In case the world’s best dairy cattle, most innovative companies, cherished connections with peers and world-renowned grilled cheese sandwiches aren’t enough to attract you to Madison, Wis., each fall, World Dairy Expo also takes pride in providing educational opportunities that can help advance dairy at both the farm and industry levels. From Knowledge Nook Sessions to Tanbark Talks, and seminars to farm tours, there is a topic and a presentation style to fit every interest in dairy.
“When I think about World Dairy Expo, I think about the cream of the crop — the premier, high-level cows,” says Paul Virkler, DVM, Senior Extension Associate, Cornell University. “That venue is certainly where the best of the best from cattle and genetics surface, so I think educating the audiences that are there, because they’re supporting the greatest potential cows, makes a lot of sense. It’s a great opportunity to move the needle.”
Importance of Proper Milking Procedures
Virkler will cover a topic that has “bubbled back” to the surface in recent years due to new research: bimodal milking. Through a presentation entitled, “Milking Cows Quickly, Gently and Completely: Can we Consistently Achieve all Three,”
Virkler will focus on aspects and timing in the milking routine that would prevent cows from a bimodal letdown.
Virkler says while his message applies to anyone owning or working on farms, he keeps his talks geared toward milkers. “I think it’s something that they’re going to be able to take back to their farm immediately and change something to make their farm better, more economically viable, as well as from a cattle welfare standpoint. This topic hits all of those angles,” he says. “If we get it right and prevent mastitis, we use less antibiotics, we lose fewer cows. They can take it home and immediately change what they’re doing.”
Expo en Español: Safety Training
Sessions in Spanish were first offered at World Dairy Expo in 2021, filling a gap for a large percentage of attendees, not only in terms of laborers from the U.S., but also visitors from Spain, Portugal, South America and Mexico. Juan Quezada, Training and Development Director for Milk Source is a returning presenter for a session delivered in Spanish. His 2022 topic is safety training. Quezada says the topic of safety often isn’t as attractive as some of the classes on production, reproduction and feed.
“My main message is ‘Safety starts with you.’ Milk, SCC, bacteria — it’s all important, but what happens when somebody is hurt? Sometimes we forget about safety. When you’re the owner of a dairy and you show that you care about safety, everyone will care about safety.”
“We come to World Dairy Expo and feel very excited for the seminars, seeing friends and neighbors, but I think the most important is if you learn something, put it in practice on your dairy and share your knowledge,” Quezada says. “If you know something, share it.”
Federal Milk Marketing Orders
Jim Sleper is a consultant for National Milk Producers Federation. He’s currently leading the task force to propose updated federal milk marketing orders.
“No major changes have been made since 2000,” Sleper says. “That’s a 20-year span with no changes in an industry that has changed a lot. We need to look at ways to modernize it, and we are in the process of a comprehensive look at changes for that.”
According to Sleper, it’s imperative for farmers to understand how their milk check is comprised, how milk orders work and how they need to be updated for the changes occurring in the industry. He says the timing of his presentation at World Dairy Expo will be perfect, as the task force plans to have their proposals ready to go before USDA by fall of 2022.
The session offers a unique opportunity for discussion. “We’ll primarily be sharing, but we will also be looking to answer questions and accept any input that might fine-tune what we have. We are trying to be collaborative and seek especially constructive input.”
