The Healthy Calf Conference is known for our impressive line-up of speakers, sharing practical advice with our audience of progressive calf managers and producers. The following is a draft agenda and may be subject to change.
Aaron is a graduate of Ridgetown College, University of Guelph and is a part-owner at Mapleview Agri Ltd., a family-owned business specializing in the manufacturing of milk replacer. Aaron is also a part of Keunen Cattle Ltd. and TruVital Animal Health, a new venture that focuses on the development and distribution of scientifically validated animal health products across Canada. Through TruVital Animal Health, their goal is to develop a brand of effective and innovative health products that encourage antibiotic stewardship and effective on-farm management protocols.
Harold was raised on a dairy and swine farm in Southwestern Ontario. He received his B.Sc. degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Guelph in 1978. He later returned to the University of Guelph and received a Master of Science in engineering in 1990.
Harold started his career working in agri-industry before joining the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) in 1981. With OMAFRA, Harold served as an agricultural engineer for Lambton County, a researcher and lecturer at Ridgetown College, and as the agricultural engineer for Huron County.
Harold was OMAFRA’s provincial dairy and beef housing and equipment engineer. In that capacity he provided information to producers and agri-industry throughout Ontario on farmstead planning, barn layout, comfort and welfare, ventilation, and manure handling. Harold has a special interest in calf housing and ventilation. He also worked with veterinarians and other company representatives in troubleshooting livestock housing and ventilation problems.
Since retiring from OMAFRA in 2015, Harold has been providing consulting services to the dairy industry through DairyLogix and working with other livestock species through his own company, StocTec Inc.
Harold and his wife Louise live near the town of Goderich on the west coast of Lake Huron and have four married children and 11 grandchildren.
Graduated as a pharmacist in 1997, Dr. Beaulac continued his studies in veterinary medicine and graduated in 2001. He began a specialized practice in the swine sector as a practitioner, then, in 2003, he began to take an interest in the production of veal and beef. Since 2012, most of his time has been invested in the milk-fed veal and grain-fed veal sectors. In 2015, he founded Triple-V Veterinary Services with two partners, which now consists of a team of 14 veterinarians covering a large part of the pig, poultry and veal producers in Quebec and Eastern Ontario. Annually, approximately 120,000 calves are under the supervision of Dr. Beaulac and his team at Triple-V.
Cynthia is a veterinarian and graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College where she earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Doctor of Veterinary Science degrees. After several years in large animal practice, her graduate research focused on strategies to improve transition cow health and immune function. Cynthia is currently a Lead Veterinarian Animal Health and Welfare with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs where she provides scientific expertise in veterinary science, epidemiology, and disease prevention and control related to animal, public, and environmental health with an emphasis on bovine health and welfare. Cynthia also co-leads the Bovine Ontario Animal Health Network, which works to coordinate preparedness, early detection, and response to animal disease.
Devon grew up on a grain farm in Saskatchewan and attended the University of Saskatchewan where she earned a DVM. After working as a veterinarian for beef and sheep feedlots in Alberta, Devon completed an M.Sc. with the University of British Columbia’s Animal Welfare Program. Her project evaluated health outcomes and sale price of surplus dairy calves undergoing long-distance transportation. She has continued to research ways to set surplus dairy calves up for success before they are transported during her Ph.D. through the Ontario Veterinary College, working with Dr. David Renaud. Devon has an interest in finding ways to empower improved calf care practices on dairy farms.
Kelly Barratt is a large animal veterinarian and partner at Heartland Vet Services. She also works on contract as a consultant for Dairy Farmers of Ontario focusing on Quality Assurance and proAction. Kelly is the only practicing bovine vet on the Canadian Dairy Code of Practice revision committee, currently undertaking is review and update. Recently, Kelly was awarded the 2021 American Association of Bovine Practitioners “Bovine Practitioner of the Year”. Kelly and her partner Adam and their two young boys live on a dairy farm near Ayton, ON.
Dr. Michael Steele is an Associate Professor at the University of Guelph, NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Dairy Cattle Nutrition and Past-President of the Canadian Society of Animal Science (CSAS). He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Guelph and worked for Nutreco Canada Agresearch for two years prior to returning to academia at the University of Alberta and Guelph as an NSERC Industrial Research Chair. He was recently awarded the CSAS Young Scientist Award, the Cargill Young Animal Nutritionist Award, the Lallemand Award for Excellence in Dairy Nutrition Research, the American Society of Animal Science Early Researcher Award and the ADSA Foundation Scholar Award. His current research is focused on the mechanisms that control gastrointestinal health and development in cattle and he has published over 90 manuscripts in his career.
Healthy calves are the building blocks of every successful dairy and veal operation, and early management and rearing practices are a key component of raising a healthy, productive animal. Find practical ways to help your calves reach their full potential here.
The Codes of Practice are nationally developed guidelines for the care and handling of farm animals. They serve as our national understanding of animal care requirements and recommended practices.
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