Dairy Heifer Grazing Tour

press release: The University of Wisconsin-Extension and Dane County Land Conservation are offering a bus tour to visit two large scale dairies in Northeast Wisconsin on August 8th, 2018. The bus will leave the American Center Park and Ride at 9:30 am and return by 6:30 pm. Come along and learn why these farms raise their heifers on grass and hear about the economic and health benefits they are experiencing.

This tour is intended for any diary farms looking to learn more about grazing. We will first visit Tauchen Harmony Valley Dairy. Currently milking 750 cows, Al has used prescribed grazing for 6 years and is in the process of expanding his grazing acres. The second stop will be VandeWettering Farm LLP. Currently milking 350 cows, they recently started grazing their heifers. In addition to grazing pasture, heifers are grazing cover crops prior to and

after main crop harvest. Grazing cover crops allowed them to increase dry matter production per acre while developing a healthy dairy animal.

The cost to attend is $10, which will cover lunch and transportation from the American Center Park and Ride outside Madison. Visit the Dane County UW-Extension Agriculture website for more information and to register: https://fyi.uwex.edu/danecountyag/events/heifergrazing Dane County UW-Extension and Land and Water Resource Department are organizing this event. If you have any questions please contact, Marie Raboin, at 608-224-3742, or raboin.marie@countyofdane.com.

The University of Wisconsin-Extension provides affirmative action and equal opportunity in education, programming and employment for all qualified persons regardless of race, color, gender/sex, creed, disability, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital or parental status, arrest or conviction record or veteran status.

Requests for reasonable accommodations for disabilities or limitations should be made prior to the date of the program or activity for which it is needed. Please do so as early as possible prior to the program or activity so that proper arrangements can be made. Requests will be kept confidential. Contact the Dane County Extension Office at 608-224-3717 or WI Relay 711.