UCundinamarca empowered the dairy sector with its 1st International Congress

As part of its Transmodern Digital Educational Model (MEDIT) strategy, the University of Cundinamarca held the 1st International Dairy Congress and 2nd Departmental Dairy Congress “Sustainable Development and Modernization of the Dairy Sector” to strengthen the industry with new knowledge.

The event, which was held virtually due to the current pandemic, had national and international guests who managed to have an almost perfect connection with the attendees as they were able to answer questions and interact with them through the internet.

One of the guests was Professor Gerardo López-García, a doctoral candidate in veterinary sciences at the Austral University of Chile, who spoke about the importance of energy metabolism on productive efficiency and profitability in grazing dairy cows.

The international expert outlined the four key conclusions for properly strengthening the animal's energy metabolism:

-Proper management of the transition period ensures adequate development of the offspring in the last third of gestation.

-Diets with moderate energy and high levels of low digestibility fiber are a good alternative to minimize peripartum problems.

-Body condition is associated with most metabolic alterations at the end of pregnancy.

-Understanding that the hormonal and metabolic response created by breastfeeding, which includes low blood glucose levels and elevated levels of NEFA and BHB, affects the ovary, which plays a fundamental role in restoring postpartum reproductive performance.

“Grazing cows must be supplemented with concentrates in order to perceive that generic potential that the producer may have in efficient milk production,” said the researcher from the Austral University of Chile.

Other guests included Gabriel Alonso Rodríguez Fernández, a veterinarian from the University of Costa Rica; Eduardo de Souza Campos Pinheiro, a veterinarian from the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil; Jorge Zambrano, from the animal reproduction and herd health group at the National University of Colombia; Gustavo Álvaro Wills Franco, a zootechnician and spokesperson for the faculty of veterinary medicine and animal science at the National University; and Alberto Navas Camacho.

On the Facebook platform where the event was broadcast to the public, hundreds of people connected and the broadcasts have thousands of views, demonstrating the reach the event had and its importance in the region, the country and the world.

“Committed to MEDIT, which is about educating for life, democratic values, and freedom, the University of Cundinamarca has provided this space to foster and learn from dairy producers in the region, professionals, industry entrepreneurs, associations, and our students, so that they are at the forefront of information on such an important topic in the so-called dairy capital,” said Miguel Alejandro Flechas Montaño, administrative director of the Ubaté branch of the University of Cundinamarca, regarding the international event.

More news from the Ubaté branch at the News Agency