Boots in the Barn in March

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host Boots in the Barn, a program for women dairy producers, in March in the New Vienna area. Boots in the Barn is a three-part series for women involved in the dairy industry.

The course will be held March 3, 10 and 17. The March 3 session will feature Gail Carpenter, Iowa State University assistant dairy teaching/research professor, who will provide information on transition cow care, maternity management and research around transition cows. Carpenter will demonstrate on-farm tools that can be used to monitor transition cow health. The session will be held at the McAllister Dairy Farm at 27334 North Bankston Road, New Vienna, 1-3 p.m.

The March 10 session will feature Jenn Bentley, ISU Extension and Outreach dairy field specialist. Bentley will share tips, tools and best management practices for early life care. She will demonstrate on-farm tools that can be used to monitor colostrum quality and success of passive transfer. This session will also be held at the McAllister Dairy Farm, 1-3 p.m.

The March 17 session will focus on employee management. Melissa O’Rourke, ISU Extension and Outreach farm and agri-business management specialist, will discuss best management practices for hiring, retaining and evaluating dairy farm employees. There will be time for discussion and Q & A with O’Rourke and participants. This will be a live webinar offered via ZOOM from noon to 1:30 p.m.

Those interested in the program can register online. Register a week before each session to help with program materials. A brochure with full details is available at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/dairyteam/dairy-boots-barn. For more information on Boots in the Barn, contact Jennifer Bentley at 563-382-2949, or jbentley@iastate.edu.