As farmers take stock of the trends impacting the dairy sector, how does the industry prepare for what comes next? From farm management and animal welfare to sustainability and milk alternatives, join us as we discuss navigating the new normal and meeting market demands.
A successful transition from the dry period to lactation is one of the most important moments in the life of a dairy cow. Learn how to monitor and prevent disorders
One of the key components of sustainability is improving the welfare of farm animals. How are producers using innovative strategies to keep their animals happier and healthier — and how
Improving milk production doesn’t have to come at the cost of sustainability. How can changing your feed strategy improve milk production and lower your carbon footprint? Join us as we
If you haven’t “herd,” it’s a unique time to be in dairy. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected both the global milk supply and what consumers are looking for from dairy,
In late 2020, Nestlé announced their ambitious goals to cut their emissions in half by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050. How do they plan to reach these milestones
In 2020, the U.S. dairy sector set new, industry-wide environmental stewardship goals for 2050 to support its vision that dairy is an environmental solution. Karen Scanlon, executive vice president of
CEO and Founder, IFCN Dairy Research Network
Dr. Torsten Hemme is the founder and CEO of the IFCN Dairy Research Network.
Dr. Hemme studied agricultural economics at the University of Göttingen in Germany. His doctoral thesis became the basis for the IFCN Dairy Research Network, whose mission is to help people in the dairy industry make better decisions by providing comparable data, knowledge and inspiration.
In 2021, researchers from more than 100 countries contributed to the IFCN Dairy Research Network. Moreover, more than 130 agribusiness companies are members of the network and use its data and knowledge base for their strategic planning.
Farm Animal Welfare Consultant, Systems Insight Ltd
Mandi McLeod is an international agri-business consultant who specializes in production animal welfare on both ends of the supply chain. She is internationally certified in dairy cow auditing by the Professional Animal Audit Certification Organisation (PAACO) and in food safety (HACCP) by the University of Western Sydney, Australia.
McLeod is a trained Cow Signals Master and has been an expert witness and trainer in dairy and beef cattle welfare for the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries and the New Zealand SPCA. As an experienced second- and third-party auditor, McLeod has experience in auditing livestock production farms in the U.K., the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. She has utilized her knowledge and experience to develop and implement on-farm animal welfare and food safety audit programs for dairy processors in Australia and New Zealand.
McLeod consults with farm businesses on animal welfare and has been involved in the development of animal welfare governance strategies for the Norco Cooperative in Australia and The A2 Milk Company in Australia and New Zealand. In 2019, McLeod was appointed to the expert panel reviewing live export trade legislation in New Zealand, and in 2020, she was invited to be the deputy chair of the animal welfare reference group for the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef.
McLeod was the first female agricultural TV presenter in New Zealand and is an internationally recognized speaker on such topics as family businesses and animal welfare. She is also a peer-reviewed author of many journal articles and contributed to the book “Keeping It In the Family”. McLeod holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science and a master’s degree in rural systems management. She is an experienced agricultural extension program designer and has more than 25 years of experience in group facilitation and family-farm business management, transition and governance.
Research Fellow, Solutions Deployment Team, Alltech
Dr. Saheed Salami is a research fellow at Alltech. He is based in Stamford, U.K., and serves on the company’s Solutions Deployment Team. Dr. Salami utilizes his multidisciplinary expertise in animal nutrition and environmental science to develop customer-focused and data-driven solutions for improving the productivity and sustainability of animal protein systems.
Dr. Salami has international experience in leading research and handling technical responsibilities related to sustainable animal nutrition and food quality. In 2021, he was appointed to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as a member of its Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on methane for the FAO Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance (LEAP) Partnership.
Dr. Salami received a double doctoral degree in agricultural, food and environmental science from the University of Catania in Italy and University College Cork in Ireland. He also received a double master’s degree in sustainable animal nutrition and feeding from Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands and Ecole d'Ingénieurs de Purpan in France.
Professor Emeritus, Iowa State University Veterinary Medicine College
Jesse Goff is a professor emeritus at the Iowa State University Veterinary Medicine College. He has previously served in roles at USDA-ARS and the West Central Farmer’s Cooperative.
Goff has served on NRC committees, and he wrote the “Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle” guidelines in 2001 and the “Mineral Tolerances of Domestic Animals” guidelines in 2005. He has published 126 papers and has served as a section editor and contributor to Smith's Large Animal Internal Medicine and Duke's Physiology of Domestic Animals.
In his research, Goff has studied milk fever and hypocalcemia. His research has demonstrated that diet potassium interferes with parathyroid hormone action, causing milk fever. This work refined the use of low-DCAD diets and calcium supplements to reduce hypocalcemia.
Goff and his colleagues have also demonstrated calcium and energy challenges caused periparturient immune suppression, which are characterized by the inability of neutrophils and lymphocytes to respond to infections. This issue predisposes cows to mastitis, retained placenta and metritis.
Executive Vice President, Environmental Stewardship, Dairy Management Inc./Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy
Karen Scanlon is the executive vice president for environmental stewardship for Dairy Management Inc. and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, leading all of their environmental programs and partnerships. She is also responsible for the Innovation Center’s Environmental Stewardship Committee and its Net-Zero Initiative (NZI), a multi-organizational effort to accelerate progress at the field, farm and manufacturing levels to reach the industry’s collective environmental stewardship goals.
Scanlon has extensive leadership experience in agriculture conservation initiatives, partnership cultivation, and strategy development and execution. She previously served as the executive director of the Conservation Technology Information Center for 11 years. In this role, she worked with strategic partners in the public and private sectors to build innovative and effective programs to achieve sustainability goals and success through a variety of conservation efforts across the United States.
Scanlon received a bachelor's degree in science with a focus on journalism from the University of Florida and a master's degree in science with a focus on natural resources management from the Ohio State University.
Corporate Sustainable Agriculture Development/Head of Dairy, Nestlé
Robert Erhard is the head of global fresh milk sourcing and leads the ambitious climate net-zero livestock program at Nestlé.
Working collaboratively to solve common problems, Erhard has built and led several multi-stakeholder initiatives, including the Nestlé Dairy Farming Institute in China. He co-developed the Sustainable Dairy Partnership and currently serves as the president of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAIP), which features more than 130 food and beverage member companies. He has previously served in various roles related to dairy sourcing.
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