The goal of the Dairy Focus Team at the University of Illinois is to improve local farms through education, to provide services in the form of identifying opportunities, increasing profitability and sustainability on farms. This is accomplished through the science based innovation of University of Illinois research, while also giving students hands on experience evaluating commercial dairy farms.
The Dairy Focus Team will choose some dairy farms in Illinois to visit and evaluate. The team will address areas the farms are strong in, where there are weaknesses, the opportunities for improvement, and threats to the farms. The Dairy Focus Team will collaborate with Illinois faculty and industry professionals to put together a comprehensive report. The team will then present their findings to the producer.
The Dairy Focus Team is led by Phil Cardoso, DVM, PhD, and made up of graduate students specializing in reproduction, young stock, milk quality, and management. The team is also composed of Illinois faculty, industry professionals, and undergraduate students that support the mission.
Farmers who are interested in having the Dairy Focus Team compile a report on their farms should complete the registration form and return it to cardoso2@illinois.edu.