Custom Raising Dairy Heifers: Expectations and Perspectives of Wisconsin Dairy Producers

Posted August 2008

This survey explored the views, opinions and perceptions of Wisconsin dairy producers about custom grazing heifers. Findings included:

  • All types of Wisconsin dairy producers perceive that grazing has positive implications for the health and productivity of dairy heifers.
  • In order to appeal to Wisconsin dairy producers, potential custom grazing heifer operations must be cost competitive.
  • Confinement operations are most likely to consider custom heifer raising as a management option, but are reluctant to consider custom heifer rearing for the summer only.
  • Wisconsin dairy producers seem adverse to custom heifer rearing businesses where heifers are grazed in the summer on one operation and sent to another confinement operation in the winter.
  • Any custom heifer business requires attention to cost and disease control to appeal to the concerns of dairy producers.

Read this report (PDF)
Related publication: Dairy farmers share custom heifer raising preferences (Research Brief #75)

Vegetable Storage Crops Workshop

Learn how to extend your marketing season by growing and selling winter storage crops like carrots, beets, winter squash, cabbage, potatoes, onions, garlic and more. This workshop will be held on December 4 in Hudson and December 11 in Madison. For details, see the workshop flyer. Hope to see you there!

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CIAS in the community

CIAS Hosts Annual Meeting of Eco-Apple Growers

On Thursday, November 12, CIAS hosted its annual meeting of apple growers engaged in its Eco-Apple pesticide reduction program. Notably, the group of 48 growers celebrated the successful completion of a six-year effort designed to reduce the use of pesticides on orchards throughout Wisconsin. During the course of the program, all reporting orchards demonstrated a reduced reliance on pesticides in favor of a diversity of IPM strategies, and some realized a near-total elimination of organophosphate applications. CIAS thanks its team of growers for their enthusiastic and committed participation. In particular, CIAS wishes to thank Dave Flannery, Wendy Schafer, Bill Stone and Anna Maenner for their fortitude in seeing this phase of the project through to a successful conclusion. UW rsearchers Dan Mahr, Patty McManus, Matt Stasiak and Teryl Roper have been critical to the project’s success. Thanks also to EPA-V and the USDA for their support and encouragement.

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