Program

Dairy Records Management System (DRMS) has developed reports to aid in analysis of dairy information for daily decision-making by herdspersons and consultants. In addition to these reports, DRMS PCDART herd assessment tools enable managers and advisors to analyze herd performance using either on-farm or downloaded data.

During this workshop, Jennifer Lanier, Purina Animal Nutrition, will lead a session on Dairy Data Analytics using two case studies to provide common examples of how nutritionists use data to help dairy producers evaluate progress and make decisions. In each case study, Lanier will demonstrate the use of multiple features within PCDART. The limitations of infrequent analysis and statistical interpretation of responses to changes in nutrition and management as “proof” data will also be included in each case study.

Bradley Mills, Mills Brothers Livestock Company, will also share his expertise in dairy records analysis in this workshop session; he will demonstrate methods of analyzing herd health data using enhanced PCDART features such as trackers and health codes.

This workshop will be a combination of presentations, discussions, and hands-on exercises.

Please note that laptop computers are required for hands-on exercises and installation of the PCDART demonstration program and herds.  If using an Apple laptop, please install and configure Parallels software before arriving at the workshop.

Space is limited; register early.

Linking dairy performance with social behavior, animal well-being, and worker well-being.

There is supportive scientific evidence that animals are capable of suffering and experiencing transient affective states such as fear, frustration, and joy. Most research efforts in cattle have focused on conditions that have a negative impact on affective state, such as stress or pain (which can be more or less quantified), but lesser efforts have tackled aspects influencing positive affective states.

This symposium will address the potential link between affective state and basic behavior of dairy cattle with performance during the different production stages (from calves to lactating animals). Also, the symposium will address the effect of affective state of farm staff on performance and wellbeing of cattle and the impact on mental health that farming may exert on farm personnel and owners.

Genomic tools allow faster genetic progress, but the long-term consequences are much less clear, and the genetic markers do not fully track the true biology. The first talk will compare long-term progress and simulate genetic changes using different selection strategies with additive or nonadditive inheritance. The second talk will compare methods to use high- or low-coverage DNA sequence data instead of just markers to track actual genetic effects more precisely. The third talk derives statistical methods to incorporate new data sources into the evaluations of existing traits.

Despite major advances in dairy production and processing in recent decades, there have been few changes to how raw milk quality is defined, with many of the same tests and parameters used now that were used half a century ago. Advancements in knowledge regarding the impact of microbiological populations of raw milk, composition of individual milk components, and management practices at the cow, herd, and farm level on finished product quality necessitate that the dairy industry rethink how value is assigned to raw milk. This symposium will cover both production and dairy foods perspectives on implementing raw milk quality programs that reflect the contemporary understanding of the impact of raw milk on the entire dairy product continuum from cow to consumer.

Consumers today are very different than they used to be, yet have a strong interest in where their food comes from, including how food animals are raised and handled. Social media influencers may or may not rely on science, but will use feelings and emotions. Social media influencers often lack knowledge about production agriculture, and those that do exist use science (facts) and typically won’t use feelings and emotions. To help build consumer trust in dairy products, this symposium will provide information about the role of social media influencers and Ag scientists, how they drive consumer trends, and the opportunities for the dairy community. Also, there are “bubbles” or “echo chambers” in social media in which Ag people tend to follow Ag people, and non-Ag people tend to follow other non-Ag people, who may not necessarily understand agriculture.

REPRODUCTION PLATFORM SESSION: 43RD DISCOVER® CONFERENCE: DAIRY CATTLE REPRODUCTION: LESSONS LEARNED AND FUTURE FRONTIERS

The 43rd ADSA Discover® Conference will be held on May 31 to June 3, 2022 in Itasca, Illinois. The conference was designed to bring the key individuals together to discuss major advancements observed in the last decade, current challenges and opportunities, and the future of dairy reproductive management and research.

The outcomes of the conference that will be discussed in the keynote presentation by Julio Giordano, Cornell University, include an overview of recent advancements in reproductive management and performance, the most current recommendations for implementation of reproductive programs, and the identification of important knowledge gaps and opportunities that will direct the course for future research and technology development in this critical area of dairy production.

