The countdown is on with less than one month to go until UK Dairy Day 2018 – the UK’s annual dairy trade event.

The fifth annual show will take place on Wednesday, September 12, at the International Centre, Telford.

Open from 8:00am to 5:30pm, the event brings together all facets of the dairy industry; farmers, students, breeders, geneticists, vets, feed merchants, dairy equipment suppliers and milk buyers – plus professional service providers, charities and colleges.

Here are just five top reasons to attend this year:

  1. Over 300 trade stands across internal and external exhibition areas;
  2. A chance to learn about new products, services and technologies on the market to enhance your dairy business performance and efficiency;
  3. Meet with a variety of suppliers, all under one roof;
  4. Watch the cattle show for the best of the best of UK dairy. The National Holstein Show, National Ayrshire Show and National Brown Swiss Show, plus classes for Dairy Shorthorn, Guernsey, Jersey and Montbeliarde breed will all take place on the day;
  5. Listen to seminars and view practical demonstrations, innovation zone, breed village and calf rearing zone.

So far, 70 cattle exhibitors have booked stalls; a number expected to reach over 200 before event day.

Exhibitors have already registered from as far as Lanarkshire, Cornwall, Northants and Leicestershire and even Ireland.

The Cattle Show at UK Dairy Day is always a spectacular display of some of the country’s most admired dairy cows and this year includes National Shows for Holstein, Ayrshire and Brown Swiss breeds.

Calf Rearing Zone

The calf rearing zone, covered with a polytunnel, will feature suppliers and experts focused on calf rearing who will offer advice on calving, rearing, health, hygiene, feeding and housing.

Volac will be offering insight and demonstrations on calf rearing hygiene and colostrum management, while Scarsdale Vets will return with their ‘Beneath the Black and White’ demonstrations.

The breed village will also feature type classification and linear scoring demonstrations and in the external trade stand area there will be foot trimming, blocking and knife sharpening demonstrations.

Seminars

The first floor of the International Centre will be home to topical and relevant debate and this year we have a fantastic line up of speakers.

The seminar itinerary includes:

  • ‘Maximising profit per pregnancy’ – presented by Mark Roach from Cogent;
  • ‘Feeding cows this winter with low forage availability’ – presented by Adam Clay from NWF Agriculture;
  • ‘Taking responsibility for TB – whose job is it anyway?’ – presented by Sarah Tomlinson from TB Advisory Service;
  • ‘Farm Labour Post Brexit’ – presented by Wyn Morgan from Harper Adams.

Sue Cope, event director, said: “For anyone connected to the dairy industry, UK Dairy Day is the ultimate event to attend this year; an opportunity to network, share knowledge, learn and most importantly, do business at a time of year when important decisions need to be made ahead of Winter housing.”

She added: “UK Dairy Day is delighted to be able to offer free entry, so there is no need to pre-register – just arrive, receive a wristband and enter the venue.

“If you are looking to invest in your business, adopt new methods and equipment or need advice from industry experts on anything from ration planning, parlour upkeep, business performance to cow bedding, UK Dairy Day offers a platform to speak to all those connected to your dairy business to help you improve your efficiency, production output and make the right decisions for your business.”