2018 WORLD DAIRY EXPO • ALLIANT ENERGY CENTER • MADISON, WISCONSIN, USA • WWW.WORLDDAIRYEXPO.COM • LISTEN TO SHOW COVERAGE AT 95.7 FM
EXPO DAILY EDITION ATTENDEE INFORMATION
Tuesday's Attendance: 13,284 total attendees
Wednesday's International Attendance: 1,065 total attendees from 78 countries
In This Issue: Champion Spotlight
page 5
Industry People of the Year page 11
Word on the Street: Youth Contest Participants pages 12-13
Today's Highlights:
7:30 a.m. 10 a.m.
Int'l Brown Swiss Show - Cows and Groups Dairy Forage Seminar
1:30 p.m.
Int'l Guernsey Show - Heifers
1:30 p.m.
Int'l Red & White Show - Heifers
1:30 p.m.
Dairy Forage Seminar
2 p.m. World Premier Brown Swiss Sale 4 p.m. Happy Hour in the Tanbark sponsored by Turner Inc. 6 p.m. Youth Showmanship
SHOWRING RESULTS Text WDERESULTS to 727-493-3976 for Showring results
FLAVORS OF THE DAY
Grilled Cheese
Colby Swiss made by Steve Stettler at Decatur Dairy in Brodhead, Wis.
UW-Madison Cheese Stand next to the Arena Building
Ice Cream
Blueberry Waffle Cone • Butter Pecan • Pirates Bounty GEA Ice Cream Stand located in the Exhibition Hall
#WDE18
Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018
High caliber cows, forages go hand in hand
World Forage Analysis Superbowl held in tandem with WDE BY BRITTANY OLSON Staff writer
Dairy cattle require forages loaded with nutrients to be harvested and stored at peak quality. A ration balanced with quality forages, barring any challenges, allows dairy cattle to reach their genetic and environmental potential. Alex and Mary Olson, who milk 750 cows near Dallas, Wis., and were chosen as last year’s winners in the standard corn silage category during the World Forage Analysis Superbowl, know all too well that making quality forages is no easy task. “No year is the same with different diseases, insects and weather,” Alex said. “We have learned over the years what works best for our soils and the cows, and we try our best to work with the different conditions each year has in store for us. Also, we need a dose of good luck for everything to come together.” With the world’s finest dairy cattle, their breeders and exhibitors, and industry Trade Show exhibitors convening in Madison, Wis. during the first week of October each year, it only seems fitting that the world’s finest forages are also evaluated and judged against the highest standards for all to see while visiting World Dairy Expo. “The founders of the contest wanted to develop an educational program for producers by showcasing field-cured forages while also explaining what we define as high quality,” said Geoffrey Brink, supervisory research agronomist at the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, an orga-
PHOTO PROVIDED BY TREVOR OLSON PHOTOGRAPHY
A World Dairy Expo attendee evaluates forage samples of the 2017 World Forage Analysis Superbowl.
nizing partner of the World Forage Analysis Superbowl. Entries are submitted to the competition under one of seven categories: dairy hay, commercial hay, grass hay, baleage, haylage, standard corn silage and brown midrib corn silage. The samples are tested through Dairyland Laboratories in De Pere, Wis., and winners are classified by having either the highest relative forage quality or milk per ton along with a visual component, with the top entries being showcased at Expo.
The hands-on area in which the winning entries are shown is a crucial part of the contest, Brink said. “The importance of the hands-on space at World Dairy Expo is to see what we consider high quality forage,” he said. “People like to see bright green hay, but color isn’t always an indicator. We also want the entries to give the range we see in quality for each category, and also why Turn to FORAGE | Page 4
Trade Show features expanded booths, venue updates BY SHERRY NEWELL Staff writer
The World Dairy Expo Trade Show is aimed at keeping visitors engaged. Providing more space to tenured companies, scheduling new events and updating venues are all part of the effort. “What World Dairy Expo does to enhance the Trade Show is second to what new products and services are brought to the show by the exhibitors,” said Crystal Ripp, World Dairy Expo Trade Show Manager. With that in mind, Expo’s updates have included making a conscious effort to grant expansions to exhibitors who need space to feature their products in a better way. “Our goal always is to provide a showcase to all audiences – farmers, veterinarians, nutritionists and others – so they can learn and view what’s available to them,” Ripp said.
ABBY HOPP/DAIRY STAR
Attendees walk through the Trade Center Oct. 2. World Dairy Expo has updated the venue to be more accommodating for both attendees and Trade Show exhibitors. Expo previously focused on having a certain number of new vendors included each year because of a waiting list for new
exhibitors that is always in place. While many new companies will be exhibiting in 2018, more of the 800-plus established exhibi-
tors have had their requests for new locations or expansions granted. “It won’t be super obvious to visitors, but some of our vendors will have drastically different spaces as a result,” Ripp said. “We’ve kept in mind what we can do to make the most of a company’s investment in World Dairy Expo.” For example, Promat Inc., which sells comfort flooring for stalls, along with the Cowcoon loops, will expand its previous 10- by 40-foot display. The company’s booth was already a large space, but it was hard to make the space inviting for people who wanted to stand on the flooring, according to Beth Menton, Promat Inc.’s sales and marketing coordinator. The newly designed space will give a better idea of how the
Turn to TRADE SHOW | Page 3