|
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sheryl
Lichtig Wyan
Tulare, CA - If the 22 years Tom Shultz spent as dairy farm advisor for University of California Cooperative Extension in Tulare County had any one focus, it was increasing milk production by making cows more comfortable. Shultz retires Sept. 10. Shultz' research showed that water misters in cow barns cool heat-stressed cows and increase both feed intake and cow performance. This practice has been adopted by more than 75 percent of local dairies where, according to Shultz' estimates, it results in $1 million each summer in improved milk production. More recently, Shultz has found that oversized ceiling-mounted fans keep cows as cool as the more commonly used smaller wall-mounted fans. "The fan's 10-foot-long blades make it look something like a helicopter rotor on the barn ceiling," Shultz said. "It generates the same air movement as six traditional fans, but uses 85% less electricity - something particularly important considering California's energy crisis." A native of Pennsylvania, Shultz was raised on a dairy in Corning, Calif. He earned a bachelor's degree in animal science at California State University, Chico, and a master's degree in animal science at UC Davis. Graduation was followed by an 11-year stint in Venezuela, where he conducted applied nutrition research, taught animal nutrition, and worked directly with local dairy and beef ranchers. After returning to the United States, Shultz completed a doctorate degree at Oregon State University. In 1979, he joined the UC Cooperative Extension staff. At that time, he said, there were 120,000 cows in Tulare County at 236 dairies. Last year, 358,000 cows were producing milk at 303 Tulare County dairies. "Even though the number of dairies hasn't increased tremendously, cow numbers have risen dramatically over these last 20 years," Shultz said. "In 1995 Tulare became the largest dairy producing county in the nation." Shultz has made significant contributions to the industry in his research and education programs. For example, he researched seasonally available crop residues and agricultural by-products to determine whether materials that were previously considered waste could be nutritious cow feed. He evaluated steam processed orchard wood, tomato pomace, feather meal, kenaf paper processing residues, and other materials. This information continues to be used by dairy producers, nutritionists, and feed companies to reduce feed ration costs. Shultz has also been a leader in research and education efforts addressing the environmental impact of dairy farming, most notably on air and water quality. He has conducted regular environmental stewardship short courses, monitored nutrients in dairy lagoon water for use as crop fertilizer, studied the efficiency of various manure solid separators, and monitored gaseous dairy emissions. He also played an integral part in developing Tulare County dairy site location and animal density guidelines to minimize environmental impacts. Shultz published 65 dairy industry articles, 17 peer-reviewed papers, and numerous scientific abstracts. Being bilingual, he published county fact sheets and videos in Spanish and English to enhance communications between dairy managers and Hispanic milker and feeder employees. During his retirement, Shultz plans to complete the research projects he has underway, including publishing results of his work with oversized ceiling fans and an evaluation of a New Zealand-built electronic teat sprayer, which reduces labor intensive hand cleaning of cow teats before milking. Shultz
said he also plans to travel in his free time. He and his wife begin
a month-long trip to Western Europe on Sept. 14. # # # |