The 2nd PLF STUDENT’S TRAVEL WORKSHOP organized by the PLF Commission of ASPA (Association for Animal Science and Production) took place from 20 to 22 September 2023. The event saw the participation of around 80 people, including students, graduates, doctoral students and teachers, coming from 5 different Italian universities (Bologna, Milan, Naples, Piacenza and Viterbo) in addition to Dr. Abeni from CREA of Lodi and some industry representatives.
This year’s workshop was organized by the Federico II University of Naples and took place in Campania between Caserta and Benevento. During the event, participants had the opportunity to visit excellent companies in the cattle and buffalo sector, as well as the Liverini feed mill. On the central day, a competition took place among the students, with the awarding of an award for the best presentation on topics related to precision animal husbandry. The contest aimed at students saw competition between excellent presentations. For the University of Milan, 9 students from the master’s degree course in Agricultural Sciences participated and presented the results of studies conducted with precision instruments as part of the Research Enriched Education SMARTCOW teaching laboratory and their degree theses . During the central day, the event was enriched by the presentations of some companies that produce and market livestock feed and hardware and software tools for Precision Animal Husbandry: DeLaval/Zoomac, Alimentari Liverini, MSD Animal Health, Sugar Plus and T.D.M.
The workshop represented a unique opportunity to explore the issues of Precision Animal Husbandry in depth and to encourage the exchange of experiences between students, teachers and industry representatives. It is hoped that this initiative can become a regular event, offering growth and work opportunities for young people and facilitating dialogue between research, training and businesses.