What’s showcasing at Dairy-Tech next month?
© Tim Scrivener Farmers attending next month’s Dairy-Tech event at Stoneleigh on 6 February can learn how they can avoid becoming ‘price takers’ by selling their milk direct.
Direct Dairy, a Dutch start-up focusing on agtech and foodtech, will discuss how producers can cut out the processor using their breakthrough ‘mini dairy’.
RABDF managing director Matt Knight says while Dairy Tech will host a number of more familiar on-farm innovations such as genomics, rapid diagnostics, what the future of forage looks like and how to improve feed efficiency.
It also has some fantastic ground-breaking concepts from virtual reality to revolutionary labelling and robots.
See also: Tickets now on sale for Dairy-Tech 2019
“We have shaped the Dairy-Tech event model to stimulate thinking and ensure the dairy industry is open to a whole host of technological ideas that will eventually shape the future of all businesses in the sector.
“For example, while virtual reality isn’t a concept widely used in the sector, we hope to be able to demonstrate its potential role on-farm and get businesses thinking about the benefits it could bring – could it be an efficient way of providing training, could it be the answer to hands-free machinery servicing and does it have the potential to link with drones when it comes to field mapping?”
Innovation-focused company Mimica will explain how its new labelling system is set to contribute to combating some of Britain’s waste problem.
These highly technological labels have the ability to detect the freshness of perishable food products, such as milk, through their calibration – designed to degrade at the same rate as food whilst adjusting to conditions along the way.
As well as a jam-packed innovation hub and more than 50 new products, the dairy hub will focus on a range of topics from risk mitigation, to keeping milk relevant to consumers, applied genomics, and whether we can deliver the Clean Air Strategy.
Further sessions include young people and staff retention, future regulation of dairy contracts and Brexit outlooks.
To ensure no practical elements are missed, hoof-trimming demonstrations will once again take place, with Steve Hookway delivering knife and grinder techniques.
For the first time there will also be a session on thermal imaging and its role in detecting lameness.
Full speaker timetables can be found online, alongside information on new products.
Tickets are £17 when booked in advance at www.dairy-tech.uk and free for RABDF members. Those wishing to join can sign up at www.rabdf.co.uk