05/13/08 Dairy BQA booklet

Jason Ahola believes that Idaho dairy producers could make more money on the sale of cull animals. AHOLA "Figure out ways to, number one add value to those cows and then number two to try to create a marketplace that demands higher quality cows." The University of Idaho Extension beef specialist says if producers manage cows for eventual beef products like they manage for milk products they could double the current five percent income they get from cull sales. AHOLA "Treat them like you would your replacement heifers that you send off and have somebody else develop. Send your cull cows off and have somebody else feed them so you don't have to worry about them anymore and they're managed by someone who has a lot of experience." Ahola says with 500 thousand dairy cows in Idaho and about 35 percent culled each year that's a potential for 175 thousand culled animals. Ahola and other U of I team members have released a new 16 page training guide called Idaho Dairy Beef Quality Assurance. The booklet is printed in English and Spanish. Copies will also be available at the cooperative extension website or by emailing beef@uidaho.edu. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott