Dairy Industry Invited to first of its kind Data and Innovations Summit

Dairy producers and advisors working with all types, sizes, and breeds of dairy herds are invited to the first of its kind Data and Innovations Summit (DIS) held in conjunction with the National Holstein Convention on Thursday, June 30, 2022 at the Sioux Falls Convention Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The summit will be an in-person only event.

The DIS will feature dairy industry leaders who will share how data gleaned from the many innovations used on today’s dairy farms can be better utilized to help maximize efficiency, results, and profitability. Attendees will hear key considerations for implementing new technologies or data systems, discussion from data industry leaders who work to utilize multiple data sources, as well as from producers using data innovations.

The DIS will provide attendees with many immediate and practical take-homes actions, and thought-provoking ideas from four speakers, two panels, and over a dozen technology spotlights. All for only $25, which includes a hot lunch!

The summit will begin with registration at 7 am. At 7:30 am, the summit gets underway with the featured speakers addressing “Dairy Data and Technologies: Past, Present, and Future;” “Dos and Don’ts of Interpreting Farm Data: Avoiding Common Data Mistakes;” “Unlocking the Power of Data for the Hardest Working Cow in the Business;” and “How to Determine if Precision Dairy Analytics and Technologies are Right for Your Farm.” The main summit is scheduled to conclude at 1:15 pm.

After the main summit, participants are invited to stay for additional seminars. Beginning at 3:30 pm, 11 additional 30-minute sponsored educational seminars, most technology-based, will be offered. Furthermore, company representatives will also be available at the all-day trade show.

There’s no doubt, data and technology are a fast-growing part of the dairy industry, and for good reason. The continued pressure to improve will continue to challenge and change how the dairy industry operates. No matter how you measure success, data and innovations of all sorts can help dairy producers meet those opportunities.

The value-packed agenda was built by producers, with all dairy producers in mind regardless of their farm size, breed, or management style. Dairy producers, advisors to dairy producers, college-age students interested in a future career in farming or consulting, dairy challenge contests students, and others are welcome to attend. Please note: attendees do NOT need to be a member of the Holstein association to attend this event.

The DIS is truly U.S. dairy producer focused with the following objectives:

• To demonstrate ways to improve utilization and management of existing data on dairies of all sizes. This includes the potential for data to aid in new decision-making on dairies from individual cow data to herd-based decisions.

• To foster an environment for all dairy producers to learn about relevant data and technology innovations that are currently available and look ahead to meet future dairy producer needs.

The summit has been approved for six hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval. Approval has been given for ARPAS (American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists) for five CEU credits.

For younger attendees, there will be a special youth version of the Data & Innovations Summit that will feature a panel of three dairy industry leaders and their wealth of knowledge related to data, technology, and dairy cattle production. This event will be from 11:30 am to 1 pm. Networking opportunities will also be available with universities that offer dairy and/or animal science programs.

The DIS is hosted by the Minnesota Holstein Association. Again, attendees do not need to be a member of the Holstein association to attend this event.

Attendees are also invited to participate in additional events at the National Holstein Convention including a ticketed steak sandwich meal held in conjunction with the National Holstein Convention Sale the evening of the DIS event. For more information about the convention, visit www.2022nationalholsteinconvention.com.

For more information, a complete schedule, view the list of speakers, and to register for the summit and/or the national convention, visit www.2022nationalholsteinconvention.com/data-innovation-summit. Registration for the summit is open through June 1.