I’ve organized trainings and courses for almost thirty years—and I love doing it.  I love the energy.  The way people come together and share their enthusiasm.  The smiles on their faces when they get that “aha”, the moment when they grab something that will make a difference to them.

At the same time, I’ve also long been frustrated that not everyone can come.  Most of the time, the conferences I’ve worked with are physically based in the United States.  Some people have not been able to get visas, others don’t have the funds to travel, and many just don’t have the time. 

I’ve thought about taking the courses virtual, but there are lots of reasons in-person makes more sense, particularly when doing hands-on, practical training.

But right now, travel is not realistic for most of the globe.  When a colleague in Chile started talking about taking an annual dairy conference virtual, I was intrigued.  Today was our third conversation about how that’s becoming a reality, and I am thrilled to be a small part of it.  

Getting valuable information on the latest research and practices out to farmers in various parts of Latin America could increase on-farm profitability–and increase consumer access to nutritious dairy products.   Those are real silver linings that could happen out of this!