High Plains Dairy Conference set for March 3-4

High Plains Dairy Conference set for March 3-4 in Amarillo

The High Plains Dairy Conference will be March 3-4 in the Embassy Suites, 550 S. Buchanan St. in Amarillo. Conference chairs expect about 300 dairy industry representatives from across the U.S. are expected to attend.

The conference will begin with registration each day at 6:30 a.m., with the seminars starting at 8 a.m.

The “early bird” registration fee is $275 for the first registrant if postmarked by Feb. 3. An exclusive option for producers is that they can register each additional participant from the same dairy for $225 by Feb. 3. After, the registration fee will be $300 each. A one-day registration for March 3 is available for $150.

Online registration is available at http://www.highplainsdairy.org. Those who print and choose to mail the registration form should send it to: High Plains Dairy Conference, Attn: Charlotte Bruna, 244 Cyclone Lane, Waterville, Kansas. 66548. Questions can be addressed by calling Bruna at 785-747-6313.

Topics and speakers will be:

Dairy Economic Outlook

            – World Dairy Outlook and Trade, Will Sawyer, CoBank lead economist, Atlanta.

            – Dairy Legislative Outlook and Implications for Producers in the High Plains Region, Beverly Idsinga, Dairy Producers of New Mexico executive director, Roswell, New Mexico; Ryan Miltner, attorney, New Knoxville, Ohio, and Paul Bleiberg, National Milk Producers Federation, NMPF, vice president-government relations, Washington, D.C.

            – Financial Pulse of the Dairy Industry 2020, Steve Bodart, Compeer Financial senior dairy consultant, Osseo, Minnesota.

Nutrition and Animal Health

            – Feeding the Cows the Best We Know: It Starts With the Rumen, Jeff Firkins, Ph.D., Ohio State University professor, dairy nutrition.

            – Understanding Stress and Its Effects on Dairy Cattle, Jeff Carroll, Ph.D., U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service research leader, Lubbock.

            – Pain Management for Dairy, Hans Coetzee, Ph.D., Kansas State University Department of Anatomy and Physiology head.

            – Panel Presentation and Discussion: FARM 4.0 Update and Implementation, and What is Next, Emily Yeiser-Stepp, NMPF senior director of Farmers Assuring Responsible Management, FARM, program, Arlington, Virginia; Angela Anderson, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy customer outreach director, San Marcos; Brandon Treichler, DVM, Select Milk Producers quality control veterinarian, Amarillo; Steve Maddox, Riverdale, California, producer.

            – Panel Presentation and Discussion: Bovine and Human TB – What Are the Risks and Realities for Producers and Dairy Workers? Juan Piñeiro, DVM, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension dairy specialist, Amarillo; Ralph Zimmerman, DVM, New Mexico state veterinarian, Albuquerque; Maddox; Anabel Rodriguez, Ph.D., University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health research coordinator, San Antonio.

Reproduction and Transition Cow Management

            – Optimizing Voluntary Waiting Period, Julio Giordano, Ph.D., Cornell University associate professor, Ithaca, New York.

            – Transition Cow Management: What Is the Latest? José Santos, DVM, Ph.D., University of Florida dairy cattle nutrition and reproduction professor, Gainesville, Florida.

Youngstock Management

            – The Bottom Line: Replacement Heifer Economics, Kevin Dhuyvetter, Ph.D., Elanco technical consultant, Topeka, Kansas.

            – Optimizing Replacement Programs, Gavin Staley, DVM, Diamond V Mills veterinarian, Turlock, California.

Groundwater Situation on the High Plains

Round Robin: We All Need Water. What’s New on the High Plains? Topics will be:

            – Forage Sorghum vs. Corn Silage: Effects of Water Stress on Silage Quality, Jourdan Bell, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agronomist, Amarillo.

            – Irrigation Scheduling and Emerging Technologies, Gary Marek, Ph.D., USDA-ARS agricultural engineer, Bushland.

            – Irrigation Innovations: Irrigation is Going High Tech, Thomas Marek, Texas A&M AgriLife Research senior research engineer, Amarillo.

            – Innovative Wastewater Technologies, Zong Liu, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension specialist, College Station.

            – Alternative Water Options: Salinity and What’s Up with the Dockum Aquifer? Dana Porter, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agricultural engineer-water management, Lubbock.

Workforce Development and Training

            – Release of latest workforce training video: Feeds & Feeding, A Noble Purpose, Robert Hagevoort, Ph.D., New Mexico State University Topliff Dairy Chair and Extension dairy specialist, Clovis, New Mexico.

For more information, contact Piñeiro at 806-677-5600 or [email protected], or Hagevoort at 806-786-3421 or [email protected].