MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Dairy producers from across the state will converge on Tylertown on May 22 to learn the latest research-based recommendations for running a successful operation in 2003.

The Mississippi State University Statewide Dairy Field Day, sponsored by the MSU Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, will take place at the Southwest Events Center on Highway 48. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the morning tour program will begin an hour later.

Topics for stops on the tour include:

• Summer Baleage Crops for Dairy Cattle
• Hoof Care and Thermography
• Mycoplasma Mastitis in Lactating Dairy Cattle
• New Environmental Regulations and the Dairy Industry
• Reducing Mastitis with Intramammary Treatment of Bred Heifers

The featured presentation by Mike Hutjens, Extension dairy specialist from the University of Illinois, will focus on strategies to survive low milk prices. Hutjens frequently writes nutrition articles for Hoard's Dairyman, Dairy Today and Dairy Herd Management magazines among others. He will discuss ways to find hidden dollars, build milk components and the economics of feed additives.

A sponsored lunch will be provided at noon. Signs will be posted to the events center. From Highway 98, take Highway 198 to downtown Tylertown. Turn on Highway 48 east toward Sandy Hook and go 0.5 miles. The center is on the right.

For more information, contact Extension dairy specialists Angelica Chapa at (662) 325-2851 or Wesley Farmer at (601) 835-3460. Both are available by e-mail at achapa@ext.msstate.edu and wesleyf@ext.msstate.edu.