Large Herd Seminar moves to the South West

The South West has been chosen to host this year’s Large Herd Seminar, the annual event which provides forward-thinking dairy farmers, herd managers and veterinary surgeons with the latest information to make their businesses more profitable, making it more accessible to those living in one of the UK’s largest livestock producing areas. Entitled ’Looking after the cow - Getting it right’, the Seminar will take place at the Woodbury Park Hotel, Golf and Country Club, Woodbury, Exeter on Tuesday 30th June and Wednesday 1st July.

The 4th Large Herd Seminar features an intriguing mix of presentations from some of the world’s leading academics in dairy herd management, research, nutrition and health. Organised by Lillico Attlee, one of the UK’s largest privately-owned agricultural merchants, together with the Evidence Based Veterinary Consultancy, the event is sponsored by Intervet Schering Plough, Arm & Hammer, Alta Genetics, Micron Bio-Systems, VistaVet and Zinpro.

The Veterinary pre-Seminar on Tuesday evening will start with a reception and dinner, followed by four presentations on the theme of ’Immunity, fertility and performance - getting it right’, which will focus on immune response and metabolic problems of fertility.

Following a PhD thesis examining links between mastitis and fertility, Dr Dana Tomlinson of Zinpro will discuss the ’Links between nutrition, reproduction and immunity’. This will examine the role of trace mineral nutrition on performance and immune competence, together with the effects of management, housing and environment on production, health, reproduction and profitability.

Claire Wathes, who is Professor of Veterinary Reproduction at the Royal Veterinary College in London and focuses her research on farm animal reproduction, will discuss ’The effects of negative energy balance on immune function and fertility’. Professor Ric Grummer from the Department of Dairy Science at the University of Wisconsin will speak on the subject of ’Can dry cow management affect fertility?’ while Professor Robert Van Saun, Professor and Extension Veterinarian at the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences at Pennsylvania State University, will consider the ’Use of metabolic profiles in assessing transition cow health status’.

The Large Herd Seminar on Wednesday will include eight presentations covering four main areas, all of which impact on cow fertility.

Professor Ric Grummer’s presentation will be entitled ’Feeding strategies to get the cow off to the best possible start’, while Professor Robert Van Saun will speak about ’Predictors and monitoring of metabolic disease’.

The second session ’Looking after the cow - Team approach’ will start with a joint presentation by veterinary surgeon Ben Brearley of The Livestock Partnership and dairy farmer James Goodwin, who jointly manages a 650-cow dairy herd in Sussex. Entitled ’Exploiting your information and using a team approach’, it will consider what herd managers need to record, monitor and use effectively. A dairy farmer from the United States will also discuss their approach to the same subject.

The afternoon session will focus on Calf and heifer performance - getting it right’, the most important aspect of any dairy enterprise but one often neglected. Kat Bazeley from the Kingfisher Veterinary Practice, which provides top-quality veterinary care in Somerset, Dorset and Devon, will demonstrate the importance of getting heifers growing to deliver performance in her paper ’Heifer monitoring to improve performance’, while Professor Stephen Acres, President and CEO of The Saskatoon Colostrum Company Ltd, will talk about ’Colostrum Management to Improve Health and Long Term Performance’.

The final session, ’Nutrition - problems that affect performance’ will consider how to get on top of lameness and sub-clinical acidosis, together with the importance of nutrition. Dr Dana Tomlinson will speak on ’Progress in reducing lameness’, while the final paper ’Is SARS holding your cows back?’ will be presented by VistaVet.

Warwick Bastard of Lillico Attlee said: "The 2009 Large Herd Seminar will provide a stimulating environment for practical dairy professionals. Delegate places are limited and the event is likely to sell-out quickly, so early booking is advisable."

Tickets for the Veterinary pre-seminar cost £50, while those for the Large Herd Seminar are priced at £75. A subsidised rate of £25 is available for dairy farmers and managers who attend the day seminar only. Delegates can attend both sessions for £225, inclusive of overnight accommodation. Contact Lillico Attlee on 01622 718062.