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.

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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 .

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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.

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ABOVE: Dr. John Champagne, DVM, University of California School of Veterinary Medicine, discusses the anatomy of the mammary gland.

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ABOVE: Dr. Steven Berry, Extension Dairy Specialist, UC Davis, explains the causes of lameness using cow cadaver feet.

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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.

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ABOVE: Nyles Peterson, UCCE dairy advisor for San Bernardino County, demonstrates the use of performing the California Mastitis Test.