Chris Church
“The 'Business' of Dairy Farming: How do Production and Profit Relate?” & “How Can You Make Better Use of Your Advisors?”
Session information coming soon!
Speaker Bio
Chris is a three-time graduate of the University of Guelph (OAC96, OVC00, and Lang23). He practiced as a dairy veterinarian for 15 years and spent six years with Elanco Animal Health, where he focused on improving farm businesses. He recently completed his Master’s in Business. His research focused on linking production to farm profits. He is a farm business coach and the owner of Central Dairy Solutions, where he provides producers with teaching and benchmarking to improve financial clarity.
Sponsored by:
John Gerbitz
“You Can’t Hide a Lame Cow in Your Robot”
Cow Corner helps to develop elite robotic dairies by stressing the importance of dairy herd management fundamentals. We all recognize the importance of bunk management, cow comfort, transition management, and efficient reproduction on any dairy. Each of those is more important on robotic dairies because all of them influence whether or not cows come to the robot. This presentation will explain how.
Speaker Bio
John Gerbitz is self-employed as a robotic milking management consultant for Cow Corner LLC. He created Cow Corner to help customers improve performance and profitability of their box robotic milking systems with a structured monitoring and consultation program. Before creating Cow Corner, John worked as a Dairy Advisor for DeLaval. He was also a technician, trainer, product manager, and reproductive management consultant for a Select Sires member cooperative. John began his 40 year dairy industry career as a dairy farmer. He and his wife Christine live in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin. They have four daughters, one son, and nine grandchildren.
Sponsored by:
Keith Dicker
Session Info
Session information coming soon!
Speaker Bio
Speaker bio information coming soon!
Sponsored by:
Nigel Cook
Session Info
Session information coming soon!
Speaker Bio
Speaker bio information coming soon!
Sponsored by:
Peter Erickson
“Factors Affecting Colostrum Quality and Yield”
Colostrum is one of the most important products in the dairy industry. Due to the placental type, calves and other pre-ruminants must acquire passive immunity via colostrum. Therefore, it is imperative that good quality (>50 g/IgG) provide at least 200 g IgG. Factors such as nutrition, including energy and protein, will be discussed. Management factors such as dry period length, environmental temperature, and previous production parameters will be discussed along with a model specifically for Jersey cows, where producers and advisors can predict colostrum yield and IgG yield. New data from our laboratory, including nutrition and management recommendations, will be shared.
Speaker Bio
Pete Erickson received his Ph. D. in Dairy Science from the University of Illinois in 1989. From 1989 until 1997, he served as a technical service manager and nutritionist with Ralston Purina Canada, Hoffmann-LaRoche, and Agri-King. From 1997 to the present day, he has been on the faculty at the University of New Hampshire, receiving tenure in 2003 and being promoted to full professor in 2012. He teaches five dairy-related courses each year, including: lactation, technical writing, dairy nutrition, and farm management. His research interest lies primarily around improving colostrum quality and immunity in the newborn, along with calf and heifer nutrition. He has mentored 25 MS students, served on the committee of 25 other graduate students, and mentored 6 Ph.D. students. Currently, he is mentoring 1 MS student and 2 Ph.D. students. He works on the editorial board of Animal Feed Science and Technology, Animal Nutrition, and Frontiers in Animal Science. He has authored or co-authored 71 peer-reviewed articles and four book chapters. He is the current Past- President of the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists. He and his wife Kathy, live on a small farm in New Durham, NH, and are the parents of two daughters.
Sponsored by:
Sara Pederson
“Kicking out Digital Dermatitis” & “Top Tips for Tip Top Foot Health”
Digital dermatitis is a challenging issue in many herds, however, with a strategic approach it can be brought under control and kept under control for the long term. This presentation covers the current evidence base surrounding the treatment and prevention of digital dermatitis and an on-farm protocol to help break the cycle of infection.
Digital dermatitis is a challenging issue in many herds, however, with a strategic approach it can be brought under control and kept under control for the long term. This presentation covers the current evidence base surrounding the treatment and prevention of digital dermatitis and an on-farm protocol to help break the cycle of infection.
Speaker Bio
Dr. Sara Pedersen BSc BVetMed CertCHP DBR MRCVS. RCVS Recognized Specialist in Cattle Health and Production. Sara is a veterinary specialist with Farm Dynamics Ltd, an international consultancy business, based in South Wales, UK. Her focus is to provide sustainable, cost-effective solutions based on evidence-based research and cost-benefit analysis. Sara has specific expertise in cattle lameness and has completed a PhD in cattle foot trimming from the University of Nottingham. Alongside her consultancy work she also provides input into national lameness strategies through her position the UK Dairy Cattle Mobility Steering Group and as Chair of the Welsh Government Animal Health and Welfare Framework Group.
Sponsored by:
Sarah Stocks
“Quality Forage for a Strong Foundation”
This presentation will cover strategies and solutions that can be used to make high quality silage. We will review harvesting practices and fermentation challenges along with best practices for driving a successful harvest.
Speaker Bio
Dr. Sarah Stocks is based in New Woodstock, New York, supporting the Northeast U.S. and eastern Canada dairy regions. She holds a doctorate in animal science from Michigan State University, along with degrees from the University of Wisconsin and Cornell University.
Stocks combines strong academic training with practical dairy experience, working closely with nutritionists, veterinarians and producers to deliver science-based solutions that support herd health and profitability. She is recognized for translating complex research into clear, actionable strategies. Her industry experience includes ration formulation, on-farm consulting and technical support, with work in prebiotic and probiotic applications.
Sponsored by: Lallemand Animal Nutrition