Operations Manager Conference
Event Details
Date
January 31 - February 1, 2023
Time
T 7:30am - 6:15pm, W 6:30am - Noon
Location
Doubletree by Hilton
East Syracuse, NY 13057
Host
Cornell PRO-DAIRY
Heather Darrow
607-255-4478
email Heather Darrow
Registration is open for the 2023 Operations Managers Conference, which will be held January 31 and February 1 at the Doubletree by Hilton, East Syracuse, NY. Presented by Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY and the Northeast Dairy Producers Association (NEDPA), Operations Managers Conference provides an opportunity for the people responsible for day to day activities on dairy farms to increase their management and operations skills. This year's conference theme and topics focus on managing for consistency while leading through change. A variety of topics presented by local and national dairy leaders offer education and applicable strategies for management teams, whether their focus is cows, crops or people. Click here to register and see the full agenda for both days. Early bird registration is available through January 9.
Featured keynote presentations apply across management specialties and include:
· What You Do Everyday Matters in Building Consumer Confidence - Amy te Plate-Church, The Center for Food Integrity
· Everything You Must Know About Sleep But Are Too Tired to Ask! - Dr. James Maas, Sleep for Success!
· The Intersection Between Animal and Human Wellbeing and Productivity - Dr. Noa Román-Muñiz, Colorado State University
A key attribute of this conference is the number and variety of specialty breakout sessions, including:
DAIRY BREAKOUT SESSIONS
· Using DairyComp to Evaluate Employee Performance and Compliance - Judy Moody, DairyOne
· Calf Barn Ventilation - Tim Terry, Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY
· Epidemiology of Bovine Colostrum Yield - Trent Westhoff and Dr. Sabine Mann, Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine
· Using Sensor Technologies to Monitor Dairy Cattle Health - Dr. Julio Giordano
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT BREAKOUT SESSIONS
· Conflict Management for Those Who Do Not Like Conflict Management - Marcus Brooks, Cornell University Organizational Development and Effectiveness
· Improving Communication Among English- and Spanish-speaking Team Members - Dr. Noa Román-Muñiz, Colorado State University
· Engaging Today's Employees Using Technology - Dr. Kaitlyn Lutz, Cornell Cooperative Extension
· Lean 5S: Making the Physical Workplace Work! - Dr. Richard Stup, Cornell University
· Creating a Culture of Safety in Your Workplace - Karl Naegler, NYS Nursery and Landscape Association
· Structure: Reducing Chaos and the Broken Stove Meetings - Collin McCarthy, Cargill Animal Nutrition
CROPS BREAKOUT SESSIONS
· What is NetZero and What Does it Mean to Me as a Middle Manager? - Kirsten Workman, Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY; Lauren Ray, Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY; and Dr. Mike Van Amburgh, Cornell University
· Planting Green: Advantages of Delayed Cover Crop Termination in Western New York - Aaron Ristow, American Farmland Trust
· Corn Planter Workshop - Shawn Bossard, Cornell Agricultural Research Station
· CAFO Updates: How Do They Apply to Me as a Middle Manager? - Kirsten Workman, Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY
Sponsorship and exhibit opportunities are available. For more information, contact Heather Darrow, PRO-DAIRY Conference Coordinator, at hh96@cornell.edu or (607) 255-4478.
Dairy
Livestock
Grazing
Forages
Grains
Upcoming Events
Cornell Seed Growers Field Day
July 2, 2024 : Cornell Seed Growers Field Day
Ithaca, NY
Save the Date!
North American Manure Expo
July 17 - July 18, 2024 : North American Manure Expo
Auburn, NY
Save the Date for the North American Manure Expo
Professionalism in Nutrient Management - www.manureexpo.com
Sundaes on the Farm
July 21, 2024
Spencer, NY
Learn about Tioga County Agriculture! IFree Admission! Enjoy Ice Cream, Animals and Farm Tours, Kid's Activities, Food, Live Music, and Farm Vendors.
Announcements
Farm Participants Needed for Bale Grazing Grant!
Information on the Project:- Approximately 10 acres total needed to bale graze two different bale densities
- "Core" farms will graze two winters, "Demo" farms will graze one winter.
