Registration is now open for the 2016 American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) annual conference Sept. 15-17 in Charlotte, N.C.

The 2016 program theme, “Facing the Future Together” was conceived with the philosophy to bring together global veterinary practitioners, students and industry colleagues for a continuing education experience that will be remembered, says AABP president-elect and program chairman Dr. Mark Thomas.

Thomas says the program topics should stimulate attendees "to think outside of the box," while also providing information they can use in their daily routine.

He says among the topics will be offerings on the veterinary feed directive (VFD), animal welfare issues, prudent drug use and antimicrobial stewardship. Thomas says the meeting will also delve into less-technical topics such as human resource management and stress management.

The keynote speaker, Vance Crowe, will talk about navigating modern agricultural practices within current consumer philosophies.

Thomas says, "Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn from veterinarians and producers who will share their experiences with reducing antimicrobial use both within the U.S. and internationally.”

He says the organization is focused on bringing down the walls between the specialties of beef and dairy medicine, and that the program offers a number of sessions with relevance to all bovine practitioners.

The American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners will also hold its meeting jointly with AABP.

Further, 10 limited-enrollment clinical forums will be hosted by experts in an informal, small-group environment to allow for one-on-one interaction in an effort to produce maximum benefit.

New this year are six small-group VFD forums that will help veterinarians understand VFD regulations and give them the opportunity to practice writing VFD orders.

If you are seeking in-depth training, the AABP Preconference Seminar schedule is filled with 21 courses to provide members with a variety of opportunities to focus their continued education in a specific area. These include seminars on beef and dairy nutrition, transition cow management and embryo transfer, in addition to some more recent returning offerings such as milk quality.

In addition to the continuing education, the AABP conference offers entertainment, awards for members, more than 100 exhibitors in the trade show, honoring of the 2016 Cattle Production Veterinarian Hall of Fame inductees, the 9th annual job fair, the Amstutz Live and Silent auctions, and the fourth 5K Stampede Fun Run.

Early registration for the AABP Annual Conference Sept. 15-17 ends Aug. 17.

Learn more by clicking on the conference link at www.AABP.org.