Nearly 100 milk quality professionals from 16 U.S. states – from New York to California – and three more countries attended the National Mastitis Council (NMC) Regional Meeting, held May 2-4, in Visalia, Calif. The event attracted dairy processors, veterinarians, dairy producers, researchers, milking equipment dealers and dairy suppliers.
“As the top milk-producing state, California provided an excellent home for this year’s NMC Regional Meeting that revolved around the theme, ‘Caring People and Happy Cows – Where Quality Milk Begins’,” stated Alfonso Lago of DairyExperts and the 2023 regional meeting program chair. “Those in attendance gained hands-on experiences and took home practical information to further the dairy industry’s pursuit in producing and marketing outstanding quality milk. Furthermore, they learned about moving milk from being a commodity to a value-added product. Opportunities abound for milk reaching beyond its current ‘commodity status’.”
The NMC Regional Meeting showcased a variety of topics, including selective treatment of clinical mastitis, teat sealant expectations, selective dry cow therapy, bedding management, quality milk production in automated milking systems, genomics, precision dairy technologies, genetic selection for mastitis resistance and nutrition’s impact on udder health. Additionally, some attendees participated in specialized short courses that addressed milking system evaluations, employee hiring, training and motivation, troubleshooting mastitis and milk quality challenges, and economics related to milk quality interventions. Furthermore, some participants toured M.R. Rosa Dairy and River Ranch Dairy, Hanford, Calif.
NMC thanks its regional meeting sponsors who contributed to the program’s success. The Premier sponsor was DairyExperts. Platinum sponsors included Boehringer Ingelheim and Merck Animal Health. The Gold sponsors were Dairy Farmers of America and OZOLEA. Silver sponsors included Alltech, ThermoFisher Scientific, Zinpro and Corner Window Communications.
The National Mastitis Council 63rd Annual Meeting is scheduled for Jan. 29-Feb. 1, 2024, in Dallas. Next year’s NMC Regional Meeting is tentatively set for early July in Belgium.
National Mastitis Council is a professional organization devoted to reducing mastitis and enhancing milk quality. NMC promotes research and provides information to the dairy industry on udder health, milking management, milk quality and milk safety. Founded in 1961, NMC has about 1,000 members in more than 40 countries throughout the world.
