We develop and deliver conferences that address key issues concerning our stakeholders. Each year`s conference deals with one specific topic, which is then discussed in depth by experts from across the country.

Our primary mission in extension is to provide quality educational programs for our stakeholders. Our objective with these conferences has been to develop outstanding educational programs utilizing local and nationally recognized experts. Each conference has been developed around one or two central topics. This has resulted in comprehensive, in-depth coverage of each conference topic.

We have conducted nine in-depth conferences thus far. The conferences have provided current thinking and recommendations concerning the specific topics addressed. Conference attendees (our stakeholders) have included veterinarians, dairy producers, consultants, nutritionists and agribusiness representatives. Over 1200 stakeholders have participated in our conferences thus far. The meeting has continued to grow, with attendance averaging approximately 300 stakeholders the past two years.

We have had conferences that have addressed milk quality, internal dairy herd growth, dairy reproduction, transition cows, dairy economics, dairy software records programs, mastitis, and statistics. The stakeholders attending our educational conferences have some influence over the vast majority of cows in New York. For example, some veterinary practices that had representatives attending our conferences provide care for 30-50,000 cows. Information is disseminated across veterinarians within a practice, and then throughout their herds. Recommendations made at the reproduction conference thus quickly made their way across our state. Similar ripple effects are seen among producers and agribusiness representatives.
Participants in the 2000 Reproduction in Dairy Cattle conference were surveyed in 2003 to ascertain the changes they made in their reproductive programs, and the results of those changes. Responses were overwhelming positive, with three veterinarians stating that it was the best conference they had attended in over 25 years. None of the participants could precisely describe the economic gains resulting from information gleaned from the meeting, but several noted an improvement in reproductive performance as a result of management changes they made because of the conference. An effective reproduction program is a integral part of making a dairy profitable and sustainable.

• Ynte Schukken (NY College of Veterinary Medicine)
• Charles Guard (College of Veterinary Medicine)
• Frank Welcome (Quality Milk Production Services)
• Daryl Nydam (College of Veterinary Medicine)