External speakers
Prof Dr Bart Pardon
Bart Pardon is a veterinarian, currently associated professor in large animal internal medicine at Ghent University (Belgium). He holds a Ph.D in veterinary sciences (Morbidity, Mortality and Drug use in veal calves with emphasis on respiratory disease, 2012) and is an EBVS certified specialist of the European college of Bovine Health Management (2016). Next to his teaching assignment, he chairs the clinic for ruminants at Ghent University. He and his team also offer problem herd solving services to farmers and veterinarians, mainly in the area of calf health and infectious diseases.
His UGent calf health research group has the overall aim to improve calf health and welfare, and focuses on rationalization of antimicrobial use. Current projects include the development of rapid diagnostic tools, decision support tools and precision medicine applications for bovine respiratory disease and sepsis in calves. A significant portion of his past and present work deals with lung ultrasonography and Mycoplasma bovis.
Bart attempts to keep close contact with practice, and puts effort in bringing tools with potential to the field, of which non-endoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage (nBAL) diagnostics and quick thoracic ultrasonography (qTUS) are two examples. In 2023 he co-founded with two of his former Ph.D students, the spin-off company qTUS, which trains and certifies veterinarians and researchers in lung ultrasound.
Dr Dave Renaud
Dave Renaud is a Professor in the Department of Population Medicine at the University of Guelph, where he also serves as Graduate Program Coordinator and Service Chief of the Ruminant Field Service. He received his DVM from the Ontario Veterinary College and a PhD in epidemiology from the University of Guelph. His research focuses on calf health, welfare, and antimicrobial stewardship, with an emphasis on colostrum management, disease prevention and transportation in the dairy industry. Dave has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications, leads an internationally recognized research program, and remains an active practicing veterinarian working with dairy producers and calf raisers in Ontario.
Courtney Halbach
Courtney Halbach is the Outreach Specialist for The Dairyland Initiative, an outreach program at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine that is dedicated to providing dairy industry professionals with welfare-friendly housing recommendations and lameness prevention tools in order to optimize dairy cow health, performance, and well-being. Over the last 13 years, she has helped dairy farmers and members of the dairy team optimize cow comfort through improved facility design. She has consulted with numerous dairies worldwide and has spoken globally on the importance of barn design and ventilation on dairy cattle welfare. Her areas of interest include calf and adult cow barn design and ventilation, positive pressure tube ventilation systems, and robotic milking facility design.
Dr João H. C. Costa
Dr João H. C. Costa is an internationally recognized researcher and consultant specializing in dairy calf and heifer management, animal behaviour, welfare, nutrition, and precision livestock farming. He previously held faculty positions at the University of Vermont and the University of Kentucky and has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications. Dr Costa has worked closely for the last 2 decades working with farmers, veterinarians, nutritionists, researchers, and dairy companies, delivered invited presentations in more than 20 countries, and created important dairy calf tools (e.g CalfSim.com and CalfUniversity) . He recently returned to Brazil, where he founded the 4C Dairy Consulting, a consulting company and CRO focused on conducting applied research and developing innovative projects across Latin America and internationally. His work aims to connect rigorous science, emerging technologies, and commercial farm realities to improve animal health, welfare, performance, and the long-term sustainability of dairy production systems.
Internal speakers
Georgina Thomas
Georgina is the Technical Sales Manager for Young Animal Feed for Europe and Central Asia, working for Trouw Nutrition. Georgina graduated from the University of Nottingham before entering the feed industry to work as a ruminant nutritionist. Georgina has developed a passion for early life nutrition and now has a focus on the development and formulation of milk replacers for young calves. Georgina works to translate cutting edge science and research into practical on farm solutions that help to elevate calf performance to the next level.
Juanita Echeverry Múnera
Juanita is a young ruminant researcher at Trouw Nutrition and a PhD candidate at the University of Guelph (Canada). Originally from Colombia, she moved to Canada in 2009, where she completed her undergraduate studies in Animal Science at the University of Alberta, Canada, and her MSc degree in Animal Science at the University of Guelph, Canada. Juanita began her career with Trouw Nutrition in 2018 through a series of internships and student research positions before officially joining the Ruminant R&D team as a Researcher in 2025. Her work focuses on nutrition and management strategies to improve the health, welfare, and lifetime performance of calves. Her research encompasses passive immunity transfer, milk replacer feeding programs, metabolic adaptation, and nutritional interventions that support calf resilience during the pre-weaning period. Through her work, Juanita aims to bridge fundamental physiology with practical on-farm solutions that enhance calf health and productivity while supporting more sustainable dairy and beef production systems.
