The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.

Indianapolis, home of the century-old, 500-mile automobile race, will host the 2018 Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council (DCRC) Annual Meeting, Nov.14-16. The council “waved a green flag” to symbolize the start of its race to the annual meeting and just opened its annual meeting registration website. This year’s meeting reverts to the traditional DCRC format of core meeting dates on Thursday and Friday.

To register for the meeting, go to: www.dcrcouncil.org/meetings. Register by Oct.1 to take advantage of the lowest registration rate. Online registration ends Oct. 31. After that date, attendees must register on site.

“This year’s DCRC Annual Meeting highlights environmental and societal scrutiny of the dairy industry,” said Program Chair Rafael Bisinotto, an assistant professor at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. “By bringing together all dairy repro industry partners to share experiences and research, we’ll excel at the race to achieve higher reproduction performance.”

Featured topics at this year’s DCRC Annual Meeting include:

Nutritional strategies to optimize heifer growth

Timed artificial insemination and estrous synchronization protocols

Reproductive performance cost-benefit analysis

Use of genomics in dairy herds

Targeted reproductive management therapies

Feeding strategies to support fertility and transition period health

Hoof health

Feed delivery monitoring

Embryo transfer implementation

Employee training

Data-based decision making

Maximizing cow comfort

In addition, Zoetis, Merck and Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition are sponsoring preconference seminars, starting at 9 a.m. on Nov. 15. The preconference symposium provides additional instruction time for meeting attendees at no extra charge.

DCRC is committed to boosting dairy producer* and veterinarian (employed by a veterinary clinic) attendance at its annual meeting. To encourage attendance from these two groups, DCRC is offering twenty $100 travel stipends for first-time attendees. Stipends will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact JoDee Sattler (jodee@dcrcouncil.org) if interested in this discount. Payment will be made at the meeting upon proof of attendance. (*DCRC Herd Repro winners are not eligible to receive a travel stipend.)

For more information about the Westin in Indianapolis, host site of this year’s DCRC Annual Meeting, visit https://west.tn/2y4XHVS. Book your room by Oct. 4, to get the group rate of $159 per night. The DCRC room block may fill before that date, so reserve your room soon.

The Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council is focused on bringing together all sectors of the dairy industry – producers, consultants, academia and allied industry professionals – for improved reproductive performance. DCRC provides an unprecedented opportunity for all groups to work together to take dairy cattle reproduction to the next level.