FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 20, 2007

Editors Note: Media representatives may receive complimentary registration for this event. To receive press credentials, please return the attached registration form so that we may have materials, seating, and lunch available for you. We look forward to your attendance. Thank you.

Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania August Educational Meeting in Gettysburg

Synchronized® Nutrition will be the topic of a professional development meeting being held by the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania (PDMP) on Thursday, August 2, 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. John Hess will host the event at JoBo Holstein Farm, LLC near Gettysburg and will offer a tour of the farm following the morning’s educational program.

Exploring the coordination of corn grain and silage in diets for lactating dairy cows will be Dr. David Weakly from the LongView Animal Nutrition Center, Gray Summit, MO. Raised on a cow/calf operation in Oklahoma, he held onto farm values and in 1998, he became the Director of Dairy Research for Purina Mills, with additional responsibilities for the Land O’Lakes Purina Feed Dairy research program in 2002.

While nutritionists place limits on dietary starch in an attempt to control effects on rumen function and lactational performance, ruminal degradability is likely the more descriptive variable affecting animal metabolism. Many factors affect ruminal starch degradability. This presentation will identify these factors and attempt to describe their impact on rumen function, animal metabolism, nutrient partitioning, and milk component yield.

Synchronized® Nutrition, was developed by Land O'Lakes Purina Feed research. The program involves selecting and planting corn grain and silage hybrids from various categories that reflect certain characteristics for ruminal starch and NDF digestibility.

Producers from operations of all sizes have attested to the value of these sessions in both for their educational content and networking opportunity. More than 130 producers and suppliers attended PDMP’s June professional development meeting.

The registration fee is only $15 for any individual from a PDMP member farm or business. To help non-members understand the value of these exceptional meetings, PDMP extends an open invitation to all the Commonwealth’s dairy producers to attend one professional development meeting at the member rate. The standard non-member fee is $50 per person.

To get more information and to register online, visit PDMP’s website, www.pdmp.org and click on the events button. Future professional development meetings include:

• Nov. 8 – Partnerships and Outside Investors with Dr. Don Niles from Dairy Dreams in Wisconsin, to be held at Elizabethtown College, followed by a tour of Meadow-Vista Farms, Bainbridge.
• Feb. 6 and 7, 2008 - PA Dairy Summit, Lancaster Host Resort, Lancaster

PDMP is an organization of progressive, positive-minded dairy producers and agribusiness leaders. Its mission is to advance the dairy industry in Pennsylvania through improved productivity and profitability. For more information on PDMP, visit their website at www.pdmp.org or email info@pdmp.org.