Attendees are invited to stop by the registration desk to pick up materials and get an early start on conference check-in. The hotel will also be hosting its complimentary evening happy hour beginning at 7:30 PM for overnight guests, including complimentary drinks and light food.

Registration Open | Coffee, Snacks & Welcome

Selko, USA, the 2026 Technical Symposium Sponsor, will open the conference with brief welcoming remarks and an introduction to the symposium, setting the stage for the afternoon’s technical program.

Jesse Goff, DVM, PhD

Professor Emeritus
Iowa State University
College of Veterinary Medicine

President- GlycoMyr, Inc. 2020 to present
Dedicated to discovering new uses for plant based vitamin D compounds in man and animals. Developing improved methods of supplementing piglets with vitamin D and E. Developing oral calcium boluses with vitamin D glycosides for hypocalcemia reduction in cows.

Iowa State University and USDA-ARS, National Animal Disease Center; 1985-2020. conducted research on metabolic diseases of animals and the effect these diseases had on infectious disease resistance, with emphasis on dairy cows. Also did basic and applied research on milk fever and other mineral disorders of dairy, swine and poultry. This work included demonstration that diet potassium, not calcium causes milk fever and the effect of potassium can be overcome with adding anions to the diet. Working on Solanum glaucophyllum boluses to help reduce hypocalcemia in dairy cows.

Examining potential of plant derived vitamin D analogs to prevent/treat cancer and immune mediated disease. Also pursuing research to develop methods to improve immune function in the dairy cow around the time of calving to prevent diseases such as mastitis, metritis and retained placenta. Continue to do work on the effects of subclinical hypocalcemia and other mineral disorders in the periparturient cow.

Teach nutrition courses, Physiology and Histology Courses, and teach 4th year students during Dairy Production Medicine rotations.

Served on National Research Council (NRC) committees to revise the 7th edition of the Nutrient Requirement of Dairy Cows and 2nd edition of Mineral Tolerance of Domestic Animals

Section Editor and author of “Duke’s Physiology of Domestic Animals”
Board Certified – American College of Veterinary Nutrition

Published 140 peer reviewed research papers.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

1978-86 Iowa State University, Ames, IA (MS, DVM, Ph.D.).
Majors: Veterinary Physiology (Physiol. Pharm Dept) and Nutritional Physiology (Animal Science)
1973-77 Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (B.S.)
Major: Microbiology

José Eduardo P. Santos, DVM, PhD, Professor at University of Florida

José E. P. Santos is a Research Foundation Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Florida. He received his DVM degree from São Paulo State University (Brazil), completed the MS and PhD degrees at the University of Arizona, a clinical residency in Dairy Production Medicine at the University of California Davis, and a sabbatical at the University of Sydney (Australia). Before joining the University of Florida, José was a professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California Davis with clinical and research responsibilities. José has been the major professor of 41 graduate students and he has hosted 12 post-doctorates and sabbatical visitors, and another 132 visiting students. He has published 316 manuscripts in the peer-reviewed scientific literature, 16 book chapters, and has given more than 450 presentations in technical and scientific meetings and received over $17 million in research funds. José is a Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science, Fellow of the American Dairy Science Association, and he has been awarded the Young Scientist Award, the Physiology Award, the Extension Award, and the Applied Dairy Nutrition Award all from the American Dairy Science Association, among other awards from the University of California Davis and the University of Florida. José’s research seeks to develop technologies that enhance efficiency of dairy production, in particular improvements in peripartum health and reproduction. The research is highly integrative, combining components of basic cellular biology, whole animal physiology, and applied interventions that are adopted by dairy producers worldwide.

Refreshment & Networking Break

Dr. Emma Wall

Dr. Emma Wall holds a Ph.D. in lactation physiology with a focus on dairy cow physiology and management. After completing a post-doctoral fellowship in endocrinology, Emma left academia to be closer to industry. She has spent nearly 20 years working in the feed additive industry in R&D, technical marketing, and development of custom solutions. Her area of expertise is physiology of medicinal plants and how they alter production animal physiology, resilience, & performance. At Nutreco (parent company of Selko US), Emma is the Director of Discovery & Development for Nutreco Exploration. Emma and the entire Nutreco Exploration team work closely with the technical and marketing teams of Selko US, Skretting, and Trouw Nutrition to discover and co-develop proprietary solutions for feed, leveraging both plants and bacteria. Emma is based in Vermont (USA).

Lance H. Baumgard

Lance Baumgard is a Distinguished Professor and the Normal Jacobson Professor of Nutritional Physiology in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University. He is from a farrow to finish hog and row-crop from in Minnesota. He did his BS and MS at the University of Minnesota and his PhD at Cornell. He was on faculty at the U of Arizona from 2001 to 2009 and has been at Iowa ever since. He and his group are describing how immune activation alter nutrient trafficking and ultimately reduce farm animal productivity.

Selko, USA will conclude the symposium with closing remarks, reflections on key themes from the day, and a look ahead to the broader conference program.

Sponsored by Selko, USA

Join colleagues for a networking reception featuring hosted hors d’oeuvres and a bar, graciously hosted by Selko, USA. Student and industry posters will be displayed throughout the reception space, providing an opportunity for discussion, questions, and evaluation.

