DRF Annual Symposium
The Symposium is funded by registration fees but these are kept very low for the dairy producers and students by the generous sponsorship of a growing number of companies and institutions. These include:
- Dairy Australia
- National Foods
- Dairy Farmers
- NSW Food Authority
- Pfizer Animal Health
- DidCo
- Genetics Australia
- Strategic Bovine Services
- PGG Wrightson Australia
- Rabobank
- Weston Animal Nutrition
- CRC Dairy Innovations
- Incitec Pivot
- Dairy Express
- Pacific Seeds
In the past, the Symposium has been planned around distinguished overseas speakers and these have included Dr. W. Broster (1979, 1983), Professor D.Armstrong (1981, 1987), Dr. W. Whittlestone (1982), Dr. R. Phipps (1984), Dr. J. Oldham (1985), Dr. T. Cowan (1986), Dr.T. Huber (1988), Professor D. Leaver (1989, 1994), Dr. J. Sutton (1990), Dr. D. Bath (1991), Dr. L. Satter (1992), Dr. D. Armstrong (1993), Dr. B. Schouten (1994), Dr. P. Johnson (1995), Dr. J. Ferry and Professor W. Parker (1996), Professor W. Chalupa (1997), Dr. Sinclair Mayne (1998) , Dr. Richard Bennett (1999), Mr. Don Bennink (2000), and Professor Les Hansen (2005).
More recently the focus has changed to providing a forum for Australian speakers and on case studies of successful farmers. Both the practical topics and the low registration fees have meant a gradual increase in the number of dairy farmers attending. The Symposium also provides the opportunity for young scientists to present scinetific papers on their work. This not only provides the opportunity for young scientists to sharpen their presentation skills but also allows them to become familiar with the dairy industry. This is also a chance for farmers to get an insight into what is being researched by these scientists.