2026 ODI Conference Agenda

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2026 ODI Conference Agenda

April 14-15, 2026
Salem Convention Center
200 Commercial St SE
Salem, OR 97301

Day 1 - Tuesday, April 14, 2026

7:30 AM	Registration - Pringle Creek Room
7:30 AM	Vendor Show, Beverages, and Donuts - Willamette Foyer and Hallway

Session 1

Theme: Global, National, and Regional Dairy Outlook

Chair: Chris Jackson

8:30 AM	Door Prizes, Welcome, and Opening Remarks Speaker: Chris Jackson, Senior Area Manager at Wesmar Company Inc.
8:35 AM	Dairy Outlook Speaker: Sara Dorland, Managing Partner at Ceres Dairy Risk Management
9:10 AM	Regional Update - Evolution of Check-off Speakers: Anne Goetze, Dairy West Vice President - Business Development & Innovation
9:40 AM	Dairy West Regional Business Development / Panel Discussion Speakers: Anne Goetze (moderator), Julie Nixon, Rob Peterson, Dan Smith, Scott Snelders, Courtney Schroeder

Location: Willamette A&B

10:00 AM

Break and Vendor Show - Willamette Foyer and Hallway

Session 2

Theme: Food Safety and Regulatory

Chair: Hadi Eshpari

10:30 AM	Opening Remarks Speaker: Dr. Hadi Eshpari, Tillamook R&D Manager
10:45 AM	Update from the Oregon Department of Agriculture Speaker: Karel Smit, Food Safety, and Consumers Facing Labeling Changes
11:15 AM	Dairy Food Safety - Innovation and Case Studies Fireside Chat Speaker: Joy Waite Cusic, Oregon State University

Location: Willamette A&B

12:00 PM

Lunch - Croisan Creek

Session 3

Theme: Marketplace Innovation

Chair: Julie Nixon

1:15 PM	Door Prize and Opening Remarks Speaker: Julie Nixon, Dairy West Export Director, Business Development
1:20 PM	Global Products Innovation Overview Speaker: Christopher Urban, VP of Marketing at DMI
2:25 PM	Dairy Protein Institute (DPI) Speakers: Jenny Nelson, Dairy West DPI Founder/CEO, and Eric Bastian

Location: Willamette A&B

2:50 PM

Vendor Show and Ice Cream Break - Willamette Foyer and Hallway

Session 4

Theme: Driving Dairy Sales

Chair: Sheryl Kesey Thompson

3:10 PM	Opening Remarks Speaker: Sheryl Kesey Thompson, Co-Owner / VP of Marketing, Springfield Creamery
3:15 PM	Today’s Dairy Consumers Speaker: Dan Smith, Director - Business Development, Ingredients & Innovation, Dairy Farmers of Washington
3:40 PM	Driving Sales: Programs and Impact Speakers: Scott Snelders, Courtney Schroeder, Rob Peterson, Julie Nixon, Dan Smith
4:15 PM	Evaluation Drawing, Adjourn

Location: Willamette A&B

5:00 PM

Hospitality Suite - Grand Hotel Boardroom

Day 2 - Wednesday, April 15, 2026

7:30 AM	Registration - Pringle Creek Room
7:30 AM	Vendor Show, Beverages, and Donuts - Willamette Foyer and Hallway

Session 5

Theme: OSU Dairy Program

Chair: Younas Dadmohammadi

8:30 AM	Door Prize, Opening Remarks Speaker: Dr. Younas Dadmohammadi, Dairy Innovation Assistant Professor
8:45 AM	Oregon State University Student Presentations (BUILD, Scholarships, DMI) Speakers: OSU Dairy Students
10:00 AM	Update on OSU Pilot Plant Speaker: Brandon Riesgaard, Dairy Pilot Plant Manager

Location: Willamette A&B

10:20 AM

Break and Vendor Show - Willamette Foyer and Hallway

Session 6

Theme: Product and Process Innovation

Chair: Marcia Walker

10:35 AM	Opening Remarks Speaker: Dr. Marcia Walker, OSU Food Innovation Center Director
10:40 AM	PCC-DBII Story, Update, Reflections Speaker: Susan Pheasant, Director, Institute for Food and Agriculture, Fresno State University and Carmen Licon
11:00 AM	Dairy Companies - FIC - Success Story: Don Froylan Creamery Speakers: Francisco and Lisa Ochoa
11:20 AM	FIC Dairy Innovation Impact - Product Development Team Panel Speakers: Maren Long, Bryan Gaspich, Jason Ball, Jordyn Bunting

Location: Willamette A&B

11:40 AM	Lunch - Croisan Creek
12:00 PM	ODI Business Meeting - Croisan Creek
12:30 PM	Vendor Show Conclusion - Willamette Foyer and Hallway

Session 7

Theme: Oregon Dairy: From Story to Strategy

Chair: Melanie Oeck

1:00 PM	Opening Remarks Speaker: Melanie Oeck, Product Development Manager at Ever Fresh Fruit Company
1:05 PM	Oregon Dairy Story Speaker: Kim Malek, Founder & CEO, Salt & Straw
1:30 PM	ODA, USDA, Regional F&B Business Centers Speaker: Lindsey Eng, Oregon Department of Agriculture
2:20 PM	Annual ODI Awards Program with Oregon Dairy Princess Ambassador Moderator: ODI Product Evaluation Committee
2:55 PM	Evaluation Drawing and Closing Remarks Moderator: Melanie Oeck, Product Development Manager at Ever Fresh Fruit Company

Location: Willamette A&B

3:00 PM

Elliker Cheese Tray Reception - Willamette C&D

GET IN TOUCH

Oregon Dairy Industries
PO Box 256
Gresham, OR 97030

bridget@oregondairy.org

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