Pittsburgh, the city with the world’s most bridges, will host the 2019 Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council (DCRC) Annual Meeting, Nov.13-14, at the Pittsburgh Marriott City Center. The 20-plus presenters will share strategies to “bridge the gap” in dairy cattle reproduction programs and consumer communications.
To register for the meeting, go HERE. Register by Oct.15 to take advantage of the lowest registration rate. Online registration ends Oct. 31. After that date, attendees must register on site.
“This year’s DCRC Annual Meeting features topics that will help the dairy industry build a sustainable future,” said Program Chair Anibal Ballarotti, a technical services consultant with ABS Global. “Like the many bridges in Pittsburgh, DCRC strives to build bridges between producers, advisers and consumers, and close gaps that inhibit dairy cattle reproduction success.”
Presentation titles and presenters for this year’s DCRC Annual Meeting are:
- Heifer management: How to use sexed semen, Kevin Ziemba, STgenetics
- Sharing the judicious use of antibiotics story, Katie Mrdutt, Food Armor Foundation
- Animal welfare: Critical for the cow, the producer and the consumer, Jennifer Van Os, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Maximizing fertility while minimizing timed AI (artificial insemination) use, Luis Mendonca, Kansas State University
- Repro programs that protect human and animal well-being, Robert Hagevoort, New Mexico State University
- Optimize repro performance with activity monitoring systems, Ronaldo Cerri, University of British Columbia
- Preparing heifers for improved reproductive efficiency and production, Robert Corbett, Dairy Health Consultation
- Heifer repro: AI at estrus, timed AI or both? Julio Giordano, Cornell University
- Facilities that enhance cow comfort and profitability, Dan McFarland, Penn State Extension
- Honoring the Top Reproduction Herds: Roundtable Discussion, moderated by Corey Geiger, Hoard’s Dairyman
- Economic and genetic performance of IVP (in vitro-produced) embryo transfer and AI, Albert De Vries, University of Florida
- Beef x Dairy: Fad or sustainable future? Victor Cabrera, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Genetic markers provide fertility clues, Joseph Dalton, University of Idaho
- How gene editing could be used in dairy breeding programs, Alison Van Eenennaam, University of California, Davis
- Data organization yields positive returns, Mark Kirkpatrick, Zoetis
- Create a culture of compliance for repro programs, King Smith, Select Sires
- Overcoming consumer barriers via dairy cattle genetics, moderated by Peggy Coffeen, Progressive Dairy, and panelists Dan Rice, Prairieland Dairy, and Dennis Savaiano, Purdue University
In addition, Merck and Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition are sponsoring preconference seminars, starting at 10 a.m. on Nov. 13. The preconference symposium provides additional instruction time for meeting attendees at no extra charge.
DCRC is committed to boosting dairy producer* and veterinarian (employed by a veterinary clinic) attendance at its annual meeting. To encourage attendance from these two groups, DCRC is offering ten $200 travel stipends for first-time attendees. Stipends will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact JoDee Sattler (jodee@dcrcouncil.org) if interested in this discount. Payment will be made at the meeting upon proof of attendance. (*DCRC Herd Repro winners are not eligible to receive a travel stipend.)
For more information about the Pittsburgh Marriott City Center, host site of this year’s DCRC Annual Meeting, visit HERE. Book your room HERE by Oct. 20, to get the group rate of $164 per night. The DCRC room block may fill before that date, so reserve your room soon.
The Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council is focused on bringing together all sectors of the dairy industry – producers, consultants, academia and allied industry professionals – for improved reproductive performance. DCRC provides an unprecedented opportunity for all groups to work together to take dairy cattle reproduction to the next level.