2019 program

ADC 2019 Full Program (pdf)

ADC offers delegates an opportunity to visit farms in the region surrounding Canberra in Central NSW with a chance to tour dairy related businesses and farms enhancing your ADC exposure and networking. In 2019, ADC takes delegates on a revealing tour to Australia’s biggest single-site dairy farm at Moxey with farm tour, discussions and dinner on site. Overnight at Cowra.

Delegates will head to Colin Thompson (2018 ADC presenter) farm at Cowra where he will share his story on-site navigating dairy herd through drought with the use of free stall barns for young stock. Lunch before heading back to Canberra by 4.30pm.

A welcome session for members of the Young Dairy Network and anyone else attending their first Australian Dairy Conference. The who’s who of dairy introducing you to everything you need to know for your ADC experience. An informal chance to get to know some faces, gain some tips and find out the low down of how things roll at ADC.

Delegate meet and greet at the official ADC Welcome Function sponsored by Fonterra at Hotel Realm. A relaxed and social introduction to ADC proceedings before two full days of plenary sessions.

Always a cracking first session to get your brain into gear. At the 2018 Australian Dairy Conference, then keynote speaker Lino Saputo Jnr challenged the Australian dairy industry to be bold in its leadership. To understand what this means we have identified outstanding Australians each of whom have embraced the challenge of bold leadership.

Dr Brendan Nelson was Minister for Defence when Australian troops were deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, East Timor and the Solomon Islands. This retired medical doctor and politician is now responsible for curating our country’s recollection of war – a history that has seen both bold and failed leadership. Dr Nelson will share that story and what went into making decisions that have the capacity to divide yet build a nation.

Political scientist, commentator and award-winning John Howard biographer Peter van Onselenexplores why bold leadership is so rare and difficult. Having either worked with or interviewed an array of former PMs he is well placed to commentate on examples of bold leadership and equally where it’s been lacking. Critically, we ask this independent observer how Australian dairy might learn from and apply lessons of bold or not so bold leadership.

Dairy Australia’s new managing director lends his perspective at a time when bold leadership is needed. But what does that look like for him?

It’s difficult to quantify where the Australian industry is on antibiotic use and bobby calf management as the data doesn’t exist. We put the spotlight on these critical farm management issues with bold discussion about changing expectations and how to respond.  Hosted by Dairy Australia’s acting manager of animal health, Dr Jo Coombe.

Dr Jo Coombe, acting manager of Animal Health at Dairy Australia sets the antibiotic scene and why we need to know more.

The NZ dairy industry now has a solid gauge on its antimicrobial use and susceptibility patterns in its dairy herds.  Understanding this position strengthens their industry’s capacity to introduce and measure strategies to drive a more astute use of antibiotics on-ground.  Dr John Penrynow heads up extension and advisory services with Anexa/Cognosco and provides an exploration of the strategy that is positioning the NZ dairy industry well in terms of its future antibiotic use.

Despite not having a handle on the mastitis management practises of every Australian dairy farmer, there are some who are doing it remarkably well and can demonstrate significant reduction in antibiotic use through astute management. Gippsland vet Dr Peter DeGaris and his client Peter Hanrahan share their story of practise change with the data to back it up.

Jo Coombe brings the presenters back to tackle the question: What is the bold leadership the Australian dairy industry needs to take in terms of guarding our animal health future?

Nuffield Scholar and veterinarian Dr Sarah Bolton looks at the leadership required to achieve industry-wide responsible management of non-replacement dairy calves. She draws on her Nuffield experiences to examine the issue in the context of industry social license and opportunities for farm output diversification.

Bega farmer & ADC founding director Ken Kimber subscribes to the Bega Cheese Environmental Management System – and reflects on his conviction that there is an economic as well as a social imperative to be as good as you can be in animal and environmental management. This philosophy, which includes a new bobby calf management initiative, has stood his business in good stead including these times of drought.

