An effective reproductive program is essential to a dairy's profitability, yet many state dairies struggle to overcome bottlenecks that hinder reproductive efficiency.

To help optimize reproductive performance, Penn State Dairy Alliance, an initiative of Penn State Extension, will offer a Reproductive Drill-Down Workshop from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday and Jan. 22 at the Mercer County Extension Office in Mercer.

This two-day workshop is for dairy consultants, veterinarians, educators and producers. It is designed to help participants better identify the factors limiting reproductive performance on their dairies.

Participants will utilize the Penn State Reproductive Drill-Down Assessment Tool to evaluate and identify specific areas of management that limit reproductive performance. Participants will visit and evaluate a dairy herd and develop a strategy to address its weaknesses. New concepts in reproductive management, synchronization systems and herd health will be covered.

The workshop's emphasis is on learning how to evaluate factors effecting heat detection rate and conception rate, including nutrition, accuracy of heat detection, factors associated with artificial insemination and timed insemination programs, and health factors related to reproduction, such as mastitis and uterine health.

Jan Itle, herd manager for Valewood Farms in Loretto, said the Drill-Down Tool was extremely effective in prioritizing specific areas of concern and assigning a value to dollars lost on her dairy.

"It helped to take the variety of different records and tell a story. By identifying specific bottlenecks, we were able to focus our entire team on the effort to improve," Itle said, adding that working with the tool has made a big impact on their reproductive program.

Additional workshop support is being provided by Genex, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, and Precision Diagnostics (BioPRYN).

Attendance is limited to 20 participants. The registration fee for Pennsylvania producers and their employees has been discounted to $16 per person, thanks to a grant from the state Department of Labor and Industry. Registration for all others is $40 per person.

To register, call 888-373-7232, or register with a credit card online at http://das.psu.edu/dairy/patool/advisers. Additional workshop details may also be found on this Web site.

Penn State encourages people with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Rodger Keith at 724-287-4761, Ext. 225 in advance of your participation or visit.

Pesticide update training

It's the time of year when many private pesticide applicator license holders are looking for opportunities to obtain their update credits. If you are one of those individuals, you might want to mark the following dates on your calendars

Evening sessions will be available Feb. 9, 11, 24 and March 18. Butler County Crops Day is planned for Feb. 12.

Additional information on each of the sessions will be coming soon.

This material is submitted by Donna Zang, Extension director, and the staff of the Penn State Extension office at the Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center complex.