This year's Dairy Research Foundation Symposium returns to a face-to-face format combining a series of guest speakers on day one with on-farm sessions on day two.
It's being held on July 19-20 at the Forster Club and visiting Manning Valley Dairy at Taree.
With the theme of 'Unlocking the Potential', the program tackles issues such as ways to reduce income volatility, thriving after adversity, what young employees want and learnings from the first year of Dairy UP research projects.
A variety of panel discussions bring perspectives from farmers, leading researchers, advisers and the industry's next generation.
Join the lively discussion, on-farm insights and the very latest research findings; and of course, the ever-popular Emerging Scientist Competition by visiting Register/more info
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Program highlights:
DAY ONE
Tuesday, July 19 - 10am to 4.30pm - Club Forster
Opening session with Jane Sherborne - DRF President, The Honourable Niall Blair - Chair Dairy UP Board; and Prof Yani Garcia, DRF Director and Dairy UP Lead.
Session one: Lifting dairy productivity and profitability through farm intensification.
Hear the pros, cons, dollars and sense of this hot topic. Guest farmers include: Colin Thompson, Cowra and Simon Scowen, Taree, along with Ian Lean (Scibus), Karen Romano (Dairy Australia) and Sheena Carter (NSW DPI).
Session two: Managing people and climatic adversity to de-risk dairying.
A panel of young ag graduates share what motivated them to choose a dairy career, elements of the job and conditions they value and what would tempt them to move on.
We find out how some dairy farmers manage to not only overcome extreme climate events, but also grow in the process.
Dairy consultant Neil Moss (Scibus) with dairy farmers Trevor Middlebrook (Taree) and Sam Nicholson (Taree).
Session three: Better milk and dairy beef markets coping with price volatility
A new range of market options such as future markets and supply-chain agreements, commonly used in other industries, are now becoming available for dairy and beef products.
Cameron Renshaw (Calflink), Tim Jude (StoneX) and Scott Briggs (AMPI) explain what is in it for Australian dairy farmers.
Symposium Dinner 6.30pm to 10.30pm - Club Forster
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DAY TWO
Wednesday, July 20 - 9am to 1pm at Manning Valley Dairy
Station one: Dairy UP's P1 - Remote management of grazing and feeding
Station two: Manning Valley Dairy's dairy beef/Wagyu System
Station three: Manning Valley Dairy: intensification planning
Emerging scientists' competition.
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