The sixth annual Kentucky Dairy Partners meeting is set for Feb. 26-27 at the Sloan Convention Center in Bowling Green. The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture is a sponsor of the event for dairy producers, industry representatives and anyone interested in the dairy industry.

The Kentucky Dairy Development Council Young Dairy Producers Conference will take place prior to the Dairy Partners meeting from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST Feb. 26. The exhibit hall opens at 6 p.m. with an evening reception and exhibit viewing. Registration for the Kentucky Dairy Partners meeting begins Feb. 27 at 7 a.m. with sessions beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Opening sessions include a presentation titled “CSI: Cow Signals Investigation” from Tom Lorenzen from Alltech and a presentation about enhancing the dairy industry’s image from Cheryl Hayn and Kentucky dairy farmer Jeff Deener. Hayn is general manager of the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association in Atlanta; Deener is the president of the American Dairy Association of Kentucky.

Dr. Ernest Hovingh, extension veterinarian for Penn State University, will speak about recognizing and managing lame dairy cows, followed by the Kentucky Dairy Development Council meeting.

The afternoon program includes a presentation from Shaheen Soloman from Southeast United Dairy Industry Association Inc. titled “Dedicated to Dairy: Cow Care—Communicating Dairy Image in a Changing World.” Hovingh will continue his discussion on how to prevent lameness in the dairy herd, followed by a farmer panel about cow comfort.

Sponsors of the meeting include the UK College of Agriculture, the Kentucky Dairy Development Council, Kentucky American Dairy Association/SUDIA and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

Two producers per Kentucky dairy operation will receive free registration courtesy of the Kentucky Dairy Development Council. The fee for other participants is $30 per person. All registrations will be taken at the door. Full agenda and more information is available here.