Each year at World Dairy Expo, attendees leave the event inspired after soaking in knowledge gained throughout the week. Attendees walk away with new-found wisdom and this year will be no exception as education continues to be a central focus at World Dairy Expo.
According to Laura Herschleb, education contractor for World Dairy Expo, education at Expo has always been a main pillar of what is offered to attendees each year. “Our Expo Seminars and Virtual Farm Tours have long been popular attractions to hear about the latest industry trends and updates, and this year will be no different.”
Expo engages with the WDE Education Advisory Committee who help provide both topic
and speaker ideas for the Expo Seminars. “We are always looking for topics that will appeal to our global audience and can be applied back home,” Herschleb adds.
This year’s topics feature industry experts sharing their insights. “We hope attendees make a point to attend the educational programs,” Herschleb says. “All Expo Seminars, Virtual Farm Tours, Dairy Forage
Seminars and Expo en Español are broadcast live on ExpoTV, and can be accessed and viewed the other 360 days of the year at worlddairyexpo.com.”
New this year are Tanbark Talks and Expo en Español, which complement the existing educational programs.
Tankbark Talks
Relocated to the Arena Building, The Tanbark will start with Tanbark Talks at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings.
On Wednesday, Dairy Management Inc. will present a dairy transformation presentation, “Farming Forward Through Enhanced Innovation and Farm Profitability.” This will feature a virtual talk from Bob Johansen, from the Institute for the Future, followed by an in-person panel.
On Thursday morning, Farm Journal’s “U.S. Farm Report” Host Tyne Morgan will host a one-hour session featuring a panel focused on markets, industry news and trends. Some of the session will be used for the episode of the “U.S. Farm Report,” to air the weekend of Oct. 2-3.
On Friday morning, renowned speaker, podcast host and author, Damian Mason, will present, “This Business Called Agriculture.”
Tanbark Talks are still being developed for Tuesday and Saturday — for the most up-to-date information, you can visit worlddairyexpo.com.
Expo en Español
Expo’s educational opportunities are also growing this year to include seminars presented in Spanish for dairy owners, managers and mid-managers. These seminars are designed to provide valuable information for on-farm personnel and will take place Wednesday through Friday at 2 p.m. in the Exhibition Hall. The session titles include:
- Wednesday: Five Practices to Strengthen a Diverse Farm Team
- Thursday: How to Excel to a Leadership Position
- Friday: Strategies to Have Engaged Employees and Reduce Turnover
“A large percent of dairy labor in the U.S. is Hispanic, and we must educate that our daily efforts are essential and important to feed our planet,” says Juan Quezada, director of training and development at Milk Source, LLC. “Expo also has had visitors from Latin America and Spain that will prefer seminars in their native language.”
With a large percent of dairy labor in the U.S. being Hispanic, Quezada applauds Expo for offering this kind of education in Spanish. “This is new for all of us, and I hope this is the beginning of something that will grow with time,” he says.
While these sessions are offered in Spanish, Quezada encourages everyone who understands Spanish to attend as the experience and skills of the instructors are invaluable.
Educational Staples
Marking the 20th year of Virtual Farm Tours, Expo is excited to continue this tradition once again with a new slate of eight farm hosts.
“The eight tours offered throughout the week give exhibitors and attendees knowledge to take back to their farms,” says Mikayla DeBoer, Expo Trade Show Coordinator.
Located in the Atrium of the Exhibition Hall, Knowledge Nook Sessions take place every hour, starting at 9:30 a.m., and the last session starting at 2:30 p.m., each day. They feature the latest in products, research and services available to the industry.
In addition, the World Forage Analysis Superbowl brings Dairy Forage Seminars to the event Wednesday through Saturday. New this year includes the Dairy Forage Seminars showcased on a larger stage in their new home in the Trade Center. The display showcasing the winning forage samples will also be available for viewing in the Trade Center.
The heart of the show is education, so naturally attendees will walk away informed, engaged and inspired after visiting World Dairy Expo 2021.
