Nearly 700 dairy and beef producers from across the globe gathered in Lexington, Kentucky, for Alltech's Global 500, held Dec. 6-8. The event kicked off with a welcome reception, followed by two days of presentations by industry experts. Topics included nutrition, calf rearing, milk quality, social media and branding.
Many attendees and speakers took the advice of presenters Troy and Stacy Hadrick, who recommended developing a 30-second elevator speech.
"Use the speech to provide your name, where you're from and your connection to the agricultural industry," Hadrick said.
The Hadricks spoke about using social media to spread a positive message for agriculture. They blog at http://advocatesforag.blogspot.com .
Another producer taking advantage of social media was Carl Chaney of Chaney's Dairy Barn in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Established eight years ago, Chaney's ice cream business is nationally-recognized success, thanks in part to the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/chaneysdairybarn and a creative video featuring Miss Glimmer, the "spokescow."
Chaney has also worked with local businesses to incorporate Kentucky-grown ingredients in their ice cream and to promote local establishments through the "Ice Cream and a Moovie" nights, held free-of-charge during the summer.
Producers had time to network with one another and share ideas during regular coffee breaks and "discussion dinners" on Wednesday, Dec. 7.
Attendees were also able to tour Alltech's facilities, visiting the global headquarters and Center for Nutrigenomics in Nicholasville. The event concluded with a dinner held at the Alltech Arena, which also hosted the 2010 World Equestrian Games and the 2011 National Horse Show. PD
Watch for more coverage of this event from Progressive Dairyman in the coming months. View more pictures, interviews and recaps of the Alltech Global 500 conference, on Alltech's blog at www.alltech.com/blog .
