Price pressure and production costs are forcing milk producers to decide on investment, herd growth and cutting labour input. Farmers, experts and dairy-company representatives are discussing what could decide profitability in the coming months.

The second «Polish Milk» Congress (Kongres Polskie Mleko) opened on 6 October at the MCC Mazurkas Conference Centre & Hotel in Ożarów Mazowiecki under the motto «From crisis to growth», top agrar reports, citing tygodnik-rolniczy.pl.

Key points:

  • The second «Polish Milk» Congress began on 6 October in Ożarów Mazowiecki under the motto «From crisis to growth».
  • The programme has four blocks: milking automation, cow feeding, production and processing safety, and the milk market in Poland and abroad.
  • Tom Boijink of Rabobank will present the outlook for the European market, and Dr Justyna Tarapata will talk about the whey-protein market.
  • The congress closes with a debate among dairy-company heads on the domestic market and Poland’s export prospects.

A market that demands cautious decisions

Milk producers are operating under pressure from farm-gate prices and farm running costs, while having to decide on investment, herd development and solutions that cut labour and raise efficiency. 

That is why the congress gives plenty of room not only to market forecasts but also to practical solutions used on farms. The programme is split into four areas: milking automation, cow feeding, safety of production and processing, and the milk market in Poland and abroad.

Milking automation: not just less work

The first block is about milking robots and their effect on day-to-day farm operations. Witold Glapa of the Długie Stare agricultural enterprise and Jakub Juskowiak, who runs a family farm in Brzezie in Gostyń commune, share their experience. 

The Juskowiak family keeps 750 head of cattle, including 280 cows, milks them with four robots and delivers milk to the Gostyń dairy cooperative (photo: Marek Kalinowski).

Discussion covers herd performance, welfare and cow health. Irmina Newlacil, senior cattle-nutrition specialist at Cargill, is due to present the link between hoof condition and lifetime production in herds using automatic milking systems. Adam Orzech, head of NATURALNA ENERGIA.plus, will outline the market prospects a biogas plant could open up for a dairy farm.

Herd performance without shortening cows’ lives

A large part of the meeting is devoted to feeding. Prof. Zygmunt Maciej Kowalski of the University of Agriculture in Kraków will address sustaining high protein and fat output without shortening cows’ productive life. 

Malwina Murawska of Josera will speak on silage quality, its impact on milk yield and feeding costs, while Marek Kostrzewski of Limagrain Polska will answer how much milk can «grow» per hectare and how maize genetics can translate into herd performance. 

Dr Ryszard Kujawiak and Bartosz Mendlewski of Sano will present feeding solutions for modern herds. The block ends with a debate on the foundations of performance — feed quality, nutrition and cow health — with all five speakers.

Dairy safety: from the farm to delivery logistics

A separate block covers the safety of milk production and processing — not just of the farm or plant, but of delivery logistics and the whole chain in a crisis. 

One topic is cybersecurity: as farms and dairies automate, IT systems reach ever deeper into areas directly tied to production. 

Marek Klimaszewski of CyberHive will speak on real-world security of production, processing and delivery logistics in potential crises.

What could move milk prices in the coming months?

Probably the most interesting part for producers is the last one, on the market in Poland, Europe and worldwide. 

Tom Boijink, Senior Dairy Specialist Europe & Africa at Rabobank, will present the European outlook and forecasts for milk in the coming months. Dr Justyna Tarapata of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn will discuss the whey-protein market and whether its growth is a bubble or a lasting trend. 

The programme also includes a talk on the impact of retailers’ private labels on the dairy sector.

Dairy heads on exports and the market’s future

One of the closing highlights is the dairy-company debate, held under the motto «From crisis to growth» and focused on the domestic market and the prospects for Polish exports. Taking part are Iwona Grzybowska (head of OSM Łowicz), Stefan Stachowiak (head of SM Gostyń), Marek Kapica (head of SDM Wieluń) and Tadeusz Proczek (head of the National Dairy Association, Krajowe Stowarzyszenie Mleczarzy).

Source: top agrar