The Dairy Calf and Heifer Association (DCHA) will become one of the first U.S. agricultural organizations to resume in-person event programming at its 2021 Annual Conference and Trade Show, scheduled for April 6-8 near Appleton, Wis.
With a theme of “25 Years of Growing Your Dairy’s Future,” DCHA also is offering a livestreaming option for those who would like to join the conference from home.
An in-person, pre-conference tour to Shiloh Dairy near Brillion, Wis. is slated for Tuesday, April 6. Shiloh Dairy is a 2,600-cow facility consisting of mostly Holsteins, along with a small herd of registered Brown Swiss. The Speirs family relocated the dairy from Alberta, Canada to Wisconsin in 2003, and have grown it eight-fold since then.
Shiloh Dairy raises all of its own replacements and strategically utilizes embryo transfer and beef crossbreeding to maximize calf and heifer values. The Speirs family and their staff will share their insights on maternity and calf care, and how they achieve an annual calf death loss of less than 1%.
Expert speakers throughout the conference include:
- Dr. Theresa Ollivett, assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, who will speak on the DCHA Gold Standards for successful calf and heifer rearing.
- Dr. Alex Bach, world-renown heifer nutrition expert with the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, Barcelona, Spain. Bach will discuss key aspects of solid feed for calves from birth to post-weaning.
- Dr. Amelia Woolums, professor at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine and calf immunity expert, who will present, “Vaccinating calves and heifers: Why do we do what we do.”
Featured speaker Matt Rush, “The Gooder Guy,” will share messages to inspire participants to grow and evolve in their role as agriculturalists. His keynote speech, “There’s a Snake on My Bumper,” will address how the general public has become more removed from the American farm, and the importance of telling agriculture’s story.
The event’s trade show will feature an engaging array of dairy calf and heifer vendors. These DCHA partners provide leading products, services and technologies to help you manage a successful dairy calf and/or heifer enterprise. Check the DCHA “Young Stock Alley” webpage to view trade show partners’ information.
You can read about the conference in greater detail here, and register for the event here. The Red Lion Hotel Paper Valley will serve as the DCHA Annual Conference and Trade Show host site. Lodging reservations can be made via the hotel website, or by calling 920-733-8000.
