World Dairy Expo: “The industry meeting of the year.”

World Dairy Expo ran from October 1 to 4 in Madison, Wisconsin. As the world’s largest dairy-focused trade show, the exposition drew industry experts and enthusiasts from across the globe.

This year, the theme was “The Golden Age,” as in, the Golden Age of Hollywood. The era is famous for its introduction of sound and technicolor into movie-making. Think: The Wizard of Oz or Gone With the Wind; Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart… Clearly, “golden,” here, means “most iconic ever,” and that’s exactly why World Dairy Expo’s leaders chose it as the theme for their 2024 show.

“It feels so fitting,” said World Dairy Expo general manager Laura Herschleb on The Dairy Show podcast. “If you think about the Golden Age in film, that really referred to advancements and innovation. And advancements and innovation are what drive the dairy industry forward. There have been so many modernizations that have occurred over the last fifty years. We couldn’t think of a better theme that exemplified that.”

Rotary parlors, robotic milking systems, automated feeders – we certainly are in a new age of dairying, one W.D. Hoard doubtless dreamed of. The annual World Dairy Expo is at the helm of celebrating these achievements both big and small.

This year, the four-day spectacle included a trade show, cattle show, forage super bowls, youth contests, recognition awards, Career Connections, and contribution acknowledgements, all of which took place within the Alliant Energy Center grounds in Madison. There were approximately 50 industry expert presentations, 600 company booths, 3,000 international visitors from almost 100 different countries, and 2,500 of “the finest dairy cattle in the world.”

If those numbers seem impressive, consider this: in 2014, the expo saw a record-breaking 77,204 attendees.

“If you’re looking to expand your business and make connections, there’s no better place to be than World Dairy Expo,” said Herschleb. “Knowledge transfer happens so fluidly throughout the event. It’s like a melting pot – it’s like a family reunion from all over the world.”

No two shows are alike, and Herschleb says that’s intentional. The team is always looking to enhance the already-there metrics of excellence.

For instance, beginning 15 years ago, people could watch the events from afar by tuning into ExpoTV. This year, viewers were able to access a host of additional high-tech interactive elements by logging into ExpoTV.  

For dairy farmers and everyone involved in the producer-to-consumer chain, Expo is like one big celebration of how far they’ve come and of what’s still out there to work towards.

“How lucky are we that we have this shared passion for the dairy industry and that we get to celebrate for ten days all together in one place?” said Herschleb. “It’s the industry meeting of the year.”