets producers get answers specific to their own herd situation, as well as learn how a large operation functions,” said Jordan. In addition to Extension faculty from Oklahoma State University and Texas A&M University, Dr. John Smith of Kansas State University will discuss cow flow, traffic patterns and milking center management. Both the herd nutritionist and equipment manufacturers will have representatives on-site.
Lunch will be provided at no charge. For more information, contact Dan Waldner, (405) 744-6058 or Jordan, (972) 952-9212. To reach the Ritchey Dairy from Denison, Texas, take Hwy. 75 north to 91 at Colbert. Go east through Achille and take Hwy.78 to the dairy. From Durant, Okla., go south on Hwy.78 through Achille toward Yuba. Follow 78 to the Ritchey Dairy, just west of Yuba.
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