GSD Workshop: Scientific communication workshop. How to effectively convey a message to your audience.

Even the best science is destined to remain undiscovered unless it is presented in a clear and compelling way that sparks innovation and drives adoption. The intention of this workshop is to work on science communication skills and public speaking to improve the way graduate students present their science.

Joe Proudman, Associate Director for Communications for the CLEAR Center, UC Davis.

At the CLEAR Center, Proudman focuses on science communication and oversees content strategy, crisis communication, social media, advertising, and stakeholder relations.

Over the past decade, the dairy industry has rapidly adopted automated milking systems (AMS), transforming them into the primary method of milking in certain Canadian provinces. Despite this rapid adoption, there remains great variation in feeding programs associated with the AMS and a lack of clear recommendations on AMS concentrate and partial mixed rations compositions and feeding rates. Therefore, the aim of the symposium is to highlight the key nutrition principles that should drive management decision in order to optimize nutritional efficiency of dairy cattle using AMS.

How do farmers make management decisions? Which communication strategies promote positive engagement between farmers, veterinarians and other stakeholders? How can we better understand the people who work with and care for dairy cows? In this symposium, we will discuss the use of qualitative research methods to answer these types of research questions. Presenters will describe a variety of studies, illustrating the range of questioning that can be addressed and the different types of method that are used. The symposium will end with a focus group session, allowing participants to experience qualitative research first hand and to ask questions and interact in a small group environment.

There is a lot of public debate about the impact of animal-based foods on the environment and its role in human nutrition comparison to plant-based foods. This symposium aims to address specific areas of misinformation and confusion among the public about dairy and its importance in the human diet. The goal of this proposal is to provide science-based dairy context from farm to fork.

Nutrient uptake in the mammary gland plays a rate-limiting role in milk production in lactating animals. The uptake of individual nutrients, such as glucose, amino acids, fatty acids, and minerals, is carried out by specific transport mechanisms and mainly mediated by specific transporters. This symposium is aimed at introducing our current knowledge of transport mechanisms of major nutrients in milk synthesis.

Genetic diversity drives our ability to increase profitability through selection, shift selection objectives to meet new market demands, and adapt to new environments. For the past 50 years combined breeding entities have successfully made U.S. genetics globally preeminent -- increasing food security and providing marketing opportunities for U.S. breeders. With a range of new selection tools and methods to employ, this is an opportune time to pause, reflect, and plan how genetic diversity and inbreeding might be managed in such a way that further advances U.S. genetics for the greater good.

Led by the USDA National Animal Germplasm Program, the 42nd Discover® Conference on Conference "Managing Genetic Diversity for Future Dairy and Livestock Breeding" is part of a comprehensive approach to address the issue of genetic diversity. Themes include challenges and opportunities, use and management of genetic diversity, breeder perspectives, marketing and exchange of genetic resources, and tools for managing genetic diversity. The goal of the conference is to explore how breeding, genetic improvement, and genetic diversity are viewed and used in an intensive agricultural sector like the United States.

The Platform session during ADSA 2022 will include keynote presentations by Harvey Blackburn, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, and Chad Dechow, The Pennsylvania State University, addressing potential next steps for managing genetic diversity and represents an opportunity to further engage and solicit input. Selected abstracts pertinent to the conference program themes and topics will be presented followed by a discussion period involving the session participants.

ADDITIONAL FEE REQUIRED FOR THE SYMPOSIUM AND LUNCH. Workshop open to all.

Symposium and Boxed Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 1:10 p.m.; pre-registration required.
Workshop: 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.; open to anyone interested in gaining skills.

College classroom post Covid pandemic will not return to what it was pre-Covid. Recent literature has documented the wide range of instructional responses to the Covid pandemic. The ingredients of successful online classroom (“teaching presence,” “cognitive presence,” and “social presence”) are overlapping with the ingredients of successful in-person classroom (namely individual, and team-based active learning). The structure of the course environment and activities impact student interest. Student interest may influence their motivation for engagement, which in turn may influence their academic performance.

Reconsidering the teaching and learning environment in the post-Covid college classroom will come with many promises but also perils both for the students the instructors. This symposium and workshop will provide attendees with tools and classroom interventions designed to increase student interest, motivation, and academic performance.

