Short Courses

The short courses have limited enrollment and are filled on a first-come-first-served basis. Each course has a separate registration fee. The pre-registration deadline is July 10. Registrations may be accepted after the deadline if space is available. Courses may reach their capacity before the deadline, so register early!

Course 1: Milk and Dairy Beef Drug Residue Prevention Training

Wednesday, July 19, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Class size limit: 20 people
Registration fee: $95
Level: Beginner to intermediate 

Intended audience: Dairy farm employees, particularly milkers and hospital/fresh cow pen workers

Instructor: Robert Hagevoort, New Mexico State University, Clovis, N.M.

The goal of this short course is to demonstrate to attendees the importance and relevance of properly understanding and following treatment protocols for milking dairy cows and hospital cows, in light of drug residue prevention and animal well-being concerns.

Topics:

• Basic lactation physiology in dairy cows
• Understanding mastitis in dairy cows
• Understanding the importance of animal welfare
• Lab session: Anatomy of mammary gland
• Lab session: Injection site lesions demonstration
• Postpartum clinical exam of dairy cows
• Nutritional aspects of postpartum diseases
• Handling and proper use of medication

 

Course 2: What Do You Need to Know About Tracking Milk Quality from a DairyComp Record System?

Wednesday, July 19, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Class size limit: 25 people
Registration fee: $95
Level: Intermediate

Intended audience: All dairy industry sectors

Instructors: Mark Kirkpatrick, Zoetis, Kuna, Idaho; and Tyler Stratman, Zoetis, Twin Falls, Idaho

The course is designed to be an open demonstration and discussion of using and understanding milk quality metrics that are generated through routine herd testing. What are the commands that will allow you to monitor change in milk quality on a dairy operation? More importantly, what does this stream of information mean? The metrics will be presented through the use of DairyComp 305. Beyond routine herd testing, the U.S. dairy industry is moving toward individual cow treatment and culture result capture. Evaluation of these areas will also be discussed, with an emphasis on recording quality data.

Topics:

• Evaluation of subclinical mastitis with a focus on herd metrics and the changes that can be encountered
• Evaluation of clinical mastitis and how it ties into subclinical metrics

 

Course 3: The Role of a Diagnostic Microbiology Laboratory in Mastitis Control

Wednesday, July 19, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Class size limit: 35 people
Registration fee: $95
Level: Beginner

Intended audience: Milk quality consultants, dairy service personnel, veterinarians, laboratory technicians, dairy producers

Instructors: Allan Britten and Justine Britten, Udder Health Systems, Meridian, Idaho

This course provides an overview of diagnostic mastitis microbiology services and their role in the control and prevention of mastitis and improvement of milk quality. Instructors will review traditional culture methods for detection of about 20 different mastitis pathogens, the increasing use of molecular diagnostic methods and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Special emphasis will be placed on control, eradication and prevention of the major contagious pathogens and highly prevalent environmental organisms. This is an introductory level course and previous laboratory knowledge and/or experience is not required.

Topics:

• Diagnostic mastitis microbiology services
• Milk culture methods
• Molecular diagnostic methods

 

Course 4: Update on Mycoplasma Mastitis: Diagnosis, Control and Epidemiology

Wednesday, July 19, 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Class size limit: 25 people
Registration fee: $95
Level: Beginner to advanced

Intended audience: Dairy producers, veterinarians, herd health consultants, dairy processor field staff

Instructor: Larry Fox, Washington State University, Pullman, Wash.

Mycoplasma mastitis was first described in the 1960s in Connecticut. Within 10 years, it had been described to infect cattle across several countries around the world. Although it is most often described as a contagious pathogen, there are several reports indicating that milking time hygiene alone does not control the disease complex – nor prevent it. The most significant risk factor for the disease appears to be importation of cattle into a herd. Culling cows with mycoplasma mastitis is often advocated as a control element, although some reports suggest it is not universally successful.

