Program

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Sunday, January 27
7:00 am - 3:00 pm	Board of Directors Meeting
Short Courses (limited enrollment; pre-registration required) [details here]
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm	Course 1: Unlocking the Potential of Precision Dairy Farming Mastitis Detection Technologies
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm	Course 2: Update on Prototheca Mastitis -- The Lurking Environmental Pathogen
Committee Meetings
3:30 pm - 5:30 pm	Milk Quality Monitoring
3:30 pm - 5:30 pm	Membership & Marketing Committee
3:30 pm - 5:30 pm	Teat Health Committee
Short Courses (limited enrollment; pre-registration required) [details here]
6:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Course 3: Update on Mycoplasma Mastitis: Transmission and Control
6:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Course 4: Welfare of Dairy Cattle: What You Need to Know to Have Happy Cows
6:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Course 5: Milk Quality and Mastitis Control on Organic Dairy Farms in the US: It's All Natural So It Must be Better?
6:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Course 6: Tapping the Milk Quality Records Analysis Potential of PCDART
Monday, January 28
Continental Breakfast 7:00 - 8:00 am
Newcomers "Get-Together" 7:00 am - 7:30 am Are you new to NMC? Is this your first NMC Annual Meeting? You are invited to attend the "Newcomers Get-Together" which will be held during the continental breakfast. This session will furnish you with the knowledge you need to get the most out of your first NMC meeting. You will also learn more about the NMC and have the opportunity to meet NMC board members, committee chairs, and other individuals in the industry. (A special area will be designated for this event at the continential breakfast.)
Technology Transfer Session (poster presentations). Posters available for viewing all day. Authors available from 7:30 am - 8:00 am and/or 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Committee Meetings
7:30 am - 9:30 am	International Advisory Committee
7:30 am - 9:30 am	Machine Milking Committee
Opening Session
10:00 am	Welcome and Introduction to Program David Reid, Rocky Ridge Dairy Consulting, Hazel Green, Wisconsin - NMC Annual Meeting Program Chairperson
10:05 am	President's Address Sheila Andrew, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut - NMC President
General Session I: Oxytocin Issues Affecting Milkability Moderator: Successful machine milking begins with the release of oxytocin. This session will combine the science of oxytocin release and how oxytocin functions in the milking process with the art of dairy stockmanship. The goal is to bring calm cows to the parlor or barn which maximizes the effectiveness of oxytocin release during milking and improves the overall milkability of the herd.
10:15 am	Oxytocin from the Pituitary or from the Syringe: Importance and Consequences for Machine Milking In Dairy Cows Rupert Bruckmaier, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland This presentation will discuss the release and function of endogenous oxytocin, specifically on the induction of oxytocin release, the importance of pre-stimulation, the stimulation of the liner during milking, some remarks on disturbed milk ejection, and effects and consequence of the use of exogenous oxytocin.
11:00 am	What a Letdown! Calm Cow Handling Practices to Maximize Parlor Performance and Throughput Margaret Perala, MP Vet Services Inc., Deerfield, Kansas Dairy stockmanship and proper cow handling impacts both production and milk quality. This presentation will discuss effective strategies for handling cattle on today's modern dairies. By learning and observing calm and effective cow handling practices, daily interactions can be low stress for the cow and high "yield" for the dairy. Practical tips and insight into creating positive communication with cows will be discussed. The main focus will be going to and in the parlor.
12:00 pm	Adjourn General Session 1
Lunch Break (on your own) 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Student "Meet and Greet" Lunch 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm Students at the annual meeting are invited to a "meet and greet" lunch. This informal event offers a great opportunity to meet other students as well as some members of the NMC board and committees.
General Session 2: Building Consumer Trust In Our Food Supply -- Opportunities for Positive Change (split session) Moderators: Gary Neubauer, Pfizer Animal Health, New Ulm, Minnesota With the increasing awareness of issues surrounding food safety, the impact one tanker of milk or one market dairy cow can have on consumer confidence and exports markets is greater than ever before. The U.S. dairy industry produces the safest food in the world, but opportunities for improvement relative to milk and meat drug residues exist. This presentation will present new research findings on animal health practices on U.S. dairies, including opportunities to improve residue avoidance efforts through proper product use, better record keeping, and employee training. The speakers also will offer ways that veterinarians, cooperatives, processors and other advisors can help producers reduce their risk of a residue violation and improve the quality and safety of our food supply.
