Join milk quality and udder health specialists in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the NMC 49th Annual Meeting, slated for January 31 – February 3, 2010.  The annual meeting attracts bovine veterinarians, dairy producers, researchers, extension specialists, industry suppliers, field staff, regulatory officials and students interested in milking management, milk safety and mastitis prevention and control.

“This year’s meeting features an outstanding program that will educate attendees about the worldwide demands for milk quality,” said Pamela Ruegg, NMC first vice president and annual meeting program chair.  “NMC remains the leader in global milk quality, and this meeting supports our organization’s efforts to promote new technologies necessary to achieve superior milk quality.”

The NMC 49th Annual Meeting kicks off with a pre-conference symposium, starting on January 31, at 1:00 p.m., focusing on worldwide trends affecting demand for milk.  Speakers will address current consumer perceptions of animal agriculture, challenges facing the dairy industry, modern dairy methods and their impact on the environment, and low-input approaches to dairy farming.  All registered attendees may attend the pre-conference symposium at no additional cost.

General sessions take place on February 2 and February 3, with Chris Garforth of the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, delivering the keynote address, “Motivating Farmers: Insights from Social Psychology.”  Learn about the motivating factors of improving milk quality, along with mastitis treatments and how to evaluate their outcomes.  Gain insight about the dairy industries in other countries and their approach to milk quality.  And in the final session, discover how housing and environmental factors contribute to milk quality.  All sessions will include time for questions and answers.

Short courses, with limited enrollment, will be held the evening of January 31, and afternoon and evening of February 1.  Topics include monitoring udder health intervention with PCDART tools, milking system evaluation, new sciences of teat disinfection, evaluating mastitis data to optimize disease prevention, teat condition, tracking and managing somatic cells, and improving efficiency on dairies.  Short courses require an extra registration fee.  Register early so you don’t miss out on these courses.

Additionally, NMC will offer its popular Technology Transfer Session, which features poster presentations on mastitis control and milk quality.  Posters will be available for viewing on February 1 and February 2, with authors present at specified times during those days.  Selected posters will be featured during the oral Research and Development Summaries Session.

NMC will honor the National Dairy Quality Award (NDQA) Platinum winners at the annual luncheon on February 2.  These dairy producers from across the country place a high priority on producing superior quality milk.  Cover-All, Ecolab Inc., Pfizer Animal Health, Hoard’s Dairyman, Select Sires, IBA Inc., QMI, GEA WestfaliaSurge, and NMC sponsor the NDQA program.

In addition, the National Mastitis Research Foundation (NMRF) will recognize this year’s NMC Scholars during the luncheon. This year’s graduate student winners hail from the United States, Ireland, and Brazil.

This year, the Tuesday night reception will feature an auction to support NMRF, which sponsors the NMC Scholars program.  This program provides scholarships for four graduate students interested in udder health, milk quality and mastitis research to attend the NMC Annual Meeting.

Register by January 4, 2010, for the NMC 49th Annual Meeting to get the early registration rate. To learn more about the annual meeting’s program visit www.nmconline.org/meetings.html or contact Anne Saeman, NMC executive director, at 608-848-4615.

Make hotel reservations on or before January 5, 2010, at Hyatt Regency Albuquerque by calling 505-842-1234.  Ask for the NMC room block and to receive the group rate.
Sponsorship for the NMC 49th Annual Meeting demonstrates the increased priority on milk quality improvement.  Early sponsorship commitments include Diamond: Intervet / Schering-Plough Animal Health; Platinum: DeLaval / West Agro, Ecolab Inc., IBA Inc., Lauren AgriSystems;  Gold: Land O’Lakes, Inc.; Silver: ABS Global, Capitol Plastic Products, Dairy Farmers of America, and Deep Valley Farm / Fight Bac.

NMC is a not-for-profit professional organization devoted to reducing mastitis and enhancing milk quality.  NMC promotes research and provides information to the dairy industry on udder health, milking management, milk quality, and milk safety.  Founded in 1961, NMC now has close to 2,000 members in more than 40 countries throughout the world.