2012 Large Herd Seminar will be the ‘best-ever’
‘This year’s Large Herd Seminar will be the best-ever’, say the organisers of this unique, two-day annual event which brings together all sections of the dairy industry. Entitled Finding Solutions’, it will provide dairy producers, large animal vets and agricultural supply trade professionals with solutions to the difficult challenges which they are currently facing.
Such was the popularity of last year’s venue, The Tortworth Court Four Pillars Hotel at Wotton-under-Edge in South Gloucestershire that the Large Herd Seminar will return there on Tuesday 26th June and Wednesday 27th June 2012. The cost for attending both days is £162, including dinner on Tuesday and lunch on Wednesday. Tickets for Tuesday cost £66 (£96 with dinner) and £75 for Wednesday, including lunch, with a discounted rate of £45 available to dairy farmers and herd managers. Tickets must be booked on-line through the Large Herd Seminar website (www.largeherds.com). Delegates wishing to stay overnight should book directly with The Tortworth Court Four Pillars Hotel (W: www.tortworth-court.four-pillars.co.uk T: 01454 263000) using booking reference ID 67142. A limited number of rooms have been reserved at a special discounted delegate rate, but to qualify bookings must be made at least four weeks prior to the event.
Now in its seventh year, the Large Herd Seminar has grown progressively in scale and stature. Today, it is one of the most important events in the UK dairy industry’s calendar and is designed to address the specific information needs of the sector by providing access to the latest research findings, management know-how and practical techniques.
Organised by Lillico-Attlee, one of the UK’s largest privately-owned agricultural merchants, and the Evidence Based Veterinary Consultancy (EBVC) at Penrith in Cumbria, the event will include presentations by some of the world’s leading experts in herd management, research, nutrition and health. Their knowledge will prove invaluable in identifying solutions to the difficult problems which have a major impact on productivity and performance.
Amongst them will be Dr Alex Bach, Director of the Department of Ruminant Production of Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (IRTA) and Research Professor at the Institut Català de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA). His first presentation, ‘Setting goals for rearing heifers: future performance’, will give practical advice based on the findings of large-scale research programmes. In challenging existing pre-conceptions, Dr Bach will prompt debate and provide benchmarks against which delegates will be able to compare their own herd’s performance. Dr Bach will also deliver a second presentation, ‘Effective nutritional programmes for rearing heifers’.
Delegates to last year’s Large Herd Seminar were all-ears when Dr Steve Eicker took to the podium. A qualified veterinarian, Steve is co-founder of Valley Ag Software, which is a market leader in the US/North America and has a growing share in countries with large commercial dairy farms. An expert in using data to monitor current herd performance, Steve is a highly-entertaining speaker who will review developments in farm financial performance in his presentation ‘Making financial decisions on your dairy farm’. On the second day he will consider ‘Making feed-related financial decisions on your dairy farm’.
The role of forage and forage digestibility on overall dairy cow nutrition is critical to the success of every dairy enterprise. One of the world's leading authorities, Dr Randy Shaver, Professor of Dairy Science and Nutrition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will give two presentations on this vital subject: ‘What are we learning about starch for dairy cows?’ and ‘The next step – the latest in dairy cattle feeding’. What he has to say should not be missed.
Stockmanship is one of the most difficult areas of dairy production to quantify, but can it be taught? Dr Paul Rapnicki, who is Clinical Professor of Dairy Production Medicine at the University of Minnesota and has vast experience of this subject, will provide the answer.
The 2012 Large Herd Seminar programme will also include presentations on a range of other subjects. Tom Clarke of Synergy Farm Health, a dedicated farm animal practice in Dorset, will consider ‘Early Lactation Therapy – a new approach to mastitis management’, while Steve Paul, who has been trimming cows’ feet for over 28 years, is a fully qualified instructor/inspector (NPTC) and founding member of the National Association of Cattle Foot Trimmers, has titled his presentation ‘Feet – What should I be doing?’ There will also be a Farmer Panel, comprising some of the dairy industry’s finest producers and experts, who will answer the question ‘What does it take to consistently sell more than 10,500 litres?’
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
Further press information is available from:
Julian Cooksley, Kendalls Communications
T: 01394 610022
E: julian.cooksley@kendallscom.co.uk
Images of the speakers are available from:
Kerry-Anne Rookyard, Kendalls Communications
T: 01394 610022
E: kerry-anne.rookyard@kendallscom.co.uk
Further details are available at the Large Herd Seminar website (www.largeherds.com), Email enquiries@largeherds.com or telephone Andrew Carrick, EBVC on 01768 868472.
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