GIPPSLAND dairy farmers have the rare opportunity to hear from an internationally recognised leader in the field of calf and cattle welfare, when Professor Nina von Kerselingk visits Leongatha next month.
Professor von Keyserlingk is a Director of the National Farm Animal Health and Welfare Council of Canada, as well as being the co-director of the Animal Welfare Program at the University of British Columbia, Canada.
She is arriving as the guest of regional dairy body GippsDairy, and will be speaking in Gippsland before attending the Australian Dairy Conference in Hobart.
“This is a great opportunity for local farmers to get the latest in research and trends from an industry expert. We hope they will take advantage of this opportunity,” GippsDairy executive officer Karen McLennan said.
“Nina will be looking at the challenges and opportunities around calf rearing, an issue which
can prove problematic in the dairy landscape.
“I know one of the issues Professor von Keyserlingk will be speaking about is the opportunity that exists in calf rearing for the dairy industry in particular around accelerated nutrition, surplus calves and cow-calf separation.”
Professor von Keyserlingk combines research in both the social science and animal science fields, working to find practical opportunities to produce food in ways that work for the farm business, protect social license and improve animal welfare.
The academic will be in Leongatha on Thursday, February 9.
Details on the event can be found at gippsdairy.com.au
