The participants in the Global Dairy 500 Conference were treated to a show at the Kentucky Horse Park that included many different horse breeds and traditional costumes.
I spoke with rider of the Arabian horse named D’artagnan.
He’s 11 years old and on loan to the Park by his owner.
The Kentucky Horse Park opened in 1978 and is the world’s only park dedicated to man’s relationship with the horse.
I also shot a video clip which includes an interview with the other horses and riders.
You can listen to my interview about the Arabian horse below:
The future of milk marketing was the subject of our last panel of the day here at the Global Dairy 500 Conference. The afternoon activities include tours of the Alltech headquarters and a dinner at Kentucky Horse Park.
I spoke with Harm Holman, European Dairy Farmers, Netherlands after the session concluded. He’s pictured tall and in the middle. Harm says he milks 140 cows.
He says it’s very important to be an entrepreneur that has to make a profit and to be competitive. Like other panelists he sees larger farms and less farmers in the future. In his part of the world he says that those who have the most simple systems are doing the best. He also believes that becoming more efficient and lowering input costs is vital to success in dairy farming today. He’s optimistic for the best farmers in the future, meaning that not everyone will survive in the next 5 to 10 years.
I mentioned the breakout discussion groups that took place at the Global Dairy 500 Conference. The Alltech YouTubers put together a nice video to give you a very good perspective of what it was like to participate.
To provide a global perspective on dairy systems the Global Dairy 500 Conference featured a panel with participants from the USA, New Zealand and South Africa. I spoke with Bryan Beeston, Dairy Business Centre, New Zealand, seated on the right. He’s a dairy farmer involved in a collective type dairy company.
Bryan says he moved to New Zealand to start a dairy farm and the opportunities there worked very well for him. He says they have younger farmers and opportunities that allow them to stair step their way into a dairy farm. One way they accomplish this is with a share milk system that allows someone to get started with a vested interest in the dairy and they get paid based on how efficient and profitable they are. They can then move up to owning their own cows and plants.
Bryan is very enthusiastic about the future of dairy farmer. He says there are areas like Asia where a lot of opportunity exists to help feed people in a growing economy.
At an international conference like the Global Dairy 500 Conference translators are absolutely necessary. We have many of them here. During a break this morning I spoke with Irina Zablith (right) who is not only a translator but a veterinarian from Brazil. She’s translating into Portugese.
She says it’s simultaneous translation. They do get some pre-talk information like power point slides but not an actual written speech. She says it becomes challenging at times when a speaker talks very fast.
Irina says the global market has grown to the point of needing more translations so she started working with groups of Brazilians who would travel to other countries and needed her service. She travels to conferences like this several times a year.
Going back to basics and taking care of the “walking fermenter” was the subject of Juan Tricarico’s presentation at the Global Dairy 500 Conference. I just love that term and Juan explains it in my interview with him.
Looking into the future for the dairy farmer Juan says dairy farmers need to be efficient with nutrient use. He believes there needs to be a change in the way we feed dairy cows and that includes better use of forage. He says that a lot of producers are already feeding healthier diets that sustain reasonable milk levels. He does recommend that the forages farmers are working with are the best they can possibly have.
Trends and technologies in the diary industry was the subject of the first presentation on day two of the Global Dairy 500 Conference. Presenting was Jay Johnston, Ritchie Feed and Seed, Canada.
Jays says “it is not a fun time” in the dairy business. That means it’s time for dairy farmers to look at efficiency closer than ever. He says “we’re leaving 15-20% on the table.”
When it comes to trends he says “we’re trying to get that 20% back.” He says he’s working on a new protein product that will help with costs savings. Feed components are a very important he says.
He does encourage dairy farmers to keep smiling because he believes things will get better.
One of our domestic dairy producers attending the Global Dairy 500 Conference is Daniel Williams, seated to the left in the photo. Daniel has an 800 cow dairy in Madison, GA.
When it comes to challenges he says right now it’s “money.” That includes becoming more efficient and watching what you spend and on what. He thinks the Conference has been very helpful, especially one of the morning speakers the first day.
Like others I’ve spoken with, he says that all dairy farmers in the world are having trouble making it right now. He thought that getting to talk with other farmers has made him feel better about where he’s at with his operation right now.
In the theme of global dairy farming we had discussion dinner tables with international people like at my table where we had farmers from the USA, Colombia, Brazil and South Africa.
