Alltech’s Global 500 closed Dec. 6 after welcoming dairy and beef producers from 40 countries to Alltech’s home in Lexington, Kentucky. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech, closed Global 500 with seven take-home messages:

The seventh annual Southern Regional Dairy Challenge, which ran Nov. 8-10, attracted 60 students from 11 universities and colleges. The event was hosted by Clemson University. “The Southern Regional Dairy Challenge exposes undergraduate students to dairying in the southeastern U.S. and the unique complexities producers and industry professionals face in this part of the country," says contest planning committee chair Cathy Williams of Louisiana State University.

Travel, be it to a different state or a different hemisphere, exposes people to new ideas and often challenges traditional thinking. As dairy farmers increasingly travel to trade shows, organize farm visits and exchanges, and more recently, "tour" farms virtually, they engage in discussions and idea exchanges on new technologies and farming techniques. I recently had the opportunity to attend the Cape Dairy Experience, South Africa's largest dairy trade show. I was there to represent my family's small business, Advanced Comfort Technology, based in Wisconsin.

Laird Manufacturing recently marked the opening of its new, state-of-the-art facility with a celebration attended by nearly 400 customers, vendors and associates. The demand for the California-based company’s cattle feed products necessitated the expansion to a facility nearly four times the size of its previous location. When operating at full capacity, the new facility will more than double the current output.

“Dairy consumption is expected to grow quickly in key emerging markets.” That was the message that Brett Burgess of Bain & Company relayed to dairy producers at the Washington Dairy Industry annual meeting held near Cle Elum, Washington, Nov. 13-15. The annual meeting’s theme was “Dairy, It’s a Small, Small World” and focused on export growth.

When the Sand Solutions Conference began several years ago, a large focus was on the benefits of using sand for bedding. Since then, the message has been heard by the dairy industry and this year’s conference offered by McLanahan Agricultural Systems focused on the cows’ environment, cleanliness and comfort, as well as maximum sand recovery from recycling systems.

A clear message emerged from the “A One Health Approach to Antimicrobial Use & Resistance: A Dialogue for a Common Purpose” symposium. The consensus was that antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance is the responsibility of all communities – human health, animal health and environmental health – and solutions will require collaboration.