2025 Program Presenters

  Title: Mycotoxin Mitigation: A New Approach

Short description:  Mycotoxins can be formed on crops in the field, during harvest, or during storage, processing, or feeding. In a global survey, 85% of cereal grains sampled were contaminated with at least one mycotoxin. The threat of mycotoxins also exists in silage. Ruminants are susceptible to the detrimental effects of mycotoxins in the diet, meaning that your herd’s production and performance -- and, ultimately, your profitability -- could be taking a hit. 

Ingested mycotoxins can damage the gut epithelial cell surface, compromising a cow’s ability to block mycotoxins from entering its tissues and migrating to different organs. What if you could combat the constant mycotoxin challenge from the inside out, building resilience and consistently meeting milk production goals? 

During this breakout, recent research-proven concepts with be reviewed and discussed. Following this breakout, attendees will be better positioned to evaluate and implement practical solutions specific to their individual a better understanding of how their mycotoxin mitigation options can be objectively evaluated and implemented. This process will aid in the identification of research-proven and field-tested opportunities to maximize herd profitability.

Biography:  Dr. Joel Pankowski joined the Arm and Hammer Technical Services Team in 2011.  Currently, he leads and manages a team of Ph.D. and DVM Multi-Species Technical Service Managers that provide technical expertise to the Field Sales Team, Key Influencers and Producers in the Americas.

Joel received both his BS and MS degrees from The Ohio State University and then went on to earn his Ph.D. in Dairy Management from Cornell University. His areas of expertise are: reproductive management and health, quantitative dairy herd data analysis, transition cow management and fatty acid nutrition. 

His 30+ year career has included a variety of technical and leadership roles with the Monsanto Dairy Business, CPG Nutrients, AGWAY, Inc., Land ‘O Lakes Purina Feed, and Alpharma Animal Health. Joel resides in Baldwinsville, NY with his wife, Tracy and they have 3 grown children (Stacy, AJ and Trevor) .

 Plenary Title:  Management and nutritional strategies to improve profits from dairy farms

Description: Different aspects influencing the economic returns in dairy farms will be evaluated. First, what and how to use data to make decisions will be reviewed, and then several examples of areas that can make a relevant change to the bottom line of the dairy enterprises will be presented.

Breakout title: Getting the most out dairy replacements: 

Key nutrition and management aspects

Bio:

Alex Bach is a research professor at the University of Lleida. Alex conducts research to understand the physiology and metabolism of cattle and to improve nutrition and management of dairy herds to make them more sustainable. He has received several awards in recognition to his research activities, has spoken at more than 150 international congresses, is author or co-author of more than 170 peer-reviewed publications, more than 100 extension articles, and more than 20 books (or book chapters). He has served as a scientific expert in several committees of the European Food Safety Authority and has also served in the European Research Council. He is section editor and sits in the editorial board of several scientific journals, and is member of various scientific committees. In his spare time, Alex enjoys running, biking, and windsurfing.

    Plenary session title: Strategies to Improve Productive Nitrogen and Reduce Urinary Nitrogen Excretion

Plenary Description: This presentation will focus on whole-body nitrogen and amino acid metabolism and how to approach diet formulation strategies that more precisely meet ruminal and post-ruminal amino acid requirements while reducing urinary nitrogen excretion.

Breakout session title: The Role of Amino Acids in Fatty Acid Synthesis

Breakout session description: Most dairy cattle's genetic capability for milk component yield is increasing rapidly, and this is helping us learn more about how nutrients interact to enhance the partitioning of milk fat and protein. As the capacity for fat yield increases, we are learning that a greater amino acid supply is required to improve the protein synthesis involved in de novo and preformed fatty acid yield. This talk will focus on these interactions and the quantities of metabolizable amino acids needed for greater fat yield.

Bio: Mike Van Amburgh is a Professor in the Department of Animal Science and a Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow at Cornell University where he has a dual appointment in teaching and research.  

Mike received his undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University and his Ph.D. is from Cornell University.   

He leads the Cornell Dairy Fellows Program, advises approximately 30 undergraduate students, and is the Cornell University Dairy Club advisor. He also is teaches several undergraduate and graduate level courses. 

Mike currently leads the development of the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS/CPM Dairy), a nutrition evaluation and formulation model used worldwide. Through licensing, the CNCPS is used to formulate diets for approximately 70% of the dairy cows in North America.  Through the modeling effort, he focuses on enhancing the efficiency of nutrient use by ruminants to improve the environmental impact of animal food production.  A significant component of his current work is to understand whole animal and ruminal nitrogen metabolism and amino acid supply and requirements to enhance the productivity of high-producing lactating dairy cattle and use that information in the further development of the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System.   Further, his group is active in developing methods to better describe the interaction between forage and feed chemistry, rumen function and post-ruminal digestion to complement the model.  

He has authored and co-authored over 100 journal articles and many conference proceedings. He is the recipient of several awards, including the American Dairy Science Foundation Scholar Award, the Land O’Lakes Teaching and Mentoring Award from ADSA, the American Feed Ingredient Association Award for Research, Journal of Dairy Science Most Cited Award, the CALS Professor of Merit Award, and the CALS Distinguished Advisor Award. In 2016, he was named a Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow, the highest teaching award given by Cornell University.

Title: Cocktail Forage Mix Research: 

Agronomic and Dairy Cow Production Results

Short description: As more dairies include cereal grain forages into the cropping rotation, the subsequent use of annual warm and cool-season mixtures (cocktail forage mixes) can work well. This talk will cover recent work evaluating the yield and quality of a warm/cool-season cocktail forage mixture, as well as the productivity of dairy cows fed a diet with cocktail forage mix silage.

Bio: Matt Akins is a Dairy Scientist with the USDA-ARS Dairy Forage Research Center Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research unit in Marshfield, WI. His research focuses on forage management and dairy cattle nutrition, including evaluation of growing various high-fiber forages for feeding dairy heifers and improving management of baled silage. Matt is also collaborating with UW-Madison colleagues to evaluate feeding strategies for dairy beef crossbred cattle. He received an undergraduate degree from UW-Platteville, M.S. degree from University of Arkansas, and PhD from UW-Madison. In his free time, Matt enjoys spending time with his family in the outdoors (fishing, hunting, hiking) and at the kids’ sporting events.

Bio: CEO of Dairyland Laboratories

Talk Title: Why and How Best to Test High Oleic Soy

Talk Description: An overview of what to test for and which tests best inform us about high oleic soy plus a summary of test results to-date from Dairyland Laboratories.