Submitted by Glenda Pereira, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Maine
The Maine Dairy Seminar and MDIA annual meeting was held on March 16th, 2023, in Waterville Maine at the Elks Lodge. With 127 attendees, there was a packed room where many vibrant discussions took place. This was also a great opportunity for the dairy industry to socialize and learn from invited speakers.
Keynote Speaker Dr. Michael Hutjens, Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois was sponsored by the Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance and presented a talk titled “Strategies with the 2023 Feed Outlook”. Some of the highlights from Hutjens’s presentation included: forage quality as a tool, building on milk components, the use of feed additives, evaluating feed ingredient costs, and learning about using tools such as feed efficiency, milk profitability, kernel processing and fecal starch.
Madlyn Daley from Dairy Management Inc presented a talk titled “Consumer trends”. Some of the presentation highlights included: economic uncertainty, shifting demographics, proactive health, responsible consumption and sustainability, and specific dairy trends.
This conference also included virtual messages from Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, and Representative Chellie Pingree. Several farmer and industry leader awards were presented during the Maine Dairy Shrine Award presentation.
The 2023 Dairy Pioneer Award was presented to the family of Russell Libby of Mount Vernon, ME, in memory of a lifetime of outstanding leadership and service to the Maine Dairy Industry.
The 2023 Maine Distinguished Dairy Cattle Breeder Award was presented to Elroy, Connie, Steve, and Eric Chartrand of Chartrand Farm of Norridgewock, ME, in recognition of excellence in the breeding of Holstein cattle and service to the industry.
The 2023 Maine Dairy Leader Award was presented to Julie-Marie Bickford of Augusta, ME, in recognition of her outstanding leadership and commitment to building a sustainable and profitable Maine Dairy Industry.
Lastly, there was a virtual presentation of the 2022 Maine Dairy Farm Family of the Year, which was awarded to Dean and Juanita Paine of Paine Dairy Farm in Madison, ME.
Our sincere thanks go out to our sponsors and supporters for their participation and engagement. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year!
Be sure to join us next year.