Dairy Goat Management Seminars Planned in Northwest, Northeast Iowa

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dairy Team will host its annual Dairy Goat Management Seminar on Saturday, Dec. 10 in Sioux County and also Clayton County. Both events are from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Sioux County seminar is at the ISU Extension and Outreach Sioux County office and the Clayton County seminar is at Woods Edge Golf Course, 504 W. Union St., Edgewood, Iowa.

This year's focus is on goat health, feeding and milk marketing.

"Iowa ranks third in the nation for dairy goat production, and we are one of the top states for dairy goat educational programming," said Fred Hall, a dairy specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. "This program should reinforce that ranking and be extremely worthwhile for dairy goat producers to attend."

"Dairy goat production is an important industry in Iowa, especially in northeast and northwest Iowa," said Jenn Bentley, also a dairy specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. "We are very pleased to once again offer this educational opportunity with a lineup of quality speakers and presenters."

The program will cover the following topics and presenters:

• Colostrum Management, by Pat Gordon, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine (Sioux County); and Jenn Bentley (Clayton County).
• Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Management, Rosie Busch, University of California (both locations).
• Subclinical Mastitis and Dry-Off Decision Making, Pat Gordon (Sioux County); and Michelle Buckley (Clayton County).
• Forages for Dairy Goats, Fred Hall (Sioux County) and Gail Carpenter (Clayton County).
• Feeding the Dry Doe, Mike Schlegel, Land-O-Lakes (Sioux County).
• Building a Goat Milk Market, Nate Meech and Mitchel Kunkel, Stickney Hill Dairy (Sioux County).
• Success in the Dry Doe Period, Sarah Varney, Vita Plus (Clayton County).
• Housing and ventilation for Dairy Goats, Brian Dougherty (Clayton County).

There is no registration fee to attend the program, but registration is required by calling ahead. For the Sioux County meeting, call 712-737-4230 or register online at https://go.iastate.edu/AWOSXJ. For the Clayton County meeting, call 563-245-1451.

The deadline to register for both locations is Dec. 8 at noon.

A complimentary lunch will be provided thanks to sponsorship from Hull Feed & Produce and Big Gain.

Both programs are hosted at no charge. This work is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agricultural and Food Research Initiative Competitive Program, Antimicrobial Resistance.