Dairy producers who raise their own replacement heifers or are custom heifer producers should mark their calendars for either October 22 or October 24.

Those are the dates of two field days that will focus specifically on topics and issues related to producing and marketing dairy heifers.

“If you look at any successful dairy enterprise the decisions regarding heifer management are always going to be a vital part of that,” said Donna Amaral-Phillips, Extension dairy specialist in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.

Topics featured at the field days include marketing opportunities, heifer health issues, pasture management, contract options for raising heifers, performance and financial standards, and feeding heifers economically.

“We’ve also got a field day stop titled ‘El Toro Takes a Trip to Timbuktu’ which will be fun and informative, but you’ll just have to attend to find out what that really means,” said Amaral-Phillips.

The field day on October 22 will start at 10 a.m. (central time) at Doug McPherson’s Crestview Dairy Farms in Monroe County.  The October 24 field day will begin at 10 a.m. (eastern time) at Gary Gilbert’s Heifer Operation in Boyle County.  To reserve your lunch at either location call your local Extension office by noon, October 21.

The dairy heifer field days are sponsored by the UK Cooperative Extension Service, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the Kentucky Milk Producers Association, and the Professional Dairy Heifer Growers Association.