If you’re a Michigan Dairy producer—or you work for a company that supports the dairy industry, then you’ll want to be part the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference coming up on Feb. 5th and 6th at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.
“When I go to a conference like this, I learn something not only from the speakers, but I learn just as much standing in the hallway talking to other producers and other industry people,” says Brian Troyer, Chair of the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference.
He says the event will feature guest speakers, breakout sessions, and an expo.
“We’ll have a wide variety of topics and breakout sessions,” says Troyer. “We have two or three main speakers from a main stage, and then we’ll have quite a few breakout sessions. We’ve also changed the format of this meeting in the last few years, and so the Expo is actually in the same room where we have the speakers. We also have a couple of stages in the same room we have the large exhibit space there at the casino.”
The following guest speakers are scheduled throughout the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference:
- Adam Lock and Alycia Bales will share research on improving feed efficiency and milk components, while Claira Seely highlights how precision technologies can enhance transition-cow health and early detection strategies.
- Greg Bethard, Sarina Sharp, and Matt Tranel will provide insights into market trends, feed-crop outlooks, and economic factors affecting dairy operations.
- Sessions with Dörte Döpfer, Dr. Trevor DeVries, and Jason Reid will cover cow welfare, robotic-milking efficiency, and team building for effective farm management.
- Producers and industry representatives will share insights on real-world guidance for planning and modernizing dairy facilities to support long-term operational success.
- Additional sessions will cover heat-stress mitigation with Geoff Dahl, forage optimization with Dr. Isaac Salfer, and reproduction automation tools with Dr. Julio Giordano, as well as fresh-cow housing strategies from Dr. Barry Bradford.
- The conference concludes with Mike Hutjens sharing tools and strategies to improve milk-solids efficiency, forage utilization, and overall profitability.
He adds that this year’s conference focuses on everything from new technologies and animal welfare planning to crop outlook and labor opportunities—all of which are geared to help dairy producers improve their bottom-line.
“A conference like this might have 150 farmers and 300 industry people, like myself—what we call the Allied Industry—as well as 45 exhibitors, so there will be a good crowd of people there networking, sharing ideas, and catching up. It’s kind of a social event, but also very much an educational event,” he says.
The registration deadline is Sunday, February 1.
For more information and to register, visit GLRDC.org. To register by phone, call 989-666-3773.
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