The University of Kentucky is teaming up with the University of Minnesota to offer the 2017 Conference on Precision Dairy Farming in Lexington.

The conference is May 30 through June 1 at UK’s Coldstream Dairy Farm and the Hyatt Regency in downtown Lexington. Although the early deadline has passed, registration is still available.

“We have designed this conference for dairy producers and practical applications rather than just focusing on presenting research data,” said Jeffrey Bewley, dairy specialist for the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. “We are really looking forward to showing the participants our dairy cattle facilities, including our state-of-the-art cow comfort barn and the multiple precision dairy technologies we have on site.”

Conference speakers include professors and industry professionals from Cornell University, Wageningen University in the Netherlands, University of Minnesota, Virginia Tech and the William H. Minor Agriculture Research Institute in Chazy, New York.

A highlight of the event is a tour of the UK Coldstream Dairy. Participants will get an overview of the more than 10 technologies the UK cows wear, how they work and how researchers use them. They will also see the benefits of feeding-behavior technologies including an automated push feeder and individual animal intake monitors. Researchers will explain how they interpret handling technology alerts, how they implement parlor monitoring technologies, body conditioning score cameras, what sleep monitoring reveals about the cows, and how automated climate control can improve farm management.

The group will also get an introduction to the cow comfort barn and how it works, as well as learn about automation technology for calves.

Registration and a trade show will begin at 11 a.m. EDT May 30, and the conference will begin at 1 p.m. The first day will wrap up with dinner at 6:30 p.m. On May 31 and June 1, the presentations begin at 8:50 a.m. The conference adjourns at noon June 1. The trade show will be open throughout the conference and will allow participants to see first-hand what companies have to offer in the growing field of precision technologies and equipment.

Registration will be accepted at the door for $245 per person. Producers and students have a special rate of $75 per person. For more information, visit the conference website at https://www.precisiondairyfarming2017.com or contact Bewley at jeffrey.bewley@uky.edu.

For more information about the UK Dairy Program, visit http://afs.ca.uky.edu/dairy.