2:00 pm	How Milk Quality Effects Our Industry at a Global and Consumer Level Mike O'Brien, Foremost Farms USA, Baraboo, Wisconsin This presentation will illustrate the importance of residue avoidance to milk processors, consumers, and producers - with a focus on the impact of antibiotic residues and the risks associated with residues in the raw milk supply. The history of residue issues will be reviewed, with an emphasis on the improvements that have been made in addressing the situation over the last 20 years. Common reasons for drug residues in milk will be reviewed along with the steps that can be taken to reduce the likelihood that residues may occur. The importance of a valid Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship, standard operating procedures, treatment protocols, and permanent treatment records will be discussed.
3:00 pm	Break
3:30 pm	How Meat Quality Affects Our Industry at a Consumer Level Mike Apley, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas Dairy cattle end their careers in the beef industry, and what happens towards the end of their dairy career has a huge impact on the reputation and safety of the beef industry. This presentation will outline the residue challenges in cull dairy cows, high-risk behaviors that contribute to these challenges, and also look at how the beef industry has progressed through quality assurance initiatives with an emphasis on carcass quality.
4:30 pm	Assessment of Health Management on US Dairies John Wenz, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington "Good Health Records" are the foundation of consistent, effective dairy health management. Accurate and consistent health records, achieved by developing and implementing a standard health data management protocol, support three critical functions on the dairy: 1) Individual cow management decisions, 2) Outcomes-based herd health management decisions and 3) Residue avoidance/regulatory compliance. A presentation of Washington State University's Good Health Records Project and the results of health management assessments on over 100 US dairies will highlight opportunities for positive change to meet the demands of consumers locally and globally.
5:30 pm	Adjourn General Session 2
Research and Development Summaries Session (split session) 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm Moderators: Jessica Belsito, IBA Inc., Millbury, Massachusetts; Sarne De Vliegher, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium Oral presentation of selected posters from the Technology Transfer Session. This session runs concurrently with the General Session. The format is a 12 minute presentation with a 3 minute question and answer period for each paper. [Note: presentation titles will be posted in December.]
Reception and "Team Trivia" Benefit for the National Mastitis Research Foundation 6:15 pm - 8:00 pm Join friends and colleagues from around the world while enjoying light snacks and beverages! The reception will also include "Team Trivia" - a fundraiser for the National Mastitis Research Foundation. Questions will focus on the dairy industry and quality milk production. Be sure to sign up and play! The reception is open to all registered attendees. [more information]
Tuesday, January 29
Continental Breakfast 7:00 am - 8:00 am
Technology Transfer Session (poster presentations). Posters available for viewing all day. Authors available from 7:30 am - 8:00 am and/or 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Committee Meetings
7:30 am - 9:30 am	Research Committee
7:30 am - 9:30 am	Education Committee
7:30 am - 9:30 am	Residue Avoidance Committee
General Session 3: Milk Quality Around the World Moderator: Jason Lombard, US Department of Agriculture, NAHMS, Fort Collins, Colorado Milk quality is becoming more important as consumers become more aware and as countries import and export dairy products. This session will highlight a few key dairy industries across the globe. Presenters will include demographic information on the industry in their country with a focus on milk quality parameters. Key factors impacting milk quality will be presented along with unique practices of each country. [These presentations previously were given during the Milk Quality Monitoring Committee meeting]. The final presentation will revisit the question of whether or not somatic cell counts in individual cows can get too low.
10:00 am	Colombia Alejandro Ceballos, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Colombia
10:10 am	Italy Alfonso Zecconi, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
10:20 am	Spain Luís M. Jiménez, Servet Talavera, Talavera de La Reina, Spain
10:30 am	Belgium Sarne De Vliegher, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
10:40 am	Germany Christian Baumgartner, MPR Bayern, Wolnzach, Germany
10:50 am	New Zealand Eric Hillerton, DairyNZ, Hamilton, New Zealand
11:00 am	United States Jason Lombard, US Department of Agriculture, NAHMS, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
11:10 am	Canada Greg Keefe, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
11:20 am	Great Britain Elizabeth Berry, DairyCo, Kenilworth, United Kingdom
11:30 am	Can Somatic Cell Counts Get Too Low? A Question to be Revisited Larry Fox, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington Milk somatic cells are largely composed of white blood cells and their appearance in milk in elevated numbers is generally an indication of an intramammary infection. The constant presence of the white blood cells in milk can be viewed as surveillance cells, the scouts on alert for foreign antigens. Some might argue that if the number of surveillance cells that move into the milk, becomes, or is, too low, then the cow will be or become more susceptible to intramammary infection. The logic is that the invading intramammary pathogens will overwhelm the low level of these surveillance cells and an insufficient immune response will allow the invading pathogens to establish themselves quickly. Following this logic, it would appear that it is better to have a higher cell concentration always present in the milk of the cow so that there are more cells available to respond to the invading pathogen. Yet, the physical and chemical action of the migration of the immune cells from the blood and lymphatic systems are thought to be responsible for the lost milk production and altered milk quality, arguing for a lower concentration of cells. In this presentation and manuscript, evidence that milk somatic cell count can get too low will be contrasted with the evidence suggesting that lower milk somatic cell count is best.
