Iowa dairy producers will hear about raising their “dairy best heifers” during the 2024 Dairy Days events hosted by the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dairy Team. The program will be held at four eastern Iowa locations and one northwest Iowa location during January.
Dairy Days will be offered Jan. 16 in Elma at Innovative Ag Service, Jan. 18 in Elkader at Johnson’s Restaurant, Jan. 23 in Kalona at the Kalona Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 25 in New Vienna at the New Vienna Community Center, and Jan. 30 in Sioux Center at the Dordt University Agriculture Stewardship Center.
“Nearly 25 percent of a dairy’s production costs are in raising heifer replacements, thus a considerable amount of feed, time, and facilities must be invested to optimize growth for heifers to calve at an appropriate age,” said Fred Hall, ISU Extension and Outreach Dairy Field Specialist. “That is why this topic of raising your ‘dairy best’ heifers can have significant financial and herd benefits.”
Topics and presenters include:
Dairy Best Heifer: Lessons Learned and Path Forward – Dr. Gail Carpenter, ISU
Decision Tools for Heifer Inventory Management – Greg Palas – DRMS
Starting Your Calves on the Right Hoof – Dr. Jardon/Jennifer Bentley, ISU
What Does it Cost to Raise Your Dairy Best Heifer? – Larry Tranel, ISU
Hall said that Dairy Days 2024 will focus largely on a current dairy research project being conducted through ISU.
For the project, the dairy team recruited farms to measure and benchmark heifer growth. Long-term outcomes include re-evaluation of heifer inventories, changes in heifer management practices, and improved heifer performance and farm profitability. The results from this project will later be provided as bilingual resources for employees and will utilize a hybrid approach to provide in-person and virtual offerings to our audience.
The project is led by ISU Extension and Outreach Dairy Specialist Gail Carpenter, who worked in industry as a dairy technical services nutritionist before returning to academia in 2021 as a faculty member at ISU. Currently, Dr. Carpenter serves at the State Dairy Extension specialist and coaches the ISU Dairy Challenge team.
From the data collected, Dr. Carpenter will share information and help plot changes in best management practices for producers to grow the right number of more profitable heifers in their operations.
Several top suggestions that Dr. Carpenter will discuss include:

• Heifer maturity will make or break her performance. Efficiently managing the RIGHT number of replacement heifers is key, but it is not just about quantity, but also quality. Ensuring that these heifers reach 80-85 percent of their mature body weight at first calving is crucial for health and production. This approach not only optimizes their future productivity but also contributes to the overall success of the dairy farm.
• Find a system that you can stick to. Tailor your data collection process to fit your farm’s unique needs and management style. There is no sense in setting up a complicated system that you won’t follow through on. Make sure it is sustainable for your operation.
• Share the data with your consultants. Your nutritionist, veterinarian, AI company, extension specialist, and more are all interested in this data if you collect it. They can provide valuable insights to help you make the most of this information.
  Registering for Dairy Days 2024
  Check-in for all Dairy Days locations starts at 9:45 a.m. and the program will conclude by 2:30 p.m. There is no cost to attend the program. However, registration is encouraged to plan for the noon meal and proceedings. Local sponsors will be recognized at each event.
  Pre-registration is requested by the Friday before each event to reserve a meal. Register online at https://go.iastate.edu/2024DAIRYDAYS.
  For more information, contact the ISU Extension and Outreach Dairy Field Specialist in your area: in Northwest Iowa, Fred M. Hall, 712-737-4230 or fredhall@iastate.edu; in Northeast Iowa, Jennifer Bentley, 563-382-2949 or jbentley@iastate.edu; in East Central Iowa, Larry Tranel, 563-583-6496 or tranel@iastate.edu; in Ames, Dr. Gail Carpenter, 515-294-9085 or ajcarpen@iastate.edu.