There were six different topics for each discussion dinner room. Mine focused on silage but others included mastitis and somatic cell count control, reproduction, the importance of grazing, economics of scale: large herd sizes and toxins and toxicology.
Dinner time last night at the Global Dairy 500 Conference featured multiple subject discussions. You picked your topic and then participated in a discussion after eating.
I attended the Silage Discussion Dinner led by Matthew Smith, Alltech. You can see Matthew getting his slides ready for the start of the discussion. He works for the company in New Zealand and has focused on silage during his career. When it comes to silage he says he encourages producers to “get excited about it.” He says the important thing to remember is how important it is as a feed ingredient. Deciding what seed to put in the ground is one of the most important decisions to make up front according to Matthew.
Here at the dinner his hope was to present silage as “good news.” He says cutting your way around the corners with silage in your operation is just not the way to go.
You can watch a portion of Matthew’s discussion dinner here.
The afternoon breakout sessions at the Global Dairy 500 Conference are summarized immediately in a group setting and the session is led by Dr. Pearse Lyons, President of Alltech. Here is one of the participants stating what his discussion table talked about.
We get a break after this session until a series of discussion dinners this evening which I’ll be participating in so there’s plenty more to come. The Conference doesn’t conclude until mid day on Wednesday.
To get a feel for the discussion you can watch a video of Dr. Lyons speaking to another discussion group participant.
It’s always good to hear what other dairy farmers have to say. In this video clip you can hear several of the farmers attending the Global Dairy 500 Conference talk about their industry and the challenges facing it. Topics include the economy, overproduction of milk, silage quality, and people management.
After the morning sessions and lunch the Global Dairy 500 participants sit at discussion tables. These breakout sessions are very lively and interactive and on many different topics.
I followed along with one led by Brent Lawrence, Alltech. Brent handles the southeast territory of Florida and Georgia. At his table were dairy farmers from the USA, Germany, Korea and the Ukraine. He says the main topic dealt with the sustainability of the dairy industry. They discussed the need to educate the public and be environmentally friendly.
I shot a video clip so you can get a true feel for what the sessions are like.
The Global Dairy 500 Conference is a truly international one. There are farmers here from all over the world which requires a lot of translators who are working very hard in their booths at the back of the conference presentation rooms.
One of the groups I ran into early is from Germany. They were all enjoying an early sample of Bluegrass Sundown, a blend of bourbon, coffee and Irish Cream. It is fantastic btw. I had to sample as well.
In the middle of this happy group is Henry. He spoke very good English so he got volunteered to speak with me. He has about 450 dairy cows and also row crops on his farm. He says he’s always on the search for new technology because it will make him more efficient. Henry echoes a comment I’ve heard a number of times today and that is that dairy farmers globally are suffering with the same problems, namely the price of milk.
He says the economy is the biggest challenge facing him and getting better production. He says he spoke to a farmer from Ohio who has just moved out of the dairy business due to the economics. He is looking forward to talking with other farmers.
To tell dairy farmers attending the Global Dairy 500 Conference what to “leave in and what to take out” was Mike Hutjens, University of Illinois. Mike is very passionate about the diary business and so enthusiastic that our translators had to get him to slow down so they could translate for our international audience.
Hutjens addressed feed questions and says he boiled the answers down to a few main points or suggestions. To start with he suggests looking at forages and forage quality. Then he suggests maintaining milk production and not giving up milk production. He says to look at feed additives since many are very cheap right now. He says the price of milk may come back short term and it’s important to have the right team on the field using a football analogy. When it comes to nutrition he says that when you go with the premise that you can’t give up milk, then you have to look at substitute feed choices that may be more economical.
When it comes to questions from the attendees here he says he gets asked a lot about new corn varieties and chopping the silage and how long to store it. He says producers are asking how to make things work more efficiently for them where they are. Looking ahead he still sees some tough times but with some bright spots like reasonable feed costs.
Providing the first remarks on the program for the Global Dairy 500 Conference was Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder and President, Alltech. The theme of his opening remarks was to answer the question, “Is there a future for dairy in these turbulent times?”
Dr. Lyons addressed the real challenges in the dairy business internationally. The Conference has attendees from all over the world and they all nodded in agreement as he made these opening remarks. He pointed out how volatile markets and prices are having a serious impact on the industry right now. So education and efficiency become extremely important and that’s part of the purpose of the Conference itself. So when it comes to the “crisis” Dr. Lyons challenged attendees to see it as a time of opportunity and character.
