MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University will host two dairy field days June 28 and 29 to meet the educational needs of dairy producers in the state.

The 2011 MSU North Mississippi Dairy Field Day will be held June 28 in Verona at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center. The 2011 MSU South Mississippi Dairy Field Day will be held June 29 in Tylertown at the Southwest Events Center Indoor Conference Facility.

“In making plans for these events, a common theme continued rising to the top of the list of concerns facing Mississippi dairy producers: milk quality and lowering somatic cell counts, widely known in the dairy industry as SCCs,” said Lamar Adams, MSU Extension dairy specialist and event coordinator. “We secured knowledgeable leaders in the field of dairy production in the southeastern United States to address these issues for our dairy farmers.”

Stan Welch is the director of the Milk and Bottled Water Division of the Mississippi Department of Health. He will give an update on important issues discussed and actions taken during the 2011 National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments held in Baltimore in early May.

Stephen Nickerson is a professor in the University of Georgia’s Department of Animal and Dairy Science. He is widely respected as an authority on mastitis research. He will address strategies dairy producers can use to reduce SCCs within their herds to improve milk quality and prevent problems associated with mastitis infections.

Gary Hay is a professor in Louisiana State University Agricultural Center’s School of Animal Sciences. He will draw upon his experiences in dairy management to discuss practical ways to monitor individual cows within herds to maintain production of high quality milk. He will focus on negative impacts high SCCs have on cow health and milk production and associated financial losses.

Both field days are free and open to dairy producers and those involved with the dairy industry. The program is the same at each location, with registration and exhibits opening at 8:30 a.m., educational presentations beginning at 9:05 a.m., and activities concluding with a sponsored lunch at 12:30 p.m.

“The opportunity to have this caliber of expertise at our educational events doesn’t present itself often. We want our dairy farmers take full advantage of learning important information shared by these educators at the field day of their choice,” Adams said.

For more information, contact Adams at (662) 325-2852 or lamara@ext.msstate.edu.