The World Dairy Expo starts this weekend, with the International Junior Holstein Show, fitting contests and intercollegiate and international judging competitions, but it really gets underway on Tuesday Sept 30.
That’s the day when the number of events jumps and the giant trade show opens.
The show in Madison, Wisconsin is the largest dairy sector gathering in the world and features large dairy shows for all major dairy breeds, a trade show that draws companies and visitors from around the world and a significant education program.
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Farmtario DairyPlus will cover the event, starting mid-next week, so watch the DairyPlus page for dairy news, product launches and the information that comes out of the event that can help make decisions on dairy farms in Canada. Subscribe to the DairyPlus weekly Tuesday newsletter for a summary of all the coverage of World Dairy Expo on Oct. 8.
DairyPlus will have coverage of what Canadians are up to and their results at the event, along with how some of them are managing the risk of avian influenza in cattle. There will also be coverage of how American dairy farms are managing the outbreak, along with coverage of sessions on forages and new technology.
The dairy shows start at 7 a.m. and the trade show runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, other than the last day, Friday, Oct. 3, when it closes at 4 p.m. Holstein cows compete, also on Friday.
Here’s the schedule for the World Dairy Expo if you’re attending or following along.
What are you looking forward to seeing most at the World Dairy Expo? Let Glacier FarmMedia’s Senior Livestock Editor John Greig know at [email protected].
A drop in Canadian competitors
The number of Canadian cattle entered in the World Dairy Expo show has dropped by 40 per cent in 2024 compared to 2023, as concerns about the H5N1 avian influenza outbreak in the United States keep Canadian cattle home.
Avian influenza has spread to 14 states and 238 dairy herds as of Sept. 27, 2024. It has yet to be found in Canadian cattle.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency instituted stricter quarantine requirements for Canadian cattle moving to American cattle shows.
Here are what the changes in competitor numbers look like, according to the World Dairy Expo.
World Dairy Expo 2024
- 142 Canadian entries
- 85 cows
- 57 heifers
- 33 exhibitors
- Four provinces (ON, QC, BC, SK)
World Dairy Expo 2023
- 244 Canadian entries
- 119 cows
- 125 heifers
- 55 exhibitors
- Five provinces (ON, QC, BC, SK, MB)
