2026 Dairy Day Presentations
Keynote Presentation: Improving Dairy Herd Fertility, Genomics and Beyond
Presented by: Dr Jodi Wallace, Veterinarian/Dairy Farmer, Ormstown Veterinary Hospital, Quebec
Reproductive efficiency is critical for the profitability of dairy herds. Poor reproduction is directly linked to increased metabolic disorders, decreased longevity, decreased milk production and increased rate of involuntary culling. Factors to improve fertility: genetics, epigenetics, and genomics, management and facilities, control of metabolic disease and nutrition, will be discussed.
Dr. Wallace grew up on a dairy farm in Herdman, Quebec. She graduated in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Guelph in 2002. Dr. Wallace began her career at the University of Cornell, Quality Milk Production Services, before going to a dairy practice in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada. In 2004, Dr. Wallace returned home to Ormstown, Quebec, Canada, where she began her work as a dairy veterinarian and associate owner at the Ormstown Veterinary Hospital. She completed a Masters of Veterinary Science from the University of Montreal in 2009. She also worked part time for Zoetis for a couple of years focusing on milk quality, calf health and genomics. Currently, in addition to full-time everyday veterinary practice, Dr. Wallace performs calf health and milk quality consultations conferences, and seminars for dairy producers and veterinarians throughout Canada and abroad. Jodi is the past-President of the Canadian Association of Bovine Veterinarians. In 2023, Jodi was awarded the Bovine Practitioner of the Year from the American Association of Bovine Practitioners. Dr. Wallace is also a 6th-generation dairy producer. She lives with her husband and four children on their dairy, Anderson Farms/Silverstream Holsteins, in Howick, Quebec. Anderson Farms is focused on Zero-Zero calf health and are a three-time medal winner in the National Order of Agricultural Merit competition, placing in 2010 (bronze), 2015 (silver) and 2023 (gold).
Presentation begins Thursday January 8th, 2026 at 10:00 am.
Death, Debt & Divorce: Navigating Succession Planning for Dairy Operations
You have worked your entire life to build an operation. You recognize the time has come to consider next steps and succession. This presentation will discuss goals, strategies, and importantly pitfalls to consider
Presented by: Robert Scriven, Partner, Bennett Grant LLP
Bob Scriven is a Partner with the firm and was called to the Ontario Bar in 2012. Bob has represented clients before all levels of Court in Ontario. Moreover, Bob has a busy administrative law practice having represented clients before Provincial and Federal Tribunals, including the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Tribunal, Normal Farm Practices Board, the Ontario Land Tribunal, and the Canadian Agricultural Review Tribunal. Bob restricts his practice to litigation matters touching upon agricultural and commercial disputes. Bob is a co-author of Agriculture Law in Canada, 2nd Ed., which was published in 2019. Bob was a past director on the National Board of Directors for the Huntington Society of Canada, and is currently serving as its secretary. Bob maintains membership of the Waterloo, Bruce, and Grey County Law Associations.
Presentation begins Thursday January 8th, 2026 at 11:15 am.
DFO Update
Presented by: Mark Hamel, Chair & Board Member - Region 11, DFO, and Partner, Harmony Holsteins Ltd.
Mark will give an update on DFO activities over the last year.
Mark lives on a family-operated dairy farm west of Elmwood, Ontario. Along with his son Matt, 4th generation, and daughter in-law Larissa they milk 140 purebred Holsteins. Currently Mark is a Dairy Farmers of Ontario Board Member representing Region 11, Bruce and Grey Counties and also the DFO Vice Chair. Mark is a Past Chair of Gay Lea Foods Co-operative as well as Howick Mutual Insurance Company. Mark contributed to the development of the Indonesia Dairy Co-operative Initiative by travelling to Indonesia to meet with government officials and dairy representative over a 3-week period in 2014. Mark is a graduate of the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program.
Presentation begins Thursday January 8th, 2026 at 1:15 pm.
Navigating Dairy Economics and COP in 2026
Presented by: Maggie Van Camp, CEO, Redcrest Farms & Director of Strategic Change, Loft 32
Justin Shepherd, Senior Economist at FCC, will provide an up to date overview of the economic landscape affecting Canadian dairy producers. He'll explore the major cost drivers in dairy production and explore how these are evolving in response to global and domestic trends.
Justin Shepherd is a Senior Economist at FCC. He joined the team in 2021, specializing in monitoring agricultural production and analyzing global supply and demand trends. In addition to his speaking engagements on agriculture and economics, Justin is a regular contributor to the FCC Economics blog. Background Justin grew up on a mixed farm in Saskatchewan and remains active in the family operation. He holds a master of applied economics and management from Cornell University and a bachelor of agribusiness from the University of Saskatchewan. About FCC FCC is Canada’s leading agriculture and food lender, dedicated to the industry that feeds the world. FCC employees are committed to the long-standing success of those who produce and process Canadian food by providing flexible financing, AgExpert business management software, information and knowledge. FCC provides a complement of expertise and services designed to support the complex and evolving needs of food businesses. As a financial Crown corporation, FCC is a stable partner that reinvests profits back into the industry and communities it serves. For more information, visit fcc.ca.
Presentation begins Thursday January 8th, 2026 at 1:45 pm.
Producer Panel: Raising Healthy, Thriving Calves
Panelist: Larissa Hamel, Owner of Harmony Holsteins
Larissa farms alongside her husband, 3 teenage sons and father in law. Previous to this, she practied as a Registered Veterinary Technician for 5 years. They currently operate a 140 cow dairy in Elmwood. They strive for production and focus on optimizing animal health, through technology and sound management practices.
Panelist: Kristen Stevenson (Portena), Herdsperson, HR, Pendora Dairy Ltd.
Kristen Stevenson is part of the next generation of dairy farmers, since 2020, she has worked full-time on her family’s farm, where she focuses on transition cow care, calf and heifer management, and HR responsibilities. The farm milks 400 cows in a rotary parlour and raises 50–60 calves in hutches on pasteurized milk. A graduate of the University of Guelph’s, Ridgetown Campus (2019), Kristen is passionate about animal care and building strong farm teams. Recently married in July 2025, she also helps her husband manage his family’s cow-calf operation
Panelist: Rob Kirkconnell
Bio on its way!
Facilitator: Cynthia Miltenburg, Lead Veterinarian, Animal Health and Welfare, OMAFA
Cynthia is a veterinarian and graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College where she earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Doctor of Veterinary Science degrees. She spent several years in large animal practice before completing graduate research focused on strategies to improve transition cow health and immune function. Cynthia is currently Lead Veterinarian Animal Health and Welfare with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness where she provides expertise in veterinary science, epidemiology, and disease prevention and control related to animal, public, and environmental health with an emphasis on bovine health and welfare. Cynthia also co-leads the Bovine Ontario Animal Health Network, which works to coordinate preparedness, early detection, and response to animal disease.
Presentation begins Thursday January 8th, 2026 at 2:50 pm.
And don't forget to take a look at the list of On-Demand presentations which you can watch throughout the conference and for the thirty days following! Use the button on the left to browse full details for those!
Check out the program for other conference days using the buttons below.
