This article was #9 of the Top 25 most well-read articles on www.progressivedairy.com in 2012. to jump to the article. It was published in the March 30, 2012. Click here for the full list of the Top 25. Advanced Comfort Technology, Inc’s Holly Harper attended a biannual gathering of Michigan’s Robotic Milking User Group in March. Harper provided an overview of the group’s history (it was founded in 2010) and then a recap of what was discussed at that meeting. We found one of the most interesting topics discussed was that some producers were playing calf sounds in the robot stalls to help the cows let down their milk more quickly.

Ralph Fisher, a former Idaho state agronomist with the NRCS, explains the nine minimum requirements a dairy’s nutrient management plan must have during the Idaho Nutrient Management Conference in Jerome, Idaho, in early March. Fisher explained that a nutrient management plan which met the requirements must be submitted with a request for a CAFO permit under soon-to-be-released new guidelines. Fisher is the regulator who reviews plans submitted to the EPA for compliance.

Dairy producers and industry professionals gathered in Amarillo, Texas, for the 2012 High Plains Dairy Conference on March 7-8. The conference was held at the Ambassador Hotel. Todd Bilby, associate professor and extension dairy specialist, said that this year’s conference reached 275 attendees, a 10 percent increase from last time the conference was held. “We had a phenomenal conference,” Bilby says. “A lot of the presentations were on how we can improve different efficiencies on our dairies and adapting new technologies to become more efficient in a global market.”

The Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin has put together a jam-packed, informative two-day tour featuring some of Pennyslvania's most progressive dairies. Consider attending the April 11-12 trip through Harrisburg and Lancaster to learn why this area continues to remain in the top 50 counties for U.S. milk production. Click here or on the image at right to see an e-newsletter from PDPW with more details.

Nearly 1,400 people from 26 states and five countries gathered in Madison, Wisconsin, last week for the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin Business Conference. With “Innovation” as the theme, dairy producers and allied industry shared ideas through educational sessions and the Hall of Ideas trade show. All great ideas and innovations come with a little inspiration. To provide that at the 2012 event was Donald Driver of the Green Bay Packers football team.

With a name like World Ag Expo, the event is bound to attract people from all over. While there, Progressive Dairyman met up with Meerten and Anita Zeldenrust from Barrhead, Alberta. They had traveled to Tulare, California, as part of a tour group. Each spring, Meerten and Anita like to travel to a destination outside Canada. When they saw an advertisement in Progressive Dairyman announcing a trip to California for the World Ag Expo organized by Ken Natzke Travel, they decided to give it a try.

Those attending the recent Western United Dairymen annual convention in Temecula, California heard optimistic predictions about the tremendous potential that dairy exports hold for the dairy industry, while at the same time cheering the news that progress has been made on eliminating federal support for ethanol.

Two tornado warnings threatened but couldn't stop a successful Kentucky Dairy Partners Meeting (KDP) and Young Dairy Producer Conference (YDPI). The events, held February 28-29, were a collaborative effort of the Kentucky Dairy Development Council, SUDIA/ADA of Kentucky, University of Kentucky Dairy Extension and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

Forty-three young adults from the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Italy were the latest class to graduate from the Holstein Foundation’s cornerstone program, Young Dairy Leaders Institute (YDLI). The group completed the final phase of the three-phase leadership and communication skills development program with a conference March 1-3 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.