- Payments for both "Core" farms and "Demo" farms
- Baseline soil sampling by bale grazing team
- Forage measurements in early season by bale grazing team
- Late season clipping if residual not trampled down by farm
Cornell Cow Convos - New Podcast
On-going podcast, New episodes released on the last Thursday of the month.Guest speakers, CCE Dairy Specialists.
Housed on Soundcloud Channel is CCE Dairy Educators
- Preventative healthcare for cows
- The trend of beef on dairy
- What to look forward to in the new year for dairy
- Socially grouping or pair-housing calves
Dairy Acceleration Program Funds Available
- organization of financial records/benchmarking up to $1,000
- continued business planning (for farms awarded in a previous year) up to $2,500
- business planning up to $5,000
2018 Drug Residue Prevention Manual
For more than 30 years, the U.S. dairy industry has focused educational efforts on the judicious use of antibiotics through the annual publication of a Best Practices Manual. The 2018 edition of the National Dairy FARM Program: Farmers Assuring Responsible Management? Milk and Dairy Beef Drug Residue Prevention Manual is the primary educational tool for dairy farm managers throughout the country on the judicious and responsible use of antibiotics, including avoidance of drug residues in milk and meat.The manual is a quick resource to review those antibiotics approved for dairy animals and can also be used as an educational tool and resource for farm managers as they develop on-farm best management practices necessary to avoid milk and meat residues. Visit the Manual and Form Library to download copies of this important tool!
Follow us on Facebook
The team updates our facebook page frequently - follow us to be updated on our events, see some fun videos and get local area updates!facebook.com/SCNYDairyandFieldCropsTeam
ProDairy Forage Management
Are you prepared to change your routine this spring?While spring tasks vary by farm, there are many "rites of spring," and they are often completed in a fairly rigid sequence. Depending on the farm, these often include fixing fence, spreading manure, planting new seedings, planting corn and harvesting first cutting, and are often performed in this order.
We are optimistic that the upcoming turn in weather will allow these task to be accomplished in a timely manner, but at this point it is time to ask yourself: Are you willing to change your spring routine?
In addition to adverse weather it is no secret that everyone is facing extremely tight economic times, and dealing with forage inventories of poor digestibility forages from 2017. This combination of factors makes it more critical than ever to be ready to tackle the task that will have the most impact on your business at the proper time.
Recent reference articles on dealing with tough times:
• Key Opportunities to Optimize 2018 Crop Production Efficiency
• Resources for Dealing with Spring Weather Delays
First Cutting
The number one focus should be on timely harvest of first cutting.
• Park the corn planter when a field of first cutting is ready for harvest.
o Monitoring 1st cut harvest timing
• Approach harvest by the acre, not by the field. Be ready to skip over a field that has passed its optimum harvest stage.
o Dynamic Harvest Schedules
• Strategically plan feed storage to best utilize forage inventories for the right group of animals.
o Strategic Forage Storage Planning
o When More is Better
Corn Planting
The window for planting for silage is generally wider than for grain, which is why first cutting can and should take priority over corn planting. However, in the event of extreme delays in planting corn, performance will diminish with late plantings. If corn planting progresses into late May or early June, begin to consider alternative options for those acres. Previous research from Cornell and Penn State suggest a 0.5 to 1 ton/acre per week decline in silage yield for planting after mid to late May.
Multi-Tasking
First and foremost during a time of year that can be very busy and stressful, taking every precaution to keep your team safe is critical.
The idea of fitting all of this work into a condensed time period, and still getting key tasks completed before critical deadlines can seem impossible, but year after year many find unique ways to get it all done. Consider working with neighbors, custom operators or renting equipment to accomplish these key tasks on time.
If you currently utilize custom operators, now is a good time to set up a time to meet with them and make sure you are on the same page to get tasks accomplished in the time-frame needed. Make sure that your expectations and goals are clearly defined. They will also be under stress to fit their work into a condensed period and meet their customers' expectations, so defining expectations and pre-planning how to most efficiently get the work accomplished when the custom operator arrives can go a long way to increase the chances for success.
NYSERDA Agriculture Energy Audit Program
NYSERDA offers energy audits to help eligible farms and on-farm producers identify ways to save energy and money on utility bills. Reports include recommendations for energy efficiency measures.For more information and the NYSERDA Agriculture Energy Audit Program Application click here