The Dairy Calf and Heifer Association announces the agenda and theme for its annual conference. The 2017 conference is set for April 11-13 in Madison, with the theme “Sky’s the Limit.”

“We are looking forward to attending the conference again this year. Each year we take new tidbits of information back home to make our operations better,” says Daphne Holterman of Rosy-Lane Holsteins in Watertown. “I like DCHA because we’re all committed to calves and all have a passion for calves.”

Last year’s conference drew more than 500 dairy calf and heifer raisers from 27 states and 10 countries, representing more than 1 million cattle.

Schedule highlights
Producer panels, presentations and breakout sessions will discuss hot-button topics. The conference will also include on-farm sessions and tours, and postconference demonstrations by the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. ­­­­

There will be farm tours with a focus on calf and heifer management at two progressive Wisconsin dairies:  Endres Jazzy Jerseys and Ziegler Dairy Farm.

Breakout sessions will include the following topics: dynamic growth of replacement heifers, group housing do’s and don'ts, new strategies for heifer reproduction, and BRD prevention and treatment.

Producer panel topics will be employee management perspectives and animal handling protocols.

Presentation topics:
- Rethinking colostrum by Dr. Mike Van Amburgh, Cornell University
- Farmer-consumer relationships by Stan Erwine, Dairy Management Inc.
- Turning employees into fans by Ruby Newell-Legner, 7 Star Service
- Nutritional strategies to improve health by Dr. Michael Ballou, Texas Tech University
- Animal welfare issues by Dr. Marina von Keyserlingk, University of British Columbia
- Calves, consumers and communication moderated by Emily Yeiser Stepp, National Milk Producers Federation

View the full schedule and seminar descriptions online.

To attend the conference, register soon. You can do so online at calfandheifer.org under the “Conference” tab. Trade-show registration is also open. Attendees will have numerous chances during the event to browse the trade show. To reserve booth space, email [email protected].

For more information about the 2017 DCHA Conference or to become a member, visit calfandheifer.org, call 855-400-3242 or email [email protected]. 

Source: DCHA