Georgia Milk Producers to Host Georgia Dairy Conference in January

Staff Report From Georgia CEO

Monday, December 17th, 2018

Dairy farm families and industry leaders of the Southeast dairy community will gather Jan. 21-23, 2019, for the Georgia Dairy Conference at the Savannah Riverfront Marriott in Savannah, Georgia.

This three-day conference provides attendees the chance to listen to nationally known dairy educators, to hear updates from their dairy organizations and to engage with the nation’s leading industry suppliers at the tradeshow.

“We are looking forward to listening to informative presentations from our speakers, sharing ideas with fellow dairymen and meeting new industry representatives during our 2019 conference,” said Everett Williams, president of the GMP board of directors.

With 81 dairies and over 89,000 cows represented at the 2018 GDC, the 2019 event will build on the success of previous years.

This year’s GDC agenda includes a unique keynote speaker, Mr. Howard Wasdin, who is a former SEAL Team Six member. Wasdin was a top sniper on SEAL Team Six and was awarded a Silver Star and Purple Heart for his involvement in the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993 known as Black Hawk Down. Wasdin who now lives in Georgia and is a practicing Chiropractor will speak on Monday, Jan. 21 at 2 p.m.

The agenda also features 15 other speakers who will present on topics ranging from feed efficiency to heifer housing to robotic milking and business management.

A tradeshow featuring industry sponsors and exhibitors is held in conjunction with the Conference and provides representatives with the opportunity to spark conversations with dairy producers. Last year, the GDC featured more than 70 exhibitor booths and will continue in growth this year.

The Southeast Dairy Student Symposium will take place during the GDC, welcoming dairy science students from Southeastern universities to learn about employment opportunities and practices in the dairy industry. Last year, over 40 students attended from the University of Georgia, University of Florida, Virginia Tech, Berry College, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and North Carolina State University.