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The 5th Annual American Association of Bovine Practitioners Recent Graduate Conference, targeted for those veterinarians who have graduated between 2014 and 2021, will take place Feb. 18-19, 2022, in New Orleans, La. Registration for virtual and in-person attendance is now open at http://aabp.org/Recent_Grad/register2022.asp (you must log-in to register). In-person attendance is limited to 300 recent graduates, however, all AABP members can register for virtual conference attendance.

The theme, “Profoundly Impactful”, was developed to offer newer veterinary graduates content that would help inspire new ideas within the attendees, enabling them to positively influence the cattle, clients and the communities they serve. “The committee wanted to give recent graduates a futuristic look for where cattle practice is headed through the eyes of producers,” says Program Chair Dr. Adlai Schuler. “The majority of the speakers are not only veterinarians, but also cow-calf, feedlot and dairy producers. Whether it is managing a dystocia they've never encountered before or tackling a new, herd-level problem, attendees should expect to come away from the conference armed with new resources and knowledge that will add value to both their clients and their practice when they return home.” The conference has been submitted to RACE for 15.75 hours of continuing education.

In 2022, there will be three preconference seminars on Feb. 17: Seminar 1, Bull Breeding Soundness Examination; Seminar 2, Thinking Through and Practicing Lameness Treatment Protocols; and Seminar 3, Understanding Finances.

The scientific program Feb. 18-19 will include keynote addresses on the future of dairy, feedlot and cow-calf veterinarians. Other general session topics will include debt management, public speaking, managing emergency situations and fluid therapy in calves. Beef topics include BSEs and semen handling, ET/advanced repro technologies, beef nutrition, chute side diagnostics, on-farm field trials, biosecurity, anaplasmosis, profit-driven breeding, receiving calf diets, feedlot epidemiology, beef welfare, and ID and disease outbreaks.

Dairy sessions will include leading relationships, dairy consulting, lameness treatments, dairy diagnostics, heifer inventory, beef-on-dairy breeding programs, protocol compliance and training clinical skills, calf housing strategies, uterine torsion, calf nutrition, on-farm trials, mastitis management without antibiotics, and selective dry cow therapy. At the dinner on Friday, several attendees will share practice tips. There will also be a virtual and in-person trade show at this conference to allow AABP vendor partners to connect with members.

Schuler has attended several of the Recent Graduate conferences since 2017. “I have always appreciated the camaraderie and candidness of the discussions,” he notes. “Whether at the conference throughout the day or while enjoying the nightlife, this is the place where stories are shared, friendships are made, and a support network is grown. There is a free flow of information among veterinarians that really helps kickstart younger careers.”

“This conference is such a great opportunity for AABP members who are recent graduates to not only obtain relevant continuing education targeted to this stage of their career, but also network with peers,” says AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich. “New Orleans also offers many opportunities for attendees and allows us to conduct pre-conference seminars at Louisiana State University for hands-on learning.”

Schuler agrees with the great choice of venue. “New Orleans promises to be a unique experience and the opportunity to work with LSU and visit their campus is unparalleled. We are bringing back much of the same really successful things that have drawn people to this conference in the past and we are looking forward to having the same wide-open discussions that make this conference such a useful tool.”

Conference attendance is limited to current AABP members, so make sure your dues are current when you register. Visit http://aabp.org/Recent_Grad/default.asp to see an overview, schedule and register for the conference – you must be logged onto the website to register.

Helpful dates:

    • Preregistration closes 5pm EST January 20 (after this, online registration fees apply)
    • Online Registration closes 5 pm EST Feb 3