Rumen seminar: Meeting the genetics of a modern dairy cow

More than 50 leading livestock nutritionists, consultants and dairy producers attended the 2025 Lallemand Animal Health Rumen Health seminar, held in Bendigo, Victoria.

This year’s theme addressed ‘Meeting the genetics of the modern dairy cow’ and provided a holistic approach to breeding, feeding and managing dairy cattle to optimise welfare, health and productivity.

The program included a look at new technology that is accelerating the rate of genetic improvement; the role of fibre in optimising performance; understanding cow behaviour and shed design to optimise cow comfort; and a review of the complex physiology of the cow throughout lactation and transition.

This year’s event was the fourth instalment of the company’s popular biennial Rumen Health Seminars. The series has featured an evolving program to reflect emerging challenges and opportunities.

This year’s attendees included a group of five Lallemand Animal Nutrition distributors from Taiwan, reflecting the Australian affiliate’s role as the technical support hub for South Africa, Asia and New Zealand.

Lallemand Animal Nutrition Regional Director, Alex Turney, says the series aims to equip the company’s customers with the knowledge and tools that help to optimise performance from the crop to the vat.

“Our mission has been the same from the start,” he says. “We want to bring science and innovation to our customers, but in a down-to-earth way that they can take something practical home with them.”

Alex paid tribute to his team, which has grown to 9 customer-facing technical services roles and six administrative roles in the past decade to become one of the largest and most experienced team of nutrition experts in Australia.

“Our growth can be directly attributed to our team,” he says. “It takes a long time to identify, recruit and train the right people to be consultants, not salespeople. Agriculture is and always has been a people-based business. If you don’t have a solid relationship that is based on making your customer’s business better, you don’t have a business.”

The following day, the group visited two large freestall operations conducted by the Vinnicombe family at Jarklin, and the Quinn family at Mincha West for a cow behaviour masterclass from Dr Nico Vreeberg.