Just a decade after the genomic breakthrough we are ready for an exponential rate of genetic progress. Prof Andrew Cromie looks at what the commercial adoption of genomic technologies will mean and how farmers can through the data overload to optimise progress.

Two Australian dairy farmers who link productivity gains on farm to decisions they have made based on use of genetic data share their stories.  Northern Victorian dairy farmer Jared Ireland provides his insights into picking a bull team that takes you places at an average $16/straw, while John Pekin from the Western Districts shares his story of recent herd improvement and his business case for genomic testing.

We head back overseas to meet a US dairy farmer who excels in the application of genomic technology to optimise farm performance. Brought to ADC courtesy of Zoetis, Brad Nosbush shares his insights of making the most of genomics.

The Australian Dairy Conference Young Dairy Scientist Award sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. Finalists in the Young Dairy Scientists Award present their work to convince delegates of their field of research. Led by ADC Scientific Director Richard Rawnsley.

The Gala Dinner is always a highlight of ADC with a chance for delegates to catch up socially, digest the proceedings of the day and network with fellow farmers. In a long-standing partnership, Rabobank has made the Gala dinner a flagship event bringing commitment and entertainment to those who attend.

Annual General Meeting of the Australian Dairy Conference

Rabobank Global Dairy strategist Mary Ledman has more than a keen interest in dissecting and understanding how dairy supply chains function in the Northern Hemisphere. We ask her to reach into her kit bag of insights and bring us up to speed on how global dairy supply chains are evolving and what we borrow to help strengthen the Australian industry.

The Australia dairy processing sector is under the microscope and emerging from a period of unprecedented change. At the same time, the global dairy landscape is rapidly evolving. To help better understand the long-term implications for the Australian dairy industry, key executives from four dairy companies sit side by side on the stage hosted by Rabobank’s Mick Harvey including Fonterra’s Rene Dedoncker, Bega’s Barry Irvin, Norco’s Greg McNamara and Lino A. Saputo Jnr from Saputo Inc. This panel session explores opportunities for the sector but also dig deeper to understand the risks and implications for the industry. To start, each panellist has five minutes to answer the question “what keeps you up at night.”

International Dairy Federation President Dr Judith Bryans explores the global attacks on dairy as a key part of the human diet – from the rapid rise of alternative milks, calls to cease eating dairy to ‘save the planet’ to megatrends in food and nutrition that influence consumer food choices.  She discusses the global response to this damaging trend.

A look at the Australian approach to managing how dairy foods and alternatives are recognised by policy makers and sold to consumers. Why does this agenda matter to you and the industry?

How alternative are alternative mylks? Dr Padayachee – known otherwise as The Simple Scientist – delivers an independent comparison between dairy milk and alternative mylks focusing on nutrition, health and what is driving consumers towards alternative milks, or rather mylks.

Beef and Lamb NZ launched Taste Pure Nature red meat brand last year on the back of research identifying these there was untapped demand for naturally raised, grass-fed, hormone-free and antibiotic-free red meat. What can we learn from this campaign to apply to protect Australian dairy?

After an Australia-wide call to farmers to tell us ‘what is their most valuable farming app’ our committee applies ruthless and independent rigour to come up with the five best dairy farming apps – and we ask the Young Dairy Network to present them in a fun yet highly informative session hosted by NSW DPI robotic technology expert Nico Lyons.

According to this Irish expert, there is a special Australian quality of resilience that stands out the world over. Come on the road for a probing insight into the traits of resilience and how we can strengthen them even further.

A motivating end to our conference as broadcaster Virginia Haussegger interviews three dairying women. Their strength, endurance and resilience serves as inspiration for the challenges that lie ahead for the dairy industry’s leaders of tomorrow. Virginia will introduce you to the fabulous Jan Raleigh (77) from Timboon in south-west Victoria, Anne Jarvis AOM (76) from Tallangatta Valley in northern Victoria and Edna Winifred (Winnie) Oslear (74) from Toolijooa on the South Coast of NSW.