Nearly 200 dairy industry professional attended the National Mastitis Council regional in Syracuse, NY.  During the council attendees toured New York State dairy operations that exemplify the quality of U.S. dairy industry.  Participants were able to choose specialized, interactive short courses with practical ways to improve their dairies.

“This year’s regional meeting was an excellent learning opportunity for dairy industry professionals and dairy producers who were interested in strengthening milk quality programs and increasing dairy profitability,” says Anne Saeman, NMC’s executive director.

The main conference program covered a wide variety of topics ranging from managing milking centers to increase performance and designing pathogen-based treatment protocols. Participants joined in a panel discussion on the role of marketing cooperatives in maintaining milk quality. In addition to learning from experts during programs, producers and dairy consultants in attendance made use of professional networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities.

The event included tours of four farms in the state of New York, including Sunnyside Farms, Venice Center; Shepherd’s Way Sheep and Goat Dairy, Locke; Hatfield Farm, Scipio Center; and Fessenden Dairy, King Ferry. Participants got first-hand looks at a 3,600-cow dairy with a 100-stall rotary parlor, a sheep and goat dairy milking approximately 750 ewes and 600 does, a 235-cow dairy with a robotic milking system and a sixth-generation family-owned dairy milking 600 cows three times per day in a double 14 parallel parlor. An evening reception was held at King Ferry Winery.

NMC will partner with the University of Minnesota for a dairy conference October 26-28 in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China. In the U.S., make plans to attend the NMC 55th Annual Meeting Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. For all NMC events, go to: www.nmconline.org.