More than 120 professionals with a vested interest in milk quality attended the National Mastitis Council regional meeting in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in August. In addition to networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities, attendees had the opportunity to participate in specialized, interactive short courses. Attendees could choose to attend four of 10 different short courses, including one taught in Spanish. “This was the first year that we offered just short courses at our regional meeting,” says David Reid, NMC first vice president and owner of Rocky Ridge Dairy Consulting.
“This change allowed individuals to select specific topics that were of interest to their individual business. It also provided for smaller group settings and the opportunity to interact directly with instructors.”“The change in conference setting from a large lecture room to a smaller more interactive classroom style was well-received by this year’s participants,” notes Reid.
A diverse group of veterinarians, dairy farm managers and employees, industry and milk plant field staff were in attendance. Attendees traveled from 22 states, Puerto Rico and four countries.
Meeting sponsors were ABS Global, Inc; Dairy Farmers of America; Ecolab Inc; Land O’Lakes, Inc; Merck Animal Health; Capitol Plastic Products LLC; Select Sires Inc; and Dean Foods.
The annual NMC meeting will take place Jan. 27-29, 2013, in San Diego, California. PD
—From National Mastitis Council news release
