54th Annual Dairy Practices Council Conference

Join Us at the 54th Annual Dairy Practices Council Conference

The place where dairy industry, academic, and regulatory professionals gather together to learn dairy food safety best practices and expand their network of dairy industry expertise through participation in technical sessions, task force sessions, vendor visits, pre-conference educational workshops, and post conference tour offerings.

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Agenda (Printable PDF)

November 7th, Pre-Conference Workshops:

• Automated Milking Systems+Technology Fair

• Environmental Monitoring & Sanitation Controls

• Preventative Maintenance Best Practices for Pumps, Valves, Gaskets, and Heat Exchangers

Official opening of the conference is at 8:30 a.m. CST, Wednesday November 8th at the Embassy Suites Nashville Airport Hotel in Nashville, TN

Tennessee Ag Commissioner, Dr. Charlie Hatcher, D.V.M, will provide a Welcome. Followed by the Keynote Speaker:

This year's Keynote speaker will be Corey Geiger, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and serving as the Lead Economist with the Dairy Knowledge Exchange Division of CoBank.  Prior to this position, Corey served on the Hoard’s Dairyman editorial team.  Corey is a member of a sixth generation family farm operation and an accomplished author and international speaker on dairy related trends and topics.  He will be speak on how "Dairy is Making Moves: On-Farm, In Exports and At Retail".  In addition, he will share a few stories from his recently published, second book entitled "The Wisconsin Family Farm They Built" 

Additional Topics To Be Covered on Wednesday Include:

School Milk Splash

Animal Housing Impacts on Health and Safety

PFAS-The Forever Chemicals On Farm Through Processing

Later in the afternoon, Task Force Working Sessions will commence where attendees will discuss industry needs, write/review existing Guidelines and decide what additional Guidelines would be most useful.  

Be sure to identify your Task Force(s) of interest when you register. 

If you are new or are unsure what Task Forces do

 Click Here

Task Force I   Farm Buildings & Equipment:  Activities & Guidelines relate to buildings & equipment for dairy operations. Focused on systems including designs for handling cows, feed, milk, ventilation & manure.

Task Force II   Plant Equipment & Procedures:  Activities and Guidelines relate to procedures and equipment involved in dairy plant operations.  Focused on promoting uniformity between the states.

Task Force III   Laboratory & Quality Control Procedures:  Activities and Guidelines relate to laboratory, quality control, product evaluation & trouble shooting procedures. Focused on methods of assuring quality through good production and manufacturing procedures.

Task Force IV   Regulatory Issues & Food Safety:  Activities and Guidelines relate to inspections and HACCP.  Focused on fostering communications & uniformity between the states.

Task Force V   Milking Systems & Procedures:  Activities and Guidelines relate to milking system design, equipment, and facilities. Focused on function and proper cleaning/sanitation.

Task Force VI   Small Ruminants:  Activities and Guidelines relate to dairy goat, sheep, and other small ruminants.  Focused on best practices pertaining to all aspects of production and processing.

From 5:30-7:30 p.m. a Networking Reception with Cash Bar will be held where participants can visit with our vendor sponsors and each other to catch up on new technologies, product offerings and changes in the industry.

Thursday, November 9th, will kick-off at 8:00 a.m. CST, as we hear from The Hatcher Family Farm.  Their farm was established in 1831.  In 2007, the family was faced with the choice of selling out or bottling their own milk.  They stuck it out, built their own creamery and bottling plant and have grown their business to service over 80 local shops and restaurants.  In addition to hearing about their operation, they will share more about their journey into social media and the filming of the National Geographic documentary series on dairy farming streaming on Disney+

Additional Topics To Be Covered on Thursday Include:

Sustainability and The Dairy Value Chain

Tech Tools for Dairy Profitability: Making SMARTer Decisions

NCIMS 2023 Highlights & Further Actions

Getting into the Dairy Spirits: How Dairy Is Finding New Uses

A second Task Force Working Session will be held just prior to lunch. 

During lunch, the Annual Business Meeting will be held where we will celebrate the accomplishments of 2023, share the vision for 2024, and honor our volunteers through the Eugene T. Wolff Award, Guideline Author Acknowledgments and Honorary Lifetime Membership Inductees. 

The meeting will adjourn at 4:30 p.m. CST.

A Post Conference Tour & Tasting Event will be held at Yee Haw! from 5:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. in Downtown Nashville.  Participants will tour the brewery and distillery, and have a chance to taste some of the products shared during the Dairy Spirits panel discussion. This event requires participants be 21 years of age or older and purchase a separate ticket when registering. Click Here for Venue Details

For additional information regarding conference program, events, registrations, membership or sponsorship opportunities, please contact our office at 419-890-5147 or evp@dairypc.org.

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