04/02/08 Dairy website

It's a collaborative nationwide project that offers deep and broad dairy information at the click of a mouse. It's a new Web site, DAIReXNET and it's a couple of months old Thanks to education program science based information will now be available to a greater audience. University of Idaho extension personnel who worked on this web site say producers don't have to wait until 8 am for an office to open. Rather, they can go to the website and get answers to their questions quickly and even print out Spanish language materials for their employees who speak Spanish. DAIReXNET covers animal health, nutrition, calf and replacement heifer management, business and labor management, dairy marketing and policy, food safety, mastitis and milking management, reproduction management, genetics, pasture and grazing management, organic dairy farming and nutrient management. Besides fact sheets and frequently asked questions, it includes news stories, events calendars and newsletters from around the country. Eventually, it will also feature spreadsheets, calculators, decision-making tools and online learning modules. Dairy producers can see for themselves what this Web site has to offer by registering at www.extension.org and choosing Dairy Cattle. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott