Source: Dairy Calf & Heifer Association news release
The Dairy Calf and Heifer Association (DCHA) revealed its updated Gold Standards during the DCHA Annual Conference and Trade Show, held April 11-13, in Prior Lake, Minn. “Introducing the updated standards was so fitting as this year’s conference focused on a ‘Commitment to Excellence’,” said Jamie Franken, DCHA president, City View Farms, Sutherland, Iowa.
The 2023 conference attracted members from 27 U.S. states, three Canadian provinces and nine countries. The nearly 400 attendees, including dairy calf and heifer growers, dairy producers, veterinarians, academia and allied industry professionals, learned about building relationships, raising beef x dairy calves, improving feed efficiency, finding and keeping employees, enhancing calf group housing, fostering effective communications, using data effectively, balancing heifer value and cost, and optimizing genetics.
“The conference provided a phenomenal opportunity to gain knowledge from producers’ experiences and discover how to effectively use data on calf, heifer and beef x dairy operations,” said DCHA Conference Program Chair David Casper, Casper’s Calf Ranch, Freeport, Ill. “The engaging event inspired attendees to further their commitment to excellence.”
During the DCHA Annual Meeting, members approved the 2023-2024 slate of candidates. DCHA board members are:
*President Clint Al-Ag, Friona, Texas;
*Vice President Kerry Yanez, Chowchilla, Calif.;
*Secretary-Treasurer David Casper, Freeport, Ill;
*Past President Jamie Franken, Sutherland, Iowa;
*Northeast Regional Director John Balbian, Amsterdam, N.Y.;
*Southeast Regional Director Izabella Toledo, Mayo, Fla.;
*West Regional Director Jason Anderson, Bellevue, Idaho;
*Producers-at-Large Jim Van Patter, Cuba City, Wis.; and Kendall Wassner, Orange City, Iowa;
*Academia Director Joe Dalton, University of Idaho; Allied Industry-at-Large Director Jorge Delgado, Andover, Minn.;
*Corporate-at-Large Director Brian Wesemann, Burlington, Ill.; Ellen Cushing, Hustisford, Wis.; and Adam Geiger, Madison, Ga.
*Retiring board members include Theresa Ollivett, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.; and Elizabeth Quinn, Schaghticoke, N.Y.
DCHA thanks its annual meeting sponsors who contributed to the program’s success.
The Diamond sponsor was Cargill.
Platinum sponsors included American Dairymen, California Dairy, Diamond V, Hoard’s Dairyman, Progressive Dairy, TechMix and Zoetis.
Gold sponsors were Boehringer Ingelheim, DBC Ag Products, Elanco, Merck Animal Health and UpLevel Dairy.
Silver sponsors included ABS, Agri-Plastics, American Foods Group, Arkion Life Sciences, Compeer Financial, Dairy Star, Holstein International, Land O’Lakes, MicroBasics, Milk Specialties Global, STgenetics and URUS-SCCL. Bronze sponsors were Adisseo, Afimilk, Calf-Tel, GPS Dairy Consulting, International Ingredient Corporation, Vita Plus and Zinpro.
About the Dairy Calf & Heifer Association
The Dairy Calf & Heifer Association (www.calfandheifer.org) was founded in 1996 based on the mission to help dairy producers, calf managers and those professionally focused on the growth and management of dairy calves and heifers. With a national membership of producers, allied industries and research leaders, DCHA seeks to provide the industry’s standards for profitability, performance and leadership, serving as a catalyst to help members improve the vitality and viability of their individual efforts and that of their business.
