Western Canadian Dairy Seminar
Looking Beyond 2020
March 10 – 13, 2020
Cambridge Hotel (formerly the Sheraton Hotel)
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Download the 2020 WCDS Program (pdf)
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
10:00 am – 5:00 pm Pre-Conference Tour: This tour will visit three local dairy farms with the focus on progressive, innovative dairy managers.
Optional, separate registration required.
1:30 pm – 4:30 pm Pre-Conference Workshop: Milk as a Diagnostic Tool for Nutritional Management. Facilitator: Rick Grant, William H. Miner Agricultural Institute (Max 75).
Optional, separate registration required.
6:30 pm – 9:00 pm Registration
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Opening Reception
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
7:30 am – 5:00 pm Registration
7:30 am – 8:30 am Breakfast
Morning Plenary Session
Session I: Future Matters
8:30 am Welcome – Nelson Dinn, University of British Columbia, Chair, WCDS Advisory Committee
Conference Overview – Divakar Ambrose, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Co-chair, WCDS Program Committee
8:50 am Keynote Speaker
Can You Use Technology to Uber Proof Your Business? – Presented by Marty Seymour, Farm Credit Canada
9:50 am Nutrition Break
10:20 am Identifying Gaps in Building Bridges: Working Towards a Sustainable Dairy Industry – Presented by Marina von Keyserlingk, University of British Columbia
11:05 am Sustainability of Animal Agriculture in the Global Food System – Presented by Robin White, Virginia Tech
11:50 am Speaker Panel
12:10 pm Lunch
Afternoon Concurrent Sessions
Session II: Secrets of Healthy Feeding
1:40 pm Relationships between Fiber Digestibility and Particle Size for Lactating Dairy Cows – Presented by Rick Grant, William H. Miner Agricultural Institute
2:20 pm Corn Silage: Managing the Manageable – Presented by Bill Mahanna, Pioneer
3:00 pm Nutrition Break
3:30 pm Managing Dietary Variation to Maintain or Improve Efficiency – Presented by Bill Weiss, The Ohio State University
4:10 pm Feeding for a Healthy Liver: The Role of Methionine and Choline in Transition Cows – Presented by Heather White, University of Wisconsin
4:50 pm Speaker Panel
Session III: Human and Cattle Well-Being
1:40 pm The 5 Habits of Highly Effective Farmers – Presented by Lisa McCrea, Ag West Veterinary Group
2:20 pm How to Do More for Mental Health in Agriculture – Presented by Adelle Stewart, Do More Ag Foundation
3:00 pm Nutrition Break
3:30 pm Transporting Cattle in 2020: Research and Regulation Update – Presented by Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
4:10 pm Three Ways to Lose Money on the Farm: A View from the Udder – Presented by Ron Erskine, Michigan State University
4:50 pm Speaker Panel
Evening Banquet
6:00 pm Cash Bar
7:00 pm Supper
Entertainment – Comedian Matt Falk
The banquet is optional. Separate registration required.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
7:30 am – 5:00 pm Registration
7:30 am – 8:30 am Breakfast
Morning Plenary Session
Session IV: Student Research and Producer Panel
8:30 am Student Research Presentation Competition – Five graduate students will present their dairy-related research findings.
9:50 am Nutrition Break
10:20 am Bio-Security Management – Producer Panel Presentations – Three dairy producers will discuss different aspects of bio-security management on their farms.
11:40 am Producer Panel
12:00 noon Lunch
Afternoon Concurrent Sessions
Session V: Nurturing the Next Generation
1:30 pm Effects of Pre-partum Cow Management on Health and Performance of Calves – Presented by Geoff Dahl, University of Florida
2:10 pm Advances in Colostrum and Milk Feeding – Presented by Mike Steele, University of Guelph
2:50 pm Nutrition Break
3:20 pm Rethinking Ruminal Acidosis in Dairy Calves – Presented by Anne Laarman, University of Alberta
4:00 pm Economics of Raising Dairy Replacement Heifers – Presented by Mike Overton, Elanco Animal Health
4:40 pm Speaker Panel
Session VI: Enhancing Herd Fertility
1:30 pm Trouble-Shooting Reproduction Issues – Presented by Jocelyn Dubuc, University of Montreal
2:10 pm Potential Impact of Viral Diseases on Conception Rate in Cattle – Presented by Claire Wathes, The Royal Veterinary College, United Kingdom
2:50 pm Nutrition Break
3:20 pm New Strategies to Maximize Pregnancy Outcomes – Presented by Jeffrey Stevenson, Kansas State University
4:00 pm Genetics and Economics of Using virto-Produced Embryo Transfer in Dairy Herds – Presented by Albert De Vries, University of Florida
4:40 pm Speaker Panel
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm Reception
Friday, March 13, 2020
8:00 am – 12 noon Registration
7:30 am – 8:30 am Breakfast
Morning Plenary Session
Session VII: Herd Health – Protect, Monitor, Investigate
8:30 am When (Before) Disaster Strikes: Preparation For a Disease Outbreak – Presented by Keith Lehman, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry
9:10 am Investigating Fetal Calf Loss – Presented by Cameron Knight, University of Calgary
9:50 am Nutrition Break
10:20 am Use of Big Data to Monitor Herd Health – Presented by Heather White, University of Wisconsin
11:00 am Antibiotic Therapy: It’s Not the Drugs, It’s How We Use Them – Presented by Ron Erskine, Michigan State University
11:40 am Speaker Panel
12:00 noon Closing