5 reasons why you should attend the DCHA Conference

Published on Wed, 02/22/2017 - 1:46pm

5 reasons why you should attend the DCHA Conference

Register now for annual conference set for April 11-13 in Madison, Wis.

You enjoy raising healthy calves and heifers. And, we know how much passion and skill it requires. We’d like you to join us at this year’s Dairy Calf and Heifer Association (DCHA) annual conference, “Sky’s the Limit,” set for April 11-13 in Madison, Wis.

Here are 5 reasons why you should attend:
1. Get answers to the tough questions. The importance of sharing your story and talking with consumers continues to grow. In telling your story, you can be faced with some tough questions. Learn how to handle the challenging questions by hearing from a panelist of dairy stakeholders and presentations highlighting animal welfare, with a specific focus on young calves.
2. Find new ways to motivate your team. Whether you’re trying to improve performance or working with your team to follow proper protocols, being able to motivate your employees is an instrumental skillset. Gain insight on creating a positive work environment and develop teamwork.
3. Learn from your peers. We can all learn a lot from one another if we take the time to listen to each other. Through session questions, panel discussions, farm tours and the trade show, you’ll have countless opportunities to learn from your peers.
4. Remember the mature heifers. It can be easy for older heifers to fall off the radar. Do you take the time to sit back and evaluate your heifer program? Hear about new strategies to get heifers pregnant, keep them growing and start returning on the investment sooner.
5. Look to the future. The future of your herd begins with getting newborn calves off to a healthy, growing start. Learn how nutrition and housing could be impacting the health of calves.
Last year’s DCHA conference drew more than 500 dairy calf and heifer raisers from 27 states and 10 countries, representing more than 1 million cattle.

Make plans to attend
To register and for a full conference schedule with session descriptions, visit calfandheifer.org.

New DCHA member benefit
We are excited to announce our new member benefit: the DCHA Member Network. This new private Facebook discussion group, exclusive to members, was developed to ensure the valuable peer networking you experience at the DCHA conference is available year-round. Members now have a continuous platform to connect with fellow DCHA members, ask questions and discuss calf and heifer raising topics.
Join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DCHAmembers/

Gold Standards
The Gold Standards provides a framework for raising dairy calves and heifers, including research-based benchmarks and best management practices. Have you seen the new edition? The Gold Standards are available online for download in the Members Only section of our website. You can also request a printed version by completing our online form at calfandheifer.org.

The Dairy Calf and 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.