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Responsible Dairy Symposium Opens Dialogue on Dairy Chain Responsibility

Update Feb 19 from Jo Ellen Enns:

This symposium has been postponed until economic conditions improve. Currently, dairy producers are facing their worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. When we began planning the Responsible Dairy event in the early part of 2008, no one could have foreseen the dire circumstances ahead. We have heard from several people that they just don’t have the money to come. Furthermore, it’s important for many to stay at home and manage the crisis as expeditiously as possible.

Responsible Dairy is intended to showcase the responsible actions that are taking place in the dairy industry with regard to environmental stewardship, animal care, food safety and employee management. It is a very important agenda. Additionally, we have the capability of bringing retailers, processors, consumer groups, government officials and others into the mix for a very constructive dialogue.

We hope the agenda can be fulfilled at a future date. We are looking into online solutions for the event.

If you have any questions please contact: Jo Ellen Enns; Responsible Dairy Manager; www.joenns@food360.com; 800-255-5114 ext 730; 913-438-0730

Editor's note: The School of Veterinary Medicine is pleased to participate in the first Responsible Dairy Symposium March 9-11, 2009, described in the following announcement from Dairy Herd Management magazine.

Dr. James P. Reynolds, chief of Dairy Production Medicine services at the school's Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center, serves on the steering committee of this symposium. Reynolds chairs the Animal Welfare Committee of the American Veterinary Medical Association; he received the association's Animal Welfare Award in 2007 for his contributions to the well-being and care of animals.

For more information about registration and the program, please contact Ms. Jo Ellen Enns at the number below.

Lenexa, Kan. September 18, 2008 — More than 200 dairy chain professionals are expected to attend the first Responsible Dairy Symposium, to be held March 9-11, 2009 in Amarillo, Texas.

Attendees will include representatives from all segments of the dairy food chain including consumers, university leaders, retailers, nutritionists, veterinarians, producers, packers, consumer groups, government officials and industry consultants.

Dairy Herd Management magazine, in partnership with Dairy Management Inc, Western United Dairyman, the National Grocers Association, University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine and the Center for Food Integrity will host industry stakeholders for a combination of panel discussions and presentations that will focus on the dairy food chain's responsibilities in the following categories:

• Food Safety

• Animal Well-being

• Human Capital

• Environment

• Consumer choices

Panel discussions and presentations will address threats and challenges that confront the U.S. dairy food chain today and in the future. “During our Responsible Pork Symposium last year, some of the discussions became very lively and controversial topics were debated,” says Cliff Becker, vice president/publishing director for Dairy Herd Management magazine’s parent group, the "food360°" division of Vance Publishing. “This is exactly the type of exchange we hope will transpire, and we believe these dialogues need to continue.”

Plans are currently underway to bring a dynamic mix of professionals to the stage. "Every participant along the dairy food chain has a responsibility to produce safe, high-quality products for the consumer," says Tom Quaife, editor, Dairy Herd Management magazine. "It's important that we encourage the dialogue and build bridges within the chain so that everyone continues to succeed in that goal. The Responsible Dairy Symposium is one more step down that path."

Sponsorship is currently open for the 2009 event and includes Alpharma Animal Health Company, Dairy Marketing Inc., the Center for Food Integrity, the National Grocers Associations, Western United Dairyman and the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine.

Dairy Herd Management magazine will continue the dialogue by featuring interactive discussions between stakeholders in several communication vehicles. Sponsors have been invited to add content to our Web site and quarterly newsletters.

For complete information on the Responsible Dairy Symposium, to sign up to be a continuing part of the dialogue and solutions, and for a complete list of participating organizations, visit www.ResponsibleDairy.com.

About "food360°"

"food360°" is the agricultural media division of the Vance Publishing group. Titles in the group include Dairy Herd Management, Drovers, PORK magazine, PORK Exec, Bovine Veterinarian, CattleNetwork, AgProfessional, AgNetwork, the CattleStore and the online bi-monthly newsletter Food Systems Insider. Reaching over 250,000 producers, retailers, veterinarians, and government agriculture officials, Food System Insider and its sponsors are committed to facilitating communication among all segments of the animal-protein food system, reducing barriers between production, packing, processing and retailing to enhance each market’s ability to respond to consumer demands.

Dairy Herd Management, the business leader, is a monthly business magazine written to advise commercial dairy producers. Editorial is written to an attitude, not to a particular size of dairy. The goal is to help owners, managers, employees and their consultants work together to improve nutrition, herd health, milk quality, genetics, reproductive performance and financial management in order to run a competitive, profitable dairy farm business.

Contact:

Jo Ellen Enns, Responsible Dairy Project Manager, Dairy Herd Management magazine

800-255-5113, ext 730; joenns@food360.com