Recent studies have documented the spread of Mycoplasma sp. in herds with cows with mycoplasma mastitis to other cows and their replacements, almost invariably the infecting strain is involved. Carriage in the nose seems to be the most prevalent site of colonization. Findings indicate that strains are unique to a herd and some suggest that the udder is the primary reservoir, although other body sites (lungs, joints and urogenital tracts) are clearly affected. In aggregate, this might suggest that udder-to-udder spread is not the sole means of transmission. An understanding of the transmission pathways of Mycoplasma sp. will aid in controlling the disease complex.

Topics:

• Emergence of mycoplasma mastitis and its relation to the mycoplasma bovine associated disease complex
• Diagnosis of mycoplasma mastitis: The new and the old
• Epidemiology of the disease
• Control and prevention of mycoplasma mastitis

 

Course 5: Optimizing Milk Quality: From Employee Training strategies to Hospital Management

(Course will be taught in Spanish.)

Wednesday, July 19, 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Class size limit: 30 people
Registration fee: $95
Level: Intermediate

Intended audience: Spanish-speaking middle dairy herd managers and parlor/hospital managers

Instructors: Mireille Chahine, University of Idaho Extension, Twin Falls, Idaho; Damian Lettieri, Herd Health PLLC, Caldwell, Idaho; and Maristela Rovai, South Dakota State University, Brookings, S.D.

Delivered in Spanish, this short course will address how to enhance milk quality, workers’ motivation and knowledge, and cows’ health. Middle managers attending the course will learn techniques on how to motivate the employees they supervise and how to effectively transfer knowledge to them. Course attendees will learn how to implement and evaluate milker training and how to set up a successful hospital management program.

Topics:

• Motivating employees to enhance milk quality
• Implementing and evaluating a successful milker training program
• Designing and implementing strategic employee feedback and training follow-up
• Hospital management goals
• Diagnostic tools
• Protocols and sanitation practices
• Treatment options
• Record analysis
• Outcome evaluation

Course 6: Practical Parlor Testing

(Participants have access to “The Teaching Parlor,” a portable training device designed to simulate a real milking parlor.)

Wednesday, July 19, 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (4 hours)
Class size limit: 20 people
Registration fee: $175
Level: Beginner to Advanced

Intended audience: Dairy producers, managers, advisors and consultants

Instructors: Roger S. Thomson, MQ-IQ Consulting LLC, Battle Creek, Mich.; and Paul Peetz, Milk Rite, Kings Corner, Wis.

This course is designed to provide participants with practical knowledge and skills in milking equipment analysis, setup and design. Course content is tailored to target dairy producers and dairy managers, but will be useful to advisors and consultants of various skill levels.

Course participants will perform some basic parlor testing and visualize different milking system settings, scenarios and equipment function. The class will be a mix of collaborative discussion, visual demonstration and active hands-on learning, using a double-4 milking system simulator called “The Teaching Parlor.” It is built with clear PVC piping and circulates water from eight Jenny Lynn Flow Simulators that function as the cows.

There will be plenty of time and opportunity for questions, both as a group or one-on-one with instructors throughout the training. Participants should come prepared with specific questions they may have, ready to learn and eager to participate. The instructors will review the background of enrollees prior to the course and ask for input on focus areas of the attendees to customize the topics presented to fit the group’s needs.

The NMC “Procedures for Evaluating Vacuum Levels and Air Flow in Milking Systems” will be used as the guide for all testing methods to evaluate vacuum levels and airflow in milking machines.

Topics:

• Milking equipment testing strategies
• How equipment decisions impact milk quality, parlor performance and maintenance
• Concepts of milking equipment function and setup
• Practical milking equipment checks/diagnostics for dairies
• Interaction of milking system settings and design on the cow and milk quality results
• How to perform a Unit Fall-Off Test and interpret the results
• How to graph pulsators and evaluate the results
• How to use testing equipment (Vadia, Triscan, vacuum gauge, airflow meter)
• How to evaluate the mechanical aspects of washing a milking parlor
• How to perform a Slug Analysis and interpret the results