Winter Dairy Management School

March 21, 2014


2014 Winter Dairy Management at Morrisville State College
Friday, March 21
Crawford Hall, Lecture Rm #103

9:30-Registration

10am-10:15-Welcome and program overview by local staff (15min)

10:15-11:00 am Business Planning for a Successful Project. The New York Dairy Acceleration Program
(45mins including Q&A)
Why Develop A Project Business Plan? A well thought out business plan allows you to organize your thoughts, seek input from key people and ask the hard questions to make sure the dream can become reality! Additionally, The New York Dairy Acceleration Program offers farmers assistance in developing business plans. This presentation will provide information on the value and key components of business plans and an overview of the Dairy Acceleration Program and what it can offer producers.
Presented by Betsey Howland, PRO-DAIRY Extension Support Specialist, Dairy Profit Monitor, ProDairy, Cornell University

11:00-12:00 - Low Cost Parlors- Options and Considerations (45min, 15min Q&A)
Remodeling or adding a low cost parlor requires good planning, design, and sometimes creative solutions to problems posed by the existing facility.
Presented by Dave Balbian, Dairy Specialist with the CNY Dairy & Field Crops Team

12:00-12:45pm Box Lunch

12:45-1:45 - Budgeting for a Dairy Modernization Capital Investment in a Realistic Way
(45min, 15 min Q&A) Being able to realistically budget for a dairy modernization project is crucial to making a sound decision and ensuring a successful implementation.
Presented by Dave Balbian, Dairy Specialist with the CNY Dairy & Field Crops Team

1:45-2:30- Parlors - Typical Intervals for Maintenance and Improved Numbers Game
(45min including Q&A) The major costs of operating a milking parlor lie in the capital investment of the parlor and the labor used to operate the parlor. One of the goals of the milking center is to milk a certain number of cows in a specific amount of time. Parlor efficiencies and equipment maintenance are two key components that keep the milking center operating on a routine schedule. Spreading out the costs of the parlor and the labor used to operate the parlor can be done by improving parlor efficiencies. Parlor efficiencies can be analyzed in terms of hundredweights shipped per milker, pounds of milk harvested per stall and cows milked per hour to name a few. Dr. Watters will address these important factors.
Presented by Dr. Rick Watters, DVM, PhD - Sr. Extension Veterinarian, Quality Milk Promotion Services

2:30-3:15pm-. Robotic Milking Systems-Different Management System (45min including Q&A)
There has been increasing interest in robotic milking systems in the last 5 years or so. Although still not the norm, there are more and more farmers installing them in our region. Consequently, we are gaining more information on when these systems are a good choice for producers and how they manage them.
Presented by Kathy Barrett, Senior Extension Associate, Dairy Management, Pro-Dairy, Cornell University

3:15-Wrap up-local staff


Program Description with Detail (PDF; 192KB)

The data that is collected, and the subsequent reports/findings/resources will be helpful for all of us to answer that call of "What's the average rental rate in my area?" and "How much do people charge to combine oats?"