Goat Day Presentations
Friday January 9th, 2026
Keynote PResentation: Maximizing Return Over Feed
Sponsored by: Ontario Dairy Goat Co-operative
Presented by: Jelle Vogels, Division Manager - Canada, Vitalvé, Netherlands
Jelle is a dedicated goat specialist at Vitalve who enjoys working side by side with farmers to turn data into meaningful progress on the farm. With a background in animal nutrition and a practical mindset, he combines science and experience to improve herd health and performance.
Presented by: Maksym Baranok, Small Ruminant Specialist, Vitalvé, Canada
Presentation begins Friday January 9th, 2026 at 10:00 am.
Strong Starts, Smooth Transitions: Mastering Goat Kid Weaning
Facilitated by: Dr. Lisa Sharko, Lead Veterinarian, Animal Health and Welfare Branch, OMAFA
This presentation will cover nutrition and management of kids from birth to weaning. Common problems, trouble-shooting, and benchmarks for successful kid rearing will be covered, also.
After graduating vet school in 2014, Lisa spent 11 years in practice in Southwestern and Midwestern Ontario before joining the Ministry in April. Lisa worked as a food animal veterinarian primarily working with cow and goat dairy herds and cow-calf herds. She has a passion for preventative medicine and young stock health. In her current role she specializes in small ruminants and beef cattle where she supports industry groups and producers on health/welfare initiatives.
*** Recognized as a RVT Continuing Education Credit ***
Presentation begins Friday January 9th, 2026 at 11:15 am.
Ontario Goat Updates
An update on the activities of Ontario Goat.
Presented by: Stacey Underwood , General Manager, Ontario Goat
Stacey Underwood, is the General Manager of Ontario Goat, having stepped into this role in February of 2025. She is a proud 3rd generation goat producer, having followed in the footsteps of her father and paternal grandparents who raised goats in the Paisley Ontario area. Stacey, along with her husband and children, are meat goat producers in the Listowel area, and have over a decade of experience in the industry.
Presented by: Christopher Orr, President/Chair, Ontario Goat
Christopher Orr was raised into farming having grown up on his family farm in the Listowel area. Through his tenure at his off-farm career, he has developed a wealth of knowledge and experience in the goat industry and dairy industry at large. Christopher, along with his wife and children run a large meat goat operation in the Listowel area.
Presentation begins Friday January 10th, 2025 at 1:15 pm.
Money and Finance – The Basics – 7 Building Blocks for Farm Financial Success
Please note: this presentation timeslot was going to focus on the Halal Market Demand for Goats. Yaser is unable to present, so instead Jason Emke will share a presentation looking at financing on goat farms. Thanks for your understanding!
Presented by: Jason Emke, Relationship Manager, FCC
Jason Emke is a Relationship Manager out of the Walkerton, Ontario office for the past 21 years. Financing goat operations and guiding clients through the ups and downs has been a highlight of his career to date. Financing, generally a younger platform and quite often being a 1st generation farmer in the goat industry has been a refreshing and enthusiastic opportunity for FCC and Jason. Aside from looking at the numbers, Jason also has a purebred sheep operation with his family. Being active in the community with 4-H, soccer, hockey, lacrosse, fairs and boards Jason brings a deep passion for the agricultural community.
Presentation begins Friday January 9th, 2026 at 1:35 pm.
An Update from the Dairy Goat Farmers of Ontario
An update on the activities of Dairy Goat Farmers of Ontario.
Presented by: Anja van der Vlies, Member, Goat Producer Advisory Committee (GPAC), Gay Lea Foods
Anja van der Vlies, since 1994 milking goats with husband Henry. Parents of 4 adult children and the youngest (Remco) and his girlfriend (Sarah) are involved in the farm. Milking 1200 goats on a rotary parlour. 6 Part time students employed to help with the milking. Cropping 400 acres, growing as much feed as possible for the goats. Striving to be efficient and produce quality milk. Looking forward to a strong future in the Goat Industry.
Presented by: Natalie Miltenburg, Board of Directors Chair, Ontario Dairy Goat Co-operative
Natalie Miltenburg lives outside of Lucknow, Ontario, where her husband Adam and 5 children currently milk 400 goats. They entered the dairy goat industry in 2012. She has served on the Ontario Dairy Goat Cooperative (ODGC) Board of Directors for the past four years and currently holds the position of Chair. In her role, Natalie advocates for producers, promotes continuous improvement within the industry and is deeply committed to the sustainability and success of Ontario’s dairy goat sector.
Presentation begins Friday January 9th, 2026 at 2:40 pm.
Goat Research Update
Juliet and Madison's research has explored biosecurity practices and perceptions among Ontario sheep and goat producers (including meat, dairy, and hobby farms). They found that implementation of biosecurity measures varies. For example, more than half of respondents reported quarantining newly acquired sheep and goats, while 42% reported maintaining a closed herd or flock. Thirty-one percent of participants also reported being concerned about acquiring diseases from their herd or flock. Building on these findings, they are now recruiting for a study in Ontario dairy goat herds that will use Glo Germ (a powder visible under UV light) to simulate disease transmission. Interested individuals may reach out to germannj@uoguelph.ca.
*** Recognized as a RVT Continuing Education Credit ***
Presented by: Juliet Germann, PhD Candidate, Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph
Juliet Germann is a third-year PhD candidate in Epidemiology and One Health at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. She is supervised under Drs. Kelsey Spence and Charlotte Winder. She previously completed her MSc from the University of Guelph in 2023 and her BSc from the University of Toronto Mississauga in 2020. Juliet is from Waterloo and spends most of her time with her sometimes lovely dogs Sandwich and Paddington.
Presented by: Madison Penney, PhD Student, Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph
Madison is currently in the first year of her PhD in the Department of Population Medicine at the University of Guelph, where she is researching the use and practicality of various environmental enrichment opportunities on commercial goat farms in Ontario. Her work aims to improve animal welfare and support alignment with NFACC guidelines.
Presentation begins Friday January 9th, 2026 at 3:00 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.
