Volume 24: Issue 1 January 2022
BOTTOM LINE Sharing ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.
Dairy Innovation Hub: partnership at its best Heather White
Page 7 Five candidates on ballot for PDPW board
Page 9 PDPW Business Conference, Mar. 16-17, Wisconsin Dells
Page 10 Manage amidst increasing costs
Page 16 Calves need winter care
The Dairy Innovation Hub concept was first imagined during an informal meeting at Mitch Breunig’s Mystic Valley Dairy near Sauk City, Wisconsin. After the initial idea was d e ve l o p e d , dairy groups and passionate dairy leaders partnered Heather with UniverWhite sity of Wisconsin-System to transform the original collection of ideas on a whiteboard into a reality with practical and powerful purpose. Funded through a $7.8 million-per-year investment by the state of Wisconsin, the UW-Dairy Innovation Hub positions Wisconsin’s dairy community for economic, environmental and social success. It advances science, develops talent and leverages collaboration at UW-Madison, UW-Platteville and UW-River Falls, as well as in the broader dairy sector. There are four priority areas. • Enhance human health and nutrition. • Enhance animal health and welfare. • Steward land and water resources. • Grow farm businesses and communities. In a little more than two years, the Dairy Innovation Hub has funded more than
University of Wisconsin
Andrew Sommer, doctoral student at Kerri Coon’s lab, pours out a liquid bait solution while switching a fly trap on a summer day in the UW-Dairy Cattle Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
100 proposals and managed 11 faculty searches, recruiting some of the best and brightest minds to Wisconsin for faculty positions. It’s been exciting to see new discoveries coming to light. • In the UW-Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences a t M a d i s o n , Fra n c i s c o Peñagaricano and Kent Weigel are researching “Innovative solutions for sustainable improvement of dairy cow fertility.” Using genomics, their aim is to help farmers identify, rank and select the most fertile cows in their herd, with an end goal to reduce reliance on hormonal treatments such as ovulation-synchronization protocols. • At UW-Department of Food Science at Madison, Yu Hasegawa and Brad Bolling are researching whey-fortified fermented milk for
inhibiting intestinal inflammation. The objective of the project is to determine how fermented-milk products regulate gut inflammation and how they could help prevent chronic inflammation. • At UW-Platteville, “Evaluation of biochar incorporation into manure systems for improving air quality and odor management” is a project being led by Joe Sanford in agricultural and biological systems engineering. Because farmers are looking for a cost-effective method to manage greenhouse-gas emissions and reduce odor from manure systems, that study looks to meet those objectives. • In the UW-Department of Plant and Earth Science at River Falls, Christopher Holtkamp is working to develop policies that encourage social connections in communities where larger farms are becoming more common. Because an increase in large farms often correlates with the exiting of small farms, there’s a potential for social relationships among community members to be impacted. With the intent to contribute to stronger and more-sustainable economic vitality, the project aims to inform local areas about upcoming changes occurring in Wisconsin communities. Please see HUB, Page 2
Professional Dairy Producers™ I 1-800-947-7379 I www.pdpw.org