FORT WAYNE, Ind. – After cancelling last year’s Tri-State Dairy Nutrition Conference, organizers have scheduled a virtual program for April 19-21. The Indiana Milk Quality Conference, meanwhile, has been called off for the second straight year.

The milk conference would have been April 6-7. Both events were to have been in Fort Wayne.

Dairy nutrition conference organizers had hoped to offer an in-person event in 2021 after last year’s show was canceled due to COVID-19, said Maurice Eastridge, a professor of animal sciences at The Ohio State University. “Last fall, our intent was to do one day in person (in 2021) and to do a virtual day on each side of that. As we got closer to April, we looked at state mandates for the size of the crowd. If people are driving in for one day, we know the efficiency of time isn’t as great for one day as it is for three days. Our primary audience is feed personnel and many of them aren’t allowed to do much traveling.”

The virtual option will still allow for topics covering cow health and management on April 20 and feed and calf management on the 21st, he said. Undergraduate and graduate student presentations are planned for April 19.

The number of presentations per day has been trimmed to accommodate those watching from home, Eastridge said. “People can get tired of sitting in front of the computer,” he noted. “You can’t expect have a really long program and expect people to sit there all day.”

Speakers include Bill Weiss, a professor of dairy cattle nutrition at Ohio State, who will discuss advancements in dairy nutrition over the past 30 years on the 20th. The next day, a presentation on feeding spent hemp biomass to dairy cattle is planned.

Feeding hemp biomass is not legal yet, Eastridge stated. Research is underway to determine what parts of the hemp plant could safely be fed to animals and how animal meat and milk might be impacted.

The conference normally attracts about 500 people. Eastridge said he’d be pleased if 200-300 register. To register and to see a complete agenda, visit http://tristatedairy.org. The cost is $50, which includes an online copy of the proceedings. The registration deadline is April 16.

The board of directors of the Indiana Milk Quality Professionals made the “tough” decision to cancel this year’s milk quality conference after reviewing COVID-19 regulations set by the state of Indiana, said Andrew Kuehnert, the organization’s president.

“The IMQP board of directors felt there would not be an adequate number of attendees to hold a successful conference,” he explained. “Canceling this conference was a difficult decision; however, the board feels they are taking the best course of action for everyone involved.”

The group is planning a 2022 conference for April 12-13 at Fair Oaks Farms. “I know that we are all looking forward to the day when we can gather together again,” Kuehnert said. “There is no doubt the Indiana Milk Quality Conference will return stronger than ever next year.”

For more information, visit www.imqp.org.