Ground-breaking Australian dairy research will be showcased this month at the world’s premier global dairy science conference in the United States.
Fifteen abstracts from Dairy UP researchers have been accepted to the American Dairy Science Association conference on June 22-25, in Louisville, Kentucky, with several Dairy UP researchers presenting at the conference, including PhD students supported by the University of Sydney.
The ADSA conference is considered a cornerstone event in dairy science, bringing people together from across the world to explore the latest research, share innovative practices and advance the science of dairy as a community.
Dairy UP researchers will address a symposium on production, management and the environment, highlighting how major challenges for dairy are being attacked in a multidisciplinary project.
Project leader Professor Yani Garcia said the special Dairy UP session and the acceptance of multiple abstracts reflected the importance of the work being done by Dairy UP researchers.
“Our goal is to ensure that our research findings are based on solid science that can be turned into recommendations for farmers and the rigorous peer-review process is an important part of that,” Prof Garcia said.
“ADSA is the most prestigious and largest dairy conference in the world, and Dairy UP is having a massive impact with 15 pieces of research.”
Professor Ian Lean will outline the need for more accurate recording of metabolic disorders to improve research, prevention, and treatment for feed efficiency, ruminal acidosis and lameness.
PhD student David Sheedy will present the topic — Do cows in total mixed ration systems have old lipid profiles compared with pasture-based cows?
Other abstracts from Dairy UP researchers accepted at the conference cover a range of topics, including the positive associations between calf and lactation performance; investigating genetic and environmental effects on the rumen microbiome; dairy farming system and land use influence on soil organic carbon stocks; integrating artificial intelligence into the model for the Australian Breeding Value for Heat Tolerance; factors influencing lactose production in dairy cows; and greenhouse gas emissions of confinement and pasture-based dairy farms.
Dairy UP is a collaborative $16 million program to rejuvenate dairy research in Australia funded by the NSW and federal governments, university and private industry.
The program is led by the University of Sydney’s Dairy Research Foundation and co-delivered by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Scibus and Dairy Australia.