April 8, 2009

Dairy conference aimed at industry 'moovers' and shakers

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Indiana Milk Quality Conference, which will be held April 14-15 in Spencer, Ind., will have it all, from robotic milkers to tank security.

"Anybody involved in the process of getting milk from the cow to the consumer will benefit from attending this conference," said Mike Schutz, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service dairy management specialist. "There will be topics for the dairy producer or manager, the milk trucker and those involved in the processing end of things."

Conference sessions will be 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. April 14 and 8-11:45 a.m. April 15 at McCormick's Creek State Park's Canyon Inn. Registration is $75 per person and includes lunch, dinner and conference materials.

Individuals are required to preregister by contacting Robin Fuhrman at 260-483-6436, ext. 3327, but payment should be made at the door.

Prior to the conference, the Indiana Milk Quality Professionals will host a meet and greet from 5-7:30 p.m. April 13.

 For the dairy farmer, a panel on robotic milking will feature Pam and Sam Jones, Indiana dairy producers from Star City, along with representatives from robotics systems manufacturers. There also will be a session on mastitis control by Joe Hogan, a mastitis specialist at Ohio State University.

For those involved in milk transportation, Chris Thompson of the University of Kentucky Creamery License Division will discuss milk tanker security innovations, including automatic systems for tracking milk tankers.

The transportation topics also should be of interest to individuals involved with milk processing facilities, Schutz said. A panel discussion will highlight milk quality and cleaning issues from plant to consumer and from farm to plant. Another topic will be milk plant wastewater control.
Several Hoosier agricultural organizations, such as Indiana Farm Bureau, Indiana State Department of Agriculture and Indiana Professional Dairy Producers, also will give brief updates.

The Canyon Inn is located at 451 McCormick Creek Park Road in Spencer. Hotel accommodations can be made by calling 812-829-4881 or 877-563-4371.

For questions and information, contact Robin Fuhrman at 260-483-6436, ext. 3327, dairydolly@aol.com, or Schutz at 765-494-9478, mschutz@purdue.edu.
Indiana Milk Quality Professionals Inc. sponsors the conference, with programming assistance provided by Purdue Extension.

Writer: Julie Douglas, 765-496-1050, douglajk@purdue.edu

Source: Mike Schutz, 765-494-9478, mschutz@purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-8415;
Steve Leer, sleer@purdue.edu
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