SOUTHERN GREAT PLAINS DAIRY CONSORTIUM

This multi-university, interagency Consortium was established to meet the research and educational needs of the rapidly expanding dairy industry in the Southern Great Plains. The Consortium provides a framework for coordinating research, education, extension and diagnostic service programs.
The focus of the Consortium centers on developing and adapting technologies and delivering educational programs to enhance the efficiency and quality of milk production, and its related impact on the Texas economy and Southern Great Plains dairy industry.

MISSION
The mission of the Consortium is to enhance the dairy industry’s competitiveness as well as its ability to produce a safe, wholesome and competitively priced supply of milk and related products. This is achieved in an environmentally sound manner through expanded cooperative programs of the various universities, state agencies and federal agencies serving the Southern Great Plains.

GOALS

• Generate the research knowledge and technology necessary to solve current and potential production and related environmental dairy industry issues through fundamental and applied research;
• Transfer and disseminate knowledge and technologies through quality undergraduate and graduate training programs and Extension educational programs;
• Provide state-of-the-art diagnostic services to the dairy industry;
• Create an educational model that will better serve the industry and provide exposure and training to students for careers in many areas of the dairy industry.
• Develop policies and procedures to ensure that Consortium resources are addressing priority issues and used efficiently through collaborative planning and multi-disciplinary program teams;
• Use an Industry Advisory Committee to suggest program priorities;
• Develop grant opportunities and competitiveness through synergy of the resources and talents of outstanding faculty employed by the partners;
• Evaluate the effectiveness of Consortium programs;
• Develop long-term technological partnerships with producers and allied industries to gain access to necessary resources.
  
  PRIORITIES

Animal Health, Management and Well-Being Improvement in the efficiency of dairy production through animal health and management continues to be a program need identified by the industry. Previous studies have shown that illness and/or stress reduces production efficiency, lowers milk production and reduces profitability. Research is also needed to further clarify the interactions between diet components and health response to optimize both performance and immune function.

Areas of study include:
* Enhanced nutrition and care of cows, heifers and calves;
* Management of pre- and post-partum cows;
* Utilizing information technologies to enhance herd profitability;
* New diagnostic technologies to better monitor herd health and nutrition; and
* Relationships of nutrition on waste production and composition, and its related environmental impact.

Product Safety and Defense
Dairy facilities create unique environments for introduction and spread of microbiological pathogens of concern to the livestock health and consumers. In addition, bio-defense of dairies and resulting value-added consumer products is of paramount importance in assuring homeland security. Research is needed to further characterize the presence and movement of multiple drug resistant pathogenic bacteria within cattle and resulting consumer products.

Environmental Quality, Natural Resource
and Energy Management
Solutions to address environmental issues relating to confined dairy operations are a top priority program need of the Consortium. Emissions of ammonia, odor, odorous gases and volatile compounds, as well as economical manure and wastewater management systems have been targeted for expanded research. Accelerated efforts are needed to refine animal nutrient requirements to address groundwater and air quality concerns in confined operations.

Areas of study include:
* Nutrient recovery and utilization;
* Practices for air quality emissions (odor, ammonia, etc. abatement);
* Groundwater quality and conservation;
* Treatment and processing of waste to recover nutrients or biomass energy; and
* Integrated pest management utilizing cultural (sanitation, waste management, etc), biological and chemical controls.

Forage Systems
Dairy production is heavily dependent on forage production for the entire dairy herd. A holistic approach to irrigated and dryland agricultural cropping systems is needed. Groundwater conservation, efficient use and quality are essential components of sustainable production systems.

Areas of study include:
* Integrated forage and dairy production;
* Sorghum or small grains-based forage production systems;
* Nutritional quality and production efficiency of alternative forages; and
* Improved irrigation water-use efficiency.