After months of planning, hard work and fantastic support from exhibitors, speakers, sponsors and visitors, Dairy-Tech 2023 went off with a bang.
We had over 7,000 visitors pass through the doors at Stoneleigh Park last week (1 Feb), making it our most successful show to date. The day was buzzing with farmers and 320 exhibitors discussing the latest tech and innovations and getting up-to-the-minute know-how from experts in the industry.
The desire to learn about what's happening in the industry and future developments were evident, with the Dairy Hub and Innovation sessions packed out!
The show hosted 80 new product launches and attracted over 65 speakers, including two sustainability experts from the US. So, it's no surprise it was standing room only for most of the seminar sessions, with visitors eager to hear what was happening.
We congratulated success in the dairy industry throughout the day with many prestigious awards. They concluded with the NMR RABDF Gold Cup, which topped off the day when it was awarded to the Logan family from Ayrshire in Scotland. Other winners included:
Rebecca Smith, from Harper Adams University, who won the Dairy Student Award sponsored by Mole Valley Farmers.
Jack Rust from Bristol Vet School, Marley Lamerton from Harper Adams University and Laura Butt from Duchy College won the vet, agricultural college and agricultural universities Farm Health Management award categories, sponsored by Volac.
TruDrinking from SmaXtec, which claimed the Royal Dairy Innovation Award.
We want to improve Dairy-Tech continually, with our minds already turning to Dairy-Tech 2024. We welcome any feedback you have to help make it an even better event. If you attended the event, you should receive a feedback form shortly, which we'd appreciate you filling in and returning. Alternatively, you can get in touch at office@rabdf.co.uk.
There is no rest for the RABDF team after Dairy-Tech, with their attention now turning to our subsequent two events- Down to Earth North and South. First, on 21st June, we head to Neil Baker's farm in Haselbury Plucknett, Somerset, to hear about changes he's making to his large indoor dairy. Neil is one of Arla's Regenerative pilot farmers.
Then, on July 6th, the event heads north to Wigton in Cumbria, showcasing regenerative farming at Mark Lee's farm. Visitors can learn about regenerative farming practices at both events and see them in action. Keep posted on our website for more information, including speaker details, at projectdowntoearth.co.uk.
Now we have our Gold Cup winner, we will also be planning the Gold Cup Open Day, which will take place in Scotland this summer. We will bring you more details about the day in due course.
Asides from events, we have just received news the Animal Health and Welfare Review will be rolled out this month. This means dairy farmers in England claiming BPS can receive funding for a vet visit to carry out an annual health and welfare review as part of the Sustainable Farming Incentive's (SFI) Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.
Vets will carry out diagnostic testing, review biosecurity and responsible use of medicines, and advise on their animals' health and welfare.
If you are eligible, you must register your interest at https://apply-for-an-annual-health-and-welfare-review.defra.gov.uk/apply/register-your-interest before you can apply for a review, which we'd encourage you to do so.
That’s all for now,
Matt Knight