FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Tuesday, November 04, 2008
With too much to do and not enough time to do it all, newborn dairy calves often do not receive the attention they need to get off to good start. Raising calves can be challenging for both dairy and veal
producers. Calf mortality and morbidity translates into high financial losses and increased cost of production for both the dairy and veal industries.

These losses may be seeping through the cracks and going unchecked on the dairy farm and are most certainly being felt on the veal farm. That is the conclusions of research conducted by Dr. Ken
Leslie that suggests not only are bull calves not receiving the immunity they need to fight off disease but neither are the heifers. This research suggests that more attention needs to be paid to newborn calves.

The Ontario Veal Association (OVA) is pleased to announce that Building the Foundation: Dairy and Veal Healthy Calf Conference 2008 will be held on Thursday December 4th at the London Convention Center in London. The conference aims to provide both dairy and veal farmers with practical information they can implement on their farms to increase calf health and quality.

“Good newborn calf care and management is the key to healthy calves. We all know that healthy calves are the building blocks to a successful dairy or veal operation but we all can use some extra
tools in toolbox to help us overcome the challenges we face ” says Jennifer Haley, OVA Executive Director. “This conference brings together a strong line up of expert speakers, recognized across
North America, to discuss techniques and new research findings that can help increase calf health and quality and get calves off to a good start“.

"Mycoplasma is perhaps one of the biggest challenges dairy and veal producers face in the barn" suggests Kendra Keels, Industry Development Manager. "Mycoplasma is hard to detect and even
harder to treat and producers often feel defenseless when it comes to a mycoplasma outbreak" she added. Dr. Francoz, a researcher with the University of Montreal, will provide conference attendees
with an overview of the disease, steps to take to prevent the disease from taking hold in the barn and how to manage an outbreak.

Other conference speakers include Dr. Ken Leslie and Dr. Spinato from the University of Guelph; Dr. James Drackley, a professor and author with the University of Illinois; and Dr. Weary, a researcher
with the University of British Columbia. Topics being covered include calf nutrition, calf housing, calf comfort, common causes of calf mortality, and mycoplasma bovis.

This is the third biannual Building the Foundation: Dairy and Veal Healthy Calf Conference. The previous two conferences have gone extremely well with sell out crowds. “Farmers are always interested in new ideas, practices, and management tips that they can incorporate on their farms” explains Keels. "Especially when times are tough is when producers need to look for ways to save money and help improve the bottom line" she adds.

The registration fee of $60 per person includes all speaker presentations, an industry tradeshow, lunch and a copy of conference proceedings. For more information or to register for the conference
please call the OVA office at 519-824-2942. A copy of the conference registration form and information can also be found at www.calfcare.ca
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For more information contact:
Jennifer Haley, Executive Director
Tel: 519-824-2942

AGENDA- Thursday December 4th, 2008

• 8:30am Registration, Morning Refreshments and Tradeshow
• 9:00am Welcome and opening remarks
• 9:10am Dairy Calf Outlook: Research, trends and future developments Dr. Ken Leslie and Cindy Todd, University of Guelph
• 9:45am Weaning calves: Why are there so many challenges? Dr. James Drackley, University of Illinois
• 10:45am Mycoplasma bovis: Take control! Dr. David Francoz, University of Montreal
• 11:45am LUNCH and Tradeshow
• 1:30pm Managing group housing for calves Dr. Dan Weary, University of British Columbia
• 2:30pm CSI Guelph: Lessons to be learned from post mortem investigations Dr. Maria Spinato, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph
• 3:30pm Adjourn