Raising the Roof Speakers

Dr Gordon (Gordie) Jones from the US is a globally recognised dairy performance consultant with more than 40 years of experience, Dr Jones specialises in cow comfort, housing design, herd productivity and dairy management. He has worked with dairy producers, veterinarians and nutritionists across America. and internationally, and has played a key role in the design and development of large-scale dairies, including Fair Oaks Dairy. He is also a partner in Central Sands Dairy, a 3,500-cow operation, and was named one of Progressive Dairy’s most influential people in dairy.

Noel Kelly, founder of Creva International from Galway in Ireland, has also been confirmed as a presenter.

With more than 20 years of industry experience and a lifetime connected to farming, Noel works globally to deliver practical, long-life solutions in cow comfort and calf rearing. Through Creva International, he supports large-scale farm projects, distributors and partners across international markets, with a focus on durable, hygienic and easy-to-install systems that improve performance on farm.

Oliver Moore is the Senior Vice President of the New Equipment Division (UK) GEA Farm Technologies with more than 21 years in the global dairy industry, Oliver brings deep expertise in automation, equipment design and large-scale dairy systems.

Jurgen Steen is GEA Farm Technologies' National Sales Manager for Automatic Milking Systems. With 28 years of international experience and more than 200 farm automation transitions, Jurgen is known for his practical approach to designing future-ready milking systems.

Dr. Mario Mondaca  is a Senior Technical Application and Research Engineer for VES-Artex in the US with expertise in heat stress and dairy cows.  Dr. Mondaca has done extensive research into the psychoenvironmental relationships between the cow, the facility, and the environment. His knowledge of engineering and cow comfort allow him to bridge the gap between animal specialist, facility designers and engineers.

Nigel Cook is the Director of the US-based Dairyland Initiative and a Professor in Food Animal Production Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His sessions will be focused on maximising cow comfort and transitioning so that cows can rest when they want to for as long as they need to, so we can maximise health and productivity