Having lots of data is great, but not knowing how to properly utilize it to your dairy’s advantage isn’t so great. Please join us for a presentation by Ryan Pearcy of Turntide Technologies where he will give you tools and best practices to take all of the information from each of your data streams to make effective decisions for your herd.

Dr. Mike Brouk of Kansas State University will discuss the challenges to cooling lactating cows and offer suggestions on methods to consider for different climates. He will explore options for natural and mechanical ventilation of freestall barns as well as dry lot facilities.

Please join us for a presentation from Dr. Sha Tao, an associate professor in heat stress physiology and management at the University of Georgia. The impact of postnatal heat stress on dairy calves has been seldomly studied mainly because of the notion that the calf is less susceptible to heat. However, the preweaned dairy calf has elevated body temperature when exposed to heat stress, similar to adult dairy cattle. Postnatal heat stress may have direct effects on body growth and immunity of the calves before weaning. Additionally, there may be seasonal effects on calf growth and mortality. During summer, strategies such as forced ventilation, shade and proper nutritional management may help minimize the potential impacts of heat stress on dairy calves.

Join VES-Artex Expert Charlie Hoffman as he explores how you can use climate and operational data to fine-tune your heat abatement strategy. Our goal? To help you prevent the costly side effects of heat stress before they affect your bottom line.

Please join us for this intriguing presentation by Dr. Whitney Knauer of the University of Minnesota. The presentation will delve into what is currently known about pair housing and its benefits to the calf when compared to individual housing and the current best practices for implementing this pre-weaning housing strategy.

Automated technologies have been developed and increasingly adopted within the dairy industry to not only reduce human labor requirements, but also to increase the accuracy and precision of application of various management tasks. Various forms of feeding technologies are currently available to increase our precision in feeding strategies of dairy cows. At a herd-level, this includes automated feed preparation and delivery. While, at the animal level, this includes individualized feeding opportunities, currently primarily through automated milking in lactating cows. While there are still many challenges associated with the successful implementation of such precision feeding strategies, on-going research would suggest that these opportunities will continue to grow.

Improvements in cow comfort make total sense to the “cow people”, so why don’t the “pencil pushers” get it? Tune in to learn some straight forward, simple tips and strategies on how to “sell the upgrade” and their expected benefits – both financial and non-financial – to your accountants, lenders, and investors.

Join Karl Burgi for another intriguing hoof health webinar! This session will show examples of hoof health data evaluation. Data sets will be compared to responsible risk factors including: heat stress, cow comfort, flooring and chronic hoof lesions. It will conclude with ideas for an action plan to improve animal well-being.

This discussion will focus on what we have learned from the expanding robot dairy industry in North America and unlock the secrets to successful design and management of these facilities. Dr. Nigel Cook of the Dairyland Initiative at the University of Wisconsin, Madison will discuss traffic system, feeding strategies, managing transition, health management, time budgets and provide a check list of critical design priorities.

Please join us as Steve Hamilton of Nationwide provides dairy farm owners tools and education around creating and implementing a business transition plan. Learn more on how a transition plan can help you preserve and pass on the family farm, safeguard the value of the operation, set up an orderly transition of management and ownership and diversify assets through vehicles that can provide retirement income.

Join us as we explore the concept of actively introducing fresh air into the cow’s microclimate with Dr. Mike Wolf of VES-Artex. By directing fresh air into her living space at less than 6 Ft (1.8m), this aids in improving air quality all year round. Improving cooling effectiveness in summer conditions and advantages for temperate climate winter conditions are additional benefits. This active approach is gaining traction in tropical climates, as well as an adjunct to natural ventilated facilities.

Eighty percent of the agricultural workforce speaks Spanish and language isn’t the only barrier in the U.S. Learning about a culture different than your own may feel uncomfortable but it is also necessary these days and can actually be lots of fun! Through personal stories of struggles and triumphs, join Katie Dotterer of KDP AgEducation to learn about cultural awareness and how it can help improve relationships with others.

Recommendations regarding the care and housing of dairy calves have changed dramatically over the last decade. During this presentation, Dr. von Keyserlingk will highlight the latest research undertaken on feeding and housing of the milk fed dairy calf. She will also highlight some of the areas of calf care that are likely going to receive increased attention over the next decade and areas that are in need targeted research in order to find sustainable solutions.

Recommendations regarding the care and housing of dairy calves have changed dramatically over the last decade. During this presentation, Dr. von Keyserlingk will highlight the latest research undertaken on feeding and housing of the milk fed dairy calf. She will also highlight some of the areas of calf care that are likely going to receive increased attention over the next decade and areas that are in need targeted research in order to find sustainable solutions.

Dr. Fricke will overview two recent studies to optimize use of sexed semen in dairy herds. The first study evaluated timing of AI relative to induction of ovulation in primiparous Holstein cows. The second study evaluated three strategies for submission of nonlactating Holstein dairy heifers for first AI and included an economic analysis.