The preweaning period is critical for the growth and future productivity of replacement animals. However, dairy cattle producers and their veterinarians continue to face important, ongoing, and emerging challenges regarding calf management from intrauterine life to the time of weaning.

This symposium symposium will summarize the 41st Discover® Conference presentations and discussions about basic and applied research from calf health and production areas such as nutrition, immunology, behavior, welfare, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases.

The intent of this symposium is two-fold. First, David Mertens’s research was the foundation upon which was built our understanding of fiber analyses, NDF digestion kinetics, modeling of ruminal fiber dynamics, and the utility of NDF for feed evaluation, ration formulation, and teaching. Second, Mertens would insist that we are not done. The presentations in this symposium will cover not only what we know, but also the unresolved questions and discrepancies that should be addressed to advance this science.

As the world is faced with the challenge of an ongoing pandemic, consumers continue to seek foods to fulfill their health and wellness needs, whether it is to help boost their immunity or alleviate stress. In addition to providing all the essential nutrients required for growth and development, bovine milk also contains a gamut of bioactives that can play a major role in overall human health beyond basic nutrition. In recent years, milk bioactives including α-lactalbumin, lactoferrin, glycomacropeptide, milk fat globule membrane, and milk oligosaccharides have been intensively studied because of their unique bioactivity and functionality. This symposium will review the current literature and innovation in this field and explore the potential of various bioactives from bovine milk to play a larger role in human health.

In this symposium, the invited speakers will share the latest research on how the advance in applied genomics can be used to improve reproductive performance. The following speakers will provide their views on the different components of successful management to improve reproductive performance using genomic data available: sire fertility, genomics of fertility and ovulation, genomics of heat expression, genomics of pregnancy loss (early and late term).

Dairies are overwhelmed with managing and interpreting the large amounts of data that are generated from sensor and imaging technologies. To make full use of these data, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (MI) combined with production and management data can be used to identify new patterns for disease, reproduction and nutrition management to help dairies develop and improve management practices.

The transition period is to date the period in the lactation cycle of the dairy cow that has the highest risk for disease and culling. Although transition cow management has seen significant advances, and our understanding of the physiology of the transition cow´s metabolism and endocrinology has progressed, a similar level of understanding is lacking when it comes to immune regulation, factors that shape immune phenotypes of individual animals, as well as the underlying etiology of excessive and prolonged inflammation of the postpartum dairy cow. Understanding the sources of systemic inflammation around the transition, the consequences that such inflammation may have on production, health, and fertility, as well as potential mitigation strategies, would promote innovative directions and instigate new ideas in this hot topic to the dairy research community investigating dairy health, production, and fertility. Several research groups worldwide focus on the topic of transition cow immune dysfunction. This symposium provides a chance to synthesize the newest information derived from this active area of research and provides a discussion forum for all ADSA members.

Our objectives are as follows:

• Present the latest research on transition cow inflammation and immune dysfunction
• Identify take-home messages and actable ideas for on-farm implementation by nutritionists, veterinarians, and producers
• Identify knowledge gaps and future directions of research

Over his career, Dr. Allen was never one to shy away from confrontation, with only one intent: to make all of us better scientists. In the title of this symposium, the word “Integrating” is used intentionally; Dr. Allen very much integrates digestion characteristics of feeds, rumen function, metabolism, endocrine control, and energy dynamics into a complete package.

The panel of this symposium will offer insight into the basic and applied use of energy metabolism, with plenty of time for discussion.

National survey data indicate that adults and children in the United States frequently consume energy outside of traditional mealtimes, a behavior sometimes referred to as “snacking.” However, there is no clear definition of a “snack” in the scientific literature or among consumers to distinguish it from “snack food.” This lack of definition complicates the process of separating health effects linked with multiple daily eating occasions (“snacking”) from the health effects of consuming “snack foods” such as chips and cookies. Therefore, it remains unclear from a nutrition perspective whether eating snacks is beneficial, neutral, or detrimental to health. The common narrative that more eating occasions leads to consuming more calories, which leads to weight gain, is not as straightforward as it sounds. Eating snacks has been linked with both weight maintenance and weight gain as well as both low and high dietary quality. At any eating occasion, whether a traditional meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) or a “snack,” it is important to consume primarily nutrient-dense foods. The dairy industry can support public health in the United States by developing and offering nutrient-dense “snack” options, and this symposium will support that opportunity by giving an in-depth look at the changing landscape of snacking in the United States and eating-occasion research. Speakers will address the latest in nutrition science related to snacking, snacking trends, and process innovations as it relates to cheese.