Looking to the future the key is efficiency and that will come about from the use of new technology. Besides efficiency he urged attendees to focus on more lactations per cow; quality in Production systems; more education; looking for Branding; traceability and to be conscious of the environment. I love his description of the dairy cow as a “walking fermenter.”
The Global Dairy 500 Conference was kicked off with a welcome from Geoff Frank, Alltech.
He pointed out that this is a “farmers” meeting and the second annual conference. Discussing problems and sharing new ideas is the main purpose of the meeting. So hopefully that is what will be accomplished. He says that he hopes Alltech will play a role in helping farmers overcome the challenges facing the industry. He related a personal anecdote about changes he had to make in his own dairy during a similar time years ago. He says that even with the challenges there are opportunities.
The Global Dairy 500 Conference is underway here in Lexington, KY. To get you started watch this video clip prepared to set the stage for the conversation over the next couple days.
Attendees to the Global Dairy 500 Conference sponsored by Alltech had a great tour today. Alltech’s Allie Hembree passed along this note just a little while ago:
Did you know that at Fair Oaks Farm they can milk 500 cows in one hour, ship 40 semi truck loads of milk a day, where the cows drink 30 gallons of water and eats 100 pounds of feed? The Global Dairy 500 Delegates got to witness the birthing of a calf, take a bus tour of the farm, learn how exactly they are capable of milking 500 cows by observing the rotary milker, and even taste some delicious Fair Oaks ice cream. I think we all agree, that was some good ice cream.
The participants in the Global Dairy 500 Conference were treated to a show at the Kentucky Horse Park that included many different horse breeds and traditional costumes. 
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The future of milk marketing was the subject of our last panel of the day here at the Global Dairy 500 Conference. The afternoon activities include tours of the Alltech headquarters and a dinner at Kentucky Horse Park.
To provide a global perspective on dairy systems the Global Dairy 500 Conference featured a panel with participants from the USA, New Zealand and South Africa. I spoke with Bryan Beeston, Dairy Business Centre, New Zealand, seated on the right. He’s a dairy farmer involved in a collective type dairy company.
At an international conference like the Global Dairy 500 Conference translators are absolutely necessary. We have many of them here. During a break this morning I spoke with Irina Zablith (right) who is not only a translator but a veterinarian from Brazil. She’s translating into Portugese.
Going back to basics and taking care of the “walking fermenter” was the subject of Juan Tricarico’s presentation at the Global Dairy 500 Conference. I just love that term and Juan explains it in my interview with him.
Trends and technologies in the diary industry was the subject of the first presentation on day two of the Global Dairy 500 Conference. Presenting was Jay Johnston, 
One of our domestic dairy producers attending the Global Dairy 500 Conference is Daniel Williams, seated to the left in the photo. Daniel has an 800 cow dairy in Madison, GA.
In the theme of global dairy farming we had discussion dinner tables with international people like at my table where we had farmers from the USA, Colombia, Brazil and South Africa. 
Dinner time last night at the Global Dairy 500 Conference featured multiple subject discussions. You picked your topic and then participated in a discussion after eating.
The afternoon breakout sessions at the Global Dairy 500 Conference are summarized immediately in a group setting and the session is led by Dr. Pearse Lyons, President of Alltech. Here is one of the participants stating what his discussion table talked about.
After the morning sessions and lunch the Global Dairy 500 participants sit at discussion tables. These breakout sessions are very lively and interactive and on many different topics.
The Global Dairy 500 Conference is a truly international one. There are farmers here from all over the world which requires a lot of translators who are working very hard in their booths at the back of the conference presentation rooms.
In the middle of this happy group is Henry. He spoke very good English so he got volunteered to speak with me. He has about 450 dairy cows and also row crops on his farm. He says he’s always on the search for new technology because it will make him more efficient. Henry echoes a comment I’ve heard a number of times today and that is that dairy farmers globally are suffering with the same problems, namely the price of milk. 
To tell dairy farmers attending the Global Dairy 500 Conference what to “leave in and what to take out” was Mike Hutjens, University of Illinois. Mike is very passionate about the diary business and so enthusiastic that our translators had to get him to slow down so they could translate for our international audience.
Providing the first remarks on the program for the Global Dairy 500 Conference was Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder and President, Alltech. The theme of his opening remarks was to answer the question, “Is there a future for dairy in these turbulent times?”
The Global Dairy 500 Conference was kicked off with a welcome from Geoff Frank, Alltech.
Attendees to the