International Symposium on Dairy Cattle Nutrition 2026
In short
Activity- Tuesday 24 March 2026
- Omnia – Wageningen Campus building 105
- Including lunch and drinks
- Fee early birds: €195,-
Increasing dairy cow lifespan is an important factor in sustainable dairy farming. The age at culling is however the complex result of health incidences, fertility and productivity aspects during life. The carbon footprint and cow profitability could be increased by improving lifespan, as a reduction in replacement rates implies lower costs and nutrient losses of youngstock rearing. It is a challenge to further improve lifespan and lifetime production in support of the sustainability of the dairy sector.
This year the International Dairy Nutrition Symposium 2026 will be organised in Omnia at Wageningen Campus, The Netherlands on Tuesday 24 March 2026. Experts from the Netherlands and abroad will present their vision on different aspects of sustainability in the dairy sector.
The symposium is organised by the Centre for Animal Nutrition in cooperation with Cargill, Zinpro and the Wageningen Institute of Animal Sciences.
Representatives from feed, feed additive and dairy industry, knowledge institutes and governmental organisations as well as veterinarians, students and others who are interested are welcome to attend the 2026 symposium!
Programme
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
08.15-08.55 | Coffee / registration |
08.55-09.00 | Welcome and opening by Dr. Roselinde Goselink |
09.00-9.45 | Dr. Gavin Staley |
9.45-10.30 | Dr. Eline Burgers |
10.30-11.00 | Coffee (30 min) |
11.00-11.45 | Dr. Ynte Schukken |
11.45-12.30 | Dr. Luca Fabozzi |
12.30-13.30 | Lunch |
13.30-14.15 | Dr. Gabriel Dallago |
14.15-15.00 | Dr. Albert de Vries |
15.00-15.15 | Summary and closing |
15.15-17.00 | Drinks and social talk |
- Time
08.15-08.55
ActivityCoffee / registration
- Time
08.55-09.00
ActivityWelcome and opening by Dr. Roselinde Goselink
- Time
09.00-9.45
ActivityDr. Gavin Staley
“The Perfect Storm”... Why health span matters. - Time
9.45-10.30
ActivityDr. Eline Burgers
Extending lifespan and extending lactations - farm characteristics and management practices on Dutch dairy farms - Time
10.30-11.00
ActivityCoffee (30 min)
- Time
11.00-11.45
ActivityDr. Ynte Schukken
Mastitis and longevity or longevity and mastitis – a convoluted argument with regard to animal welfare. - Time
11.45-12.30
ActivityDr. Luca Fabozzi
Hoof health management, lameness and longevity in dairy cows: what to focus on. - Time
12.30-13.30
ActivityLunch
- Time
13.30-14.15
ActivityDr. Gabriel Dallago
Data driven approaches to improve dairy cow longevity from calfhood to culling - Time
14.15-15.00
ActivityDr. Albert de Vries
The economics of dairy cow lifespan - Time
15.00-15.15
ActivitySummary and closing
- Time
15.15-17.00
ActivityDrinks and social talk
Registration
The participation fee for early birds (register before March 1st) amounts €195,= including lunch, drinks and proceedings of the symposium, or €50,= for students. From 1 March 2026, the registration fee will be €245,= or €70,= for students. To receive the student rate, participants must present a valid student card on the day of the symposium.
Contact
For more information, please contact the organising committee at info.dairysymposium@wur.nl
Partners
Animal Nutrition
The Animal Nutrition group, led by Wouter Hendriks, focuses on fundamental and practical aspects of animal nutrition.
Date
00:00 - 00:00