Dr Liz Homer
Dr Liz Homer studied BSc Animal Science at the University of Nottingham and went on to complete a PhD in Dairy Cow Physiology and Fertility. After being awarded her PhD she then worked as a post doctoral scientist for a couple of years focusing on oestrous detection and expression, dairy cow nutrition trials, and assisting in trials focusing on the rumen microbiome and methane reduction.
She joined Trouw Nutrition GB in 2015 as Ruminant Technical Development Manager focusing on linking R&D with practical, applicable solutions for use at customer and farm level. Her role involves working closely with our Global Ruminant Innovation Team and technically supporting many of our customers in the market. Liz has been instrumental in the development and application of many R&D projects, most notably the NutriOpt Dairy Model and NutriOpt solutions.
Liz's main focus is now on sustainability where she leads the European team in driving and implementing our sustainability strategy for ruminants. This encompasses looking internally at our at processes, how we can support customers at their sites to become more sustainable and most exciting how we apply solutions to become more efficient at farm level to reduce environmental footprint. Liz also focuses on looking at innovative solutions to reduce environmental footprint and has been developing partnerships across the supply chain to implement positive change at farm level.
Dr Javier Martín-Tereso
Dr Javier Martín-Tereso is an internationally recognized ruminant nutritionist specializing in dairy cattle nutrition, rumen function, and mineral metabolism. He holds a PhD in dairy cattle nutrition from Wageningen University (The Netherlands) and an Agricultural Engineering degree with a specialization in Animal Science from Madrid.
Since 2012, Dr. Martín-Tereso has led the Ruminant Research Centre at Trouw Nutrition R&D, where he directs both applied and fundamental research programs aimed at improving nutrient efficiency, animal health, and sustainable livestock production. His work combines physiological understanding with practical feeding strategies to support performance, welfare, and environmental sustainability in dairy and beef systems.
His main areas of expertise include rumen health and digestive efficiency, mineral and trace element nutrition, and early-life nutrition of calves and youngstock. He has conducted extensive research on how dietary composition influences rumen microbial activity, nutrient utilization, and metabolic health. A significant part of his work focuses on mineral homeostasis in ruminants, including calcium metabolism and trace element supplementation, contributing to improved prevention and management of metabolic disorders around calving. He is also actively involved in advancing nutritional strategies for calves, emphasizing early metabolic programming and long-term productivity.
Dr. Martín-Tereso has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications and is a frequent invited speaker at international scientific and industry conferences. His research bridges science and practice by translating complex nutritional and physiological insights into practical feeding solutions used by producers worldwide. Through close collaboration with academic institutions and industry partners, he contributes to innovation and knowledge transfer in modern ruminant nutrition and sustainable animal production.
Dr Jean-Baptiste Daniel
Jean-Baptiste grew up on a dairy farm in France and holds a MSc in Animal Sciences from Wageningen University (the Netherlands). He began his research career in 2012 with Trouw Nutrition’s Ruminant R&D team and subsequently completed a PhD with AgroParisTech-INRAE and Trouw Nutrition, focusing on quantifying dairy cow milk yield and composition responses to dietary changes. Since 2016, Jean-Baptiste has served as a Ruminant Researcher at Trouw Nutrition R&D, contributing to research in nitrogen efficiency, gut health, and mineral nutrition. His work is dedicated to enhancing nutrient efficiency, supporting cattle health, and promoting the sustainable use of feed resources in both dairy and beef production. He has authored over 40 scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals.
Dr Juliette Wilms
Juliette Wilms is a researcher at Trouw Nutrition R&D with over a decade of experience in calf nutrition and health. Since joining the company in 2015, she has worked across research and innovation, focusing on calf nutrition, milk replacer composition, oral rehydration strategies for diarrheic calves, and calcium metabolism around calving. She completed her PhD through a joint program between the University of Guelph and Trouw Nutrition, where her research focused on the effects of fat inclusion level and fat composition in liquid feed on metabolism, gut physiology, and development in dairy calves. Alongside her research activities, she contributes to the development of nutritional solutions and collaborates with colleagues and external partners to translate scientific findings into practical applications for the animal nutrition industry.