Herd ’27: 22-23 March, Geelong

The biennial conference for the dairy herd improvement industry will return in 2027 with a focus on the future of herd intelligence and the genetic direction for the global dairy herd.

Registrations are now open for Herd ’27 which will be held March 22-23 at Geelong, Victoria. A generous early bird discount is currently on offer.

Held every two years, the Herd conference addresses emerging topics through speakers who are leaders in their field, including Australian and international scientists, farmers and service providers.

The 2027 program focuses on the value of herd data records and using that information to make practical on-farm decisions and actions. Speakers will discuss ways AI can work alongside people, data and science to help dairy innovation thrive.

Dairy farmer and Product Development Manager with National Milk Records (NMR) in the UK, Richard Miller, will outline the evolution of NMR’s herd recording services. With herd-recording participation in the UK remaining above 80%, Mr Miller will explore why herd and milk recording continue to play a critical role in modern dairy farming and how continually evolving services to meet farmers’ changing needs has helped keep herd testing relevant.

There will be a focus on turning data into better herd decisions, with sessions covering what information farmers need, how data can flow more effectively between systems, and how emerging tools can turn that information into practical insights and action. Dr Matt Makin and Peter Best will introduce Digital Dairy AI, an emerging herd intelligence platform that uses artificial intelligence to analyse multiple farm data sources and identify health and production risks before they become visible, and Dr Stephanie Bullen from Dairy Australia will share findings from her PhD research exploring the behavioural drivers and barriers that influence how farmers use data to make herd management decisions.

NSW South Coast dairy farmer Justin Walsh will bring a practical farmer’s perspective to using artificial intelligence in farm business management.

The program also includes presentations on trends reshaping genetic evaluation, beef on dairy opportunities, integrating IVF into breeding programs, and breeding great herd replacements.

DataGene CEO Dr Emily Piper said the Herd ’27 conference would be an opportunity for everyone working in dairy herd improvement to share ideas, innovations and information that would continue to drive the dairy industry forward.

“We’ll hear new ways that genomic information, breeding decisions and heifer management can work together to help farmers breed and rear the replacements they want in their herd,” Dr Piper said.

Herd ’27 is a joint initiative between DataGene, Dairy Australia, Holstein Australia and the National Herd Improvement Association (NHIA).

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