RED dairy cattle breeders, breed organisations and genetics company representatives from around the world will converge on Mount Gambier in March for a global event designed to bring red cattle breeds together.
The International Red Dairy Breed Federation conference and tour is being hosted by the Australian Red Dairy Breed.
The event is held every three years and is in Australia for the first time since 2000.
More than 100 people are expected to attend, with registrations already confirmed from the USA, New Zealand and Sweden, with strong interest emerging from Germany and Denmark.
The conference will centre on Mount Gambier, while the tour will take delegates from Adelaide to Melbourne.
It follows the theme Bringing Red Breeds Together and will run from March 22 to March 29, with an optional extension tour to Gippsland.
Organising committee chairman Graeme Hamilton said it was an opportunity for red cattle groups to work together to improve communication between the various red breeds.
“Red dairy breeds fall under many different names across the world and the conference is an opportunity to bring these many groups together to talk about how to enhance red dairy cattle and their promotion,” Mr Hamilton said.
“Working together and pooling ideas and resources is the best way to achieve success.
“You learn by listening to top speakers and visiting farms, but the great thing about the conference is building networks and friendships.”
Mr Hamilton said red dairy cattle were generally of medium stature and are efficient producers of milk solids, who excel in health traits such as mastitis resistance, fertility, calving ease and disease resistance.
The tour begins in Adelaide on March 22 and will involve visits to herds and tourist attractions in central South Australia, the Mount Gambier region, south-west Victoria and Geelong.
Delegates will also visit platinum sponsor Genetics Australia’s property at Bacchus Marsh.
At the official conference day on March 26 at Mount Gambier, Australian and international speakers will provide updates from around the world on present and future breeding aspects of the red breeds.
New information will be available on traits for feed efficiency and heat tolerance and a focus on managing breed diversity.
Event organiser Kylie Boston said visitors would get the best of both worlds with information at the conference and on-site experiences at farms.
“It’s a rare and valuable opportunity for red cattle farmers to get together to advance the breeds,” she said.
