High Plains Dairy Conference returns to Amarillo on March 6-7

The High Plains Dairy Conference, hosted by the Texas Animal Nutrition Council, will be March 6 to 7 at Embassy Suites, 550 S. Buchanan St., Amarillo.

“This conference is expected to bring in about 300 dairy and allied industry representatives from a five-state region to hear updates from national experts that can help them improve their management and address industry issues,” said Ellen Jordan, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state dairy specialist in Dallas.

Jordan said because the High Plains region is unique within the dairy industry, due to dairy size, locations and complexities, the conference is held every two years to address specific issues such as animal welfare, adoption of new technologies, and labor and management. The conference was held in Lubbock in 2014 and 2016, but returns to Amarillo this year.

Conference registration is $250 for the first registrant from a dairy and $200 for each additional participant from the same dairy. March 7 participation only is $100. All registrations must be postmarked by Feb. 8 or the fee increases to $275 per person. The fee includes two lunches, the March 6 evening reception and a copy of the conference proceedings.

Online registration and other conference information is available at http://highplainsdairy.org/. Registration forms should be mailed to High Plains Dairy Conference, TANC C/O FASS, 1800 S. Oak St., Suite 100, Champaign, Illinois 61820. For questions, call 575-693-8238.

Check-in and registration for the conference will begin at 6:30 a.m. each day and the seminar will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 6 and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 7.

The following speakers and topics are scheduled:

Aga Dobrowolska Perry, RaboResearch Food & Agriculture senior dairy analyst, St. Louis, Missouri—World Dairy Outlook, Markets and Trade.

Joe Outlaw, AgriLife Extension economist and co-director of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University, College Station—Update on Farm Bill Progress.

Kevin Dhuyvetter, Elanco technical consultant, Manhattan, Kansas—Surviving or Thriving? Key Profitability Drivers in the Dairy Industry.

Norm St-Pierre, Perdue AgriBusiness Animal Nutrition research and technical services director, Salisbury, Maryland—Technologies for Rating and Ranking Feedstuffs by Economic Value.

Chris Ashworth, Zinpro Corp. ruminant veterinarian, Fort Smith, Arkansas—A Producer’s Quandary: How to Produce More with Fewer Modern Technologies.

Gustavo Schuenemann, Ohio State University Extension dairy veterinarian, Columbus, Ohio—Optimizing Personnel Management with Emphasis on Dairy Cattle Welfare.

Ric Grummer, University of Wisconsin-Madison professor—Update on Transition Cow Management.

Geoffrey Dahl, University of Florida animal sciences department chair, Gainesville, Florida—Effects of Period Heat Stress on Dam and Daughter.

Luis Mendonca, Kansas State University Extension dairy herd management specialist, Manhattan, Kansas—Managing Reproduction of Lactating Dairy Cows with Limited Use of Timed AI Programs.

Barbara Jones, Tarleton State University Southwest Regional Dairy Center director, Tarleton—Evaluation of Heat Stress Abatement on High Plains Dairy Farms.

Joe Harner, Kansas State University biological and agricultural engineering department head, Do Cows Have the Right Amount of Water When and Where They Want It?

Panel discussion moderators and topics scheduled throughout the two days will be:

Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, AgriLife Extension agricultural law specialist, Amarillo—Navigating the Dairy Workforce Crisis;

Robert Hagevoort, New Mexico State University Extension dairy specialist, Clovis, New Mexico—Change the Tide on Turnover;

Jordan—Transition Cow Management and Heat Stress; and

Ron Gill, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist, College Station—Key Factors of Beef on Dairy.