Heifers for State

AgBIO COMMUNICATIONS UNIT
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY

Heifers for State supports SDSU dairy programs
For release: 8-15-2006
Contact: Vikram Mistry, (605) 688-5731

BROOKINGS, S.D. - A new SDSU-producer partnership program will support projects in the Dairy Science Department at South Dakota State University that ultimately benefit the dairy industry of the state and region.

SDSU Dairy Science Department Head Vikram Mistry said the Heifers for State program is inspired by Steers for State, the popular fundraising program for the SDSU rodeo team. In both programs, a producer donates an animal, which is sold to raise money for needed activities or improvements.

Darrel Rennich, lecturer in the Dairy Science Department and manager of the Dairy Research and Training Facility, said the response from producers has been immediate.

“We’ve had a very successful start. We contacted 13 producers, and each of them supported the idea and made a commitment,” he said.

The heifers will be sold at the Central Plains Fall Sale held at SDSU on Oct. 21. At the sale, cattle from producers in South Dakota and surrounding states will be merchandised, and the Heifers for State animals will be included as a designated group.

A donated animal can be of any breed and any age, as long as it is a dairy heifer with a pedigree. “Producers will be selecting animals that are top quality, because it does represent their herd,” Rennich says.

The producers keep and raise the donated animals until the sale approaches. “We’ll collect the heifers a few weeks before the sale to get them clipped off and halter broke, so we can present them really well.”

The funds raised through this program will be used for various projects that will help enhance dairy research and teaching programs at SDSU. This could include facility improvements, research equipment, or support for the dairy judging teams.

The Dairy Science Department will host a research day in the spring, inviting producers who donated animals to Heifers for State, as well as others who are interested in the program.

“This is where we really feel the producer-SDSU partnership will be maximized. Our facilities will be showcased, there will be interactions between Dairy Science faculty and producers, and we will listen to the ideas of producers to find out what their biggest challenges are, especially in the nutrition area. These discussions should help develop programs for the future,” Mistry said.

Rennich says he is confident that more producers will join the program. “There is tremendous support for the Dairy Science Department from the industry, and the producers are excited about this. They firmly believe in our quality of education and the students who are graduating from our program. Heifers for State is going to enhance the whole dairy science program. The students are going to benefit, the researchers will benefit, and the producers will benefit from it.”

For more information about the Heifers for State Program or to participate, contact Department Head Vikram Mistry by phone at (605) 688-5731, or by e-mail at vikram.mistry@sdstate.edu.
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15 August 2006

Lance Nixon, Editor
AgBio Communications Unit
South Dakota State University
ACC, Box 2231, Rm 200
Brookings, SD 57007
Telephone: (605) 688-4653
LANCE_NIXON@SDSTATE.EDU

South Dakota State University / Dairy Science Department
Dairy Microbiology Rm 109 / Phone: 605-688-4116
College of Agricultural and Biological Sciences