As usually happens in the fall, the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (NDB) and the United Dairy Industry Association (UDIA) met to share in their common accomplishments and challenges, as well as to discuss the best route for the industry's future. This year, the joint annual meeting took place Oct. 29-31 in Orlando, Florida. Nearly 1,000 producer and industry representatives were in attendance. Here are some highlights provided by participating organizations. NMPF leaders evaluate organization’s success at annual meeting During the 2012 annual meeting of the NMPF, Chairman Randy Mooney and President/CEO Jerry Kozak addressed the NMPF membership and discussed the organization’s progress over the past year.

Getting updated information at the touch of a button isn’t new. However, having that capability while standing in a field and making decisions based on that technological connection is a growing market for agriculture. Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will be participating in a new addition at the Amarillo Farm and Ranch Show, the IDEAg Interconnectivity conference, to discuss some of the latest technology being offered to producers. The conference is set for 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 29 in the Grand Plaza of the Amarillo Civic Center.

Missouri's statewide dairy convention is expanding to a regional event called the Heart of America Dairy Expo, taking place Jan. 25-26 in Springfield, Missouri. “We are really excited to offer dairy farmers in the Midwest an alternative for educational programming closer to home and directed to our needs,” says Missouri Dairy Association (MDA) President Larry Purdom of Purdy, Missouri. “We picked Springfield for the next two years because it is a natural trade hub and home to many dairy businesses such as Kraft, Mueller, F&S Food Equipment Company, Dairy Farmers of America and Hiland Dairy Foods."

Back by popular demand, the 2012 Group-Housed Calf Systems Symposium will be held Dec. 12-13, 2012 at the Doubletree Hotel in Syracuse, New York. This innovative conference, organized by the PRO-DAIRY Program at Cornell University, will kick off with an evening session on Dec. 12 designed specifically for those producers who are new to using a group feeding system. The day-long symposium program on Dec. 13 is devoted to understanding the cause of diseases, particularly the effect of environment, and what the impact of changes to that environment through barn ventilation approaches may be.