12:00 pm	Adjourn General Session 3
Luncheon and Program Open to all registrants, the luncheon includes presentation of the National Dairy Quality Awards, the NMC Award of Excellence for Mastitis Prevention and Control, and introduction of the NMC Scholars. This event will be held at Petco Park (home of the San Diego Padres baseball team) which is adjacent to the hotel. 12:05 pm - 1:30 pm
Featured Symposium: Where the Rubber Meets the Teat - Understanding and Managing the Milking Process at the Interface between Teats and Liners Moderator: Pat Gorden, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa It has been stated that the closer one gets to the teat the less is known about machine milking. This session will seek to broaden the understanding of the complex interactions of mechanical forces and the biology of the cow -- leading to the ultimate goal of improved managing, manipulating, and optimizing the process of machine milking
2:00 pm	Exploring the Role of Liner Shape, Dimensions and Venting on Milking Performance Doug Reinemann, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin This presentation will describe the results of several experiments designed to better understand the effects of liner shape, dimensions and venting on milking performance. Round liners have been the norm for most of the 100+ years of machine milking. Triangular, square and other shaped liners have made up a bigger share of the US market recent years, as have liners with vents placed in the mouthpiece. While teat dimensions appear to be similar in many parts of the world, liner dimensions are not. This may be due the weight of history (that's the way we have always done it) or some real or perceived benefit of using liners with different dimensions. Experimental results exploring the effects of liner dimension, shape and venting on milking performance performed on two continents and one very big island will be presented.
2:45 pm	Understanding the Milking Machine: The Contribution of Cyclic Liner Compression to Effective Pulsation Graeme Mein, Werribee, Australia Variations in the degree of Liner Compression applied to cows' teats, by the closing or closed liner, have a marked influence on teat condition, cow comfort and milk flow-rate. Despite its influence on the success of milking, neither Liner Compression nor the related concept of Over-Pressure are understood clearly or measured routinely by the majority of people who are involved in the testing, maintenance or troubleshooting of milking systems. The main aim of this paper is to provide a clearer understanding of these concepts, their fundamental contribution to successful pulsation, and some of the practical implications of this new knowledge.
3:30 pm	Break
4:00 pm	Panel Discussion: Current Issues Related to Machine Milking and Milking Management Panel members: Doug Reinemann, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin; Graeme Mein, Werribee, Australia; Ian Ohnstad, The Dairy Group, Taunton, United Kingdom Brief presentations by panel members will set the stage for a lively, interactive session of questions, answers, and discussion between panel members and meeting attendees in the audience.
4:30 pm	Review of Parlor Summaries from 3X Herds in North America Brandon Treichler, Valley Veterinary Clinic, Seymour, Wisconsin Parlor facilities represent a large capital and resource investment of modern dairy operations. Despite this, there is little published or current data relative to parlor performance achievement by actual working dairies available to the industry. Results of a survey of parlor performance of voluntary participant herds utilizing DairyComp 305™ herd management software interfaced with milk meters will be reviewed. The focus of this presentation will be the discussion of key areas on parlor performance reports, ranges of performance across participating herds, discussion of the interactions between parameters, as well as defining performance benchmarks for dairies to monitor their results.
5:00 pm	Adjourn Symposium
Dinner Break (on your own) 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Short Courses (limited enrollment; preregistration required) [details here]
6:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Course 7: Failure of Mastitis Therapy: Is It the Drugs, Bugs, Cows or Us?
6:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Course 8: Using On-Farm Culture Systems to Manage Mastitis
6:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Course 9: Bulk Tank Milk Analysis: Window to the Milky World!
Wednesday, January 25
Board of Directors Meeting 7:00 am - 12:00 pm
note: there are no educational sessions on Wednesday