Victor E. Cabrera, Ph.D., Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Dr. Victor E. Cabrera is an professor and extension specialist in dairy management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Dairy Science Department. Dr. Cabrera combines applied research, interdisciplinary approaches, and participatory methods to deliver practical, user-friendly, and scholarly decision support tools for dairy farm management. These scientific tools are aimed to improve dairy farm profitability, environmental stewardship, and long-term sustainability of the dairy farm industry. During his short career, Dr. Cabrera has developed more than 40 decision support tools, published 54 refereed articles, and 5 book chapters, presented in more than 100 scientific sessions, and given talks in more than 170 extension meetings in Wisconsin, other States, and several other countries. Dr. Cabrera work in the past 8 years has been pivotal to attract more than $4.0 million to support his research and extension initiatives. Dr. Cabrera has been distinguished with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Vilas Faculty Mid-Career Investigator Award, Second Mile Extension award of the Wisconsin Association of County Agricultural Agents, the Pound Extension Award and the Alfred Toepfer Faculty Fellow Award from the University of Wisconsin College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Distinguished Achievement Award from the University of Florida School of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Foundation Scholar Award in Dairy Production from the American Dairy Science Association.

Lance H. Baumgard

Lance Baumgard is a Distinguished Professor and the Normal Jacobson Professor of Nutritional Physiology in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University. He is from a farrow to finish hog and row-crop from in Minnesota. He did his BS and MS at the University of Minnesota and his PhD at Cornell. He was on faculty at the U of Arizona from 2001 to 2009 and has been at Iowa ever since. He and his group are describing how immune activation alter nutrient trafficking and ultimately reduce farm animal productivity.

Refreshment & Networking Break

Dr. Greg Penner

Awards Program

A brief 15-minute presentation from this year’s CANC lunch sponsor.

Greg Bethard, Ph.D. CEO High Plains Ponderosa Dairy

Jesse Goff, DVM, PhD

Professor Emeritus
Iowa State University
College of Veterinary Medicine

President- GlycoMyr, Inc. 2020 to present
Dedicated to discovering new uses for plant based vitamin D compounds in man and animals. Developing improved methods of supplementing piglets with vitamin D and E. Developing oral calcium boluses with vitamin D glycosides for hypocalcemia reduction in cows.

Iowa State University and USDA-ARS, National Animal Disease Center; 1985-2020. conducted research on metabolic diseases of animals and the effect these diseases had on infectious disease resistance, with emphasis on dairy cows. Also did basic and applied research on milk fever and other mineral disorders of dairy, swine and poultry. This work included demonstration that diet potassium, not calcium causes milk fever and the effect of potassium can be overcome with adding anions to the diet. Working on Solanum glaucophyllum boluses to help reduce hypocalcemia in dairy cows.

Examining potential of plant derived vitamin D analogs to prevent/treat cancer and immune mediated disease. Also pursuing research to develop methods to improve immune function in the dairy cow around the time of calving to prevent diseases such as mastitis, metritis and retained placenta. Continue to do work on the effects of subclinical hypocalcemia and other mineral disorders in the periparturient cow.

Teach nutrition courses, Physiology and Histology Courses, and teach 4th year students during Dairy Production Medicine rotations.

Served on National Research Council (NRC) committees to revise the 7th edition of the Nutrient Requirement of Dairy Cows and 2nd edition of Mineral Tolerance of Domestic Animals

Section Editor and author of “Duke’s Physiology of Domestic Animals”
Board Certified – American College of Veterinary Nutrition

Published 140 peer reviewed research papers.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

1978-86 Iowa State University, Ames, IA (MS, DVM, Ph.D.).
Majors: Veterinary Physiology (Physiol. Pharm Dept) and Nutritional Physiology (Animal Science)
1973-77 Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (B.S.)
Major: Microbiology

Hugo A. Ramírez, Ph. D.

Hugo Ramírez is an international technical consultant specializing in silage quality management, forage preservation, and dairy cattle nutrition. He holds a degree in Agronomy with a specialization in Animal Science from Chapingo Autonomous University (Mexico), and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, with academic training focused on forage quality, fiber utilization, and ruminant nutrition. He has held academic and extension appointments at Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Tarleton State University, and Iowa State University, where he conducted research, teaching, and outreach activities related to silage management and dairy production systems. His consulting work emphasizes personnel training, supervision of ensiling processes, and the application of science and technology to improve forage quality across dairy systems. Dr. Ramírez regularly contributes to technical conferences and professional training programs on silage and dairy nutrition in multiple countries. He also maintains active collaborations with academic institutions, including the Dairy Academy and the National University of Córdoba (Argentina), where he teaches the Forage Preservation course, and Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico), where he served as lead researcher on a sustainable dairy nutrition project.

Refreshment & Networking Break

Dr. Michelle Schack

Dr. Michelle Schack is a dairy veterinarian with 11 years of experience working with commercial dairies in the Western United States. She is the co-founder of DairyKind, an education and training company focused on improving animal well-being by supporting the people who care for livestock. She can also be found on social media as the DairyDoc online and speaking at various conferences.

Dr. Schack’s work sits at the intersection of animal health and well-being, documentation systems, and employee training. She focuses on practical, on-farm solutions that improve consistency, reduce risk, and enhance both cow performance and workforce sustainability.

Closing Reception – Producer Social Hour