Digital transformation across the dairy industry, such as through implementation of real-time data collection, process monitoring, and data analytics, has gained significant attention in recent years. Integrating digital tools into existing systems offers numerous benefits, such as facilitating systems optimization and improving food safety and quality management. However, while digitalization offers numerous benefits, there are also barriers and challenges to the design and implementation of digital tools. This symposium aims to provide an overview of several digital tools, their implementation in the dairy industry, and applications ranging from risk management to optimization of processes and sustainability.

A one-day symposium on the topic of structural nutrition will be presented by researchers from the following two ADSA^® partner organizations in New Zealand: AgResearch and the Riddet Institute. The efficacy of health-conferring components in dairy food products are affected by structural location within dairy products, which, in turn, is impacted by processing conditions and ultimately by digestion. This leads to opportunities to maximize nutritional delivery by targeting specific processing technologies to engineer structure in dairy products. The relationship between structural attributes and product functionality, in particular, the dynamic aspects of release of nutrients and bioactive compounds, will be presented. Complex interactions between food, the gut microbiota, gastrointestinal motility, food structural breakdown, enzymatic digestion, and the transport of digestive contents impacts nutrient uptake in humans.

Morning Session

Afternoon Session

Neonatal dysbiosis in calves is a result of imbalance in the microbiota as well as acid-balance disfunctions from birth to weaning, generally related to diarrhea but not always, generates a significant economic loss to the dairy industry, and continues to be the most common disease in preweaning dairy calves. In the United States, digestive disorders account for 50.6% of the morbidity cases in pre-weaned calves.

New traits to measure sustainability, environmental efficiency, and animal health are currently being developed by many researchers. The featured talk in this platform session describes a central database recently developed to exchange new phenotypes and associated data from several countries on 3 continents. This exchange provides the feed intake data now used in the routine national genomic predictions just implemented in the past year.

Grazing of dairy cattle is gaining in popularity in the Midwest as a way to improve economic efficiency of dairy cattle. Grazing includes more than just nutrition, and this session will focus on research that has an opportunity to improve profitability and reduce the carbon footprint of dairy grazing systems.

With fluctuating markets and an increasingly urgent climate crisis, the viability of the dairy sector depends on its economic and environmental sustainability. There has been a flood of research investigating novel methods of mitigating the dairy’s carbon footprint, with mixed success. The most effective methods, which have resulted in a quantifiable reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per unit of milk produced, including improved cow efficiency and innovative farm management techniques, will be discussed. In addition to exciting novel techniques that deal with GHG mitigation, we also plan to assess current and future strategies through a proven tool in our sector toolbox: improving production efficiency.

This symposium will discuss the broader environmental implications of promising practices and how we can quantify those impacts. We will give a look forward to what we can expect in future years to be available tools to dairy producers and sector professionals.

In this symposium, invited speakers will present the latest research on topics related to the application of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in dairy cattle. The following speakers will discuss: the use of in vitro embryo production to generate multiple pregnancies from elite dam-bull combinations, the use of sexed semen to inseminate the best dams to generate replacement heifers and use of beef semen or beef embryos on all remaining dams to address concerns over the welfare of low value male dairy calves, the expected benefits include accelerated genetic gain, and transformation of the dairy herd calf crop to a combination of high genetic merit dairy female calves and premium quality beef calves. In addition, experts will present some of the emerging reproduction technologies to be used, in the future, in dairy cattle reproduction.

On-farm labor shortages exist throughout the country. Along with this, as the industry continues to move forward, more automation will replace on-farm labor. Tasks like milking and feeding calves will be replaced with automatic milkers and feeders. The Southern symposium would like to dive into this topic of on-farm labor and automation.