Four dairy producers and 29 dairy employees attended the annual Dairy Herdsman Short Course, held April 27-29, 2010 at the University of California-Davis Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center.
The three-day educational event involves lectures and hands-on laboratories. Topics included milking management, hoof care, dairy reproduction, dairy nutrition, herd health and labor management.
The short course also provides the lectures and materials in Spanish for Spanish-speaking dairy employees. Evaluations from participants rated the course from excellent to very good.
Instructors for the program included Alejandro Castillo, Carol Collar, Gregorio Billikopf, Gerald Higginbotham, Jennifer Heguy, Betsy Karle, Nyles Peterson and Noelia Silva-del-Rio of UC Cooperative Extension . Other instructors were Steven Berry of UC Davis , John Champagne and Jim Reynolds of UC Veterinary School , Rob Moeller of the California Animal Health and Food Safety Lab , and Jon Robison and Neal Spiro of CSU-Fresno.
Information and photos provided by Gerald Higginbotham of UC Cooperative Extension .
PHOTOS
TOP RIGHT: Dr. Rob Moeller, DVM, Diagnostic Pathologist, California Animal Health and Food Safety Lab in Tulare performs a necropsy on a dairy calf.
TOP LEFT: Dr. Terry Lehenbauer, DVM, from the University of California School of Veterinary Medicine, discusses the prevention and control of mastitis.
ABOVE: Dr. John Champagne, DVM, University of California School of Veterinary Medicine, discusses the anatomy of the mammary gland.
ABOVE: Dr. Steven Berry, Extension Dairy Specialist, UC Davis, explains the causes of lameness using cow cadaver feet.
ABOVE: Dr. Gerald Higginbotham, University of California Cooperative Extension Dairy Advisor for Fresno and Madera Counties, lectures on the proper dry and milk cow feeding.
ABOVE: Nyles Peterson, UCCE dairy advisor for San Bernardino County, demonstrates the use of performing the California Mastitis Test.
