2025 Dairy Calf and Heifer Association Conference Recap
Last week (April 8-10,2025) Was the annual meeting of the Dairy Calf and Heifer Association. In attendance there were 350 members from 27 different states, and 7 different countries. The Dairy Calf and Heifer Association (DCHA) provides networking and training for calf raisers across the globe. Here are some highlights from the conference!
Networking
In my opinion one of the greatest benefits from attending the DCHA conference is the opportunity to network with other producers and industry professionals. It is always fun to see old friends and acquaintances and to meet new people!
This year in addition to connecting with old friends I was able to meet more producers and industry professionals from the United States, Canada, and New Zealand! I always learn something new from everyone. Delightful dinner conversations revolved around calf raising, family relationships, community service, education, physical and mental health, and dreams for the future. I appreciate the positive influence of those I interacted with at the conference.
Leadership and Management
Wednesday morning of the conference started off with a great session from Peggy Coffeen of Uplevel Dairy. She talked about “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”. The focus of Peggy’s presentation was on why statements. She explained the importance of why statements. A “why statement” lays out a contribution that you would like to make so that a specific impact is had on those around you. Great leaders find ways to communicate their “why” to the team so that the process becomes a group effort.
Some examples of “Why Statements” include:
-To care for my cattle in a manner that will maximize the amount of high-quality dairy products I can make available to the consumer.
-To raise healthy animals so that I can provide high quality beef protein products to my community.
Education
The DCHA conference offered many breakout sessions covering topics including beef-on-dairy, risk management, the immune response, digestive upsets, economics of calf raising, transportation, BRD, and immigration.
Although it is nice to go to the conference in person, that’s not the only educational resource available to DCHA members. The member portal contains the DCHA gold standards, webinar recordings, past conference presentations, and new this year, the online learning library.
I enjoyed being a part of the committee that created the online learning library. It brings calf resources to the fingertips of DCHA members. The online learning library will be an ongoing project, bringing the most up-to-date information to DCHA members. If there is a topic you would like to see added to the library, please fill out a library submission form found in the DCHA Member Center. We hope to make learning fun and easy for those that can benefit from the resource!
Written by: Mariah Gull, M.S.