Enhance Dairy Skills with Free Animal Care Training

By Blake Jackson

The Center for Dairy Excellence, in partnership with the PA Beef Council, PDMP, and Penn State Extension, is hosting animal care workshops across Pennsylvania this spring.

These free events are designed to enhance animal care skills and fulfill National FARM program training requirements for dairy producers and their employees.

Five identical workshops will be held in different locations, each focusing on four key training areas: antibiotic stewardship, pain management, and on-farm chemotherapeutic stewardship; calf care and nutrition; biosecurity and premise mapping; and fitness for transport and quality assurance.

A Spanish interpreter will be present at each event. Attendees can also become certified in Calf Care and Quality Assurance (CCQA) or recertified in Beef Quality Assurance (BQA).

“As you and your dairy team work to enhance efficiency and cow comfort, we hope you’ll join us at one of these animal care workshops this spring,” said Valerie Mason-Faith, Risk Education Manager at the Center for Dairy Excellence.

“The workshops are offered at no cost, and they also qualify as National FARM training. After rotating through the four training areas during the workshops, you’ll get a physical certificate that you can save in your files to show your commitment to FARM standards.”

The workshops will address practical questions related to various aspects of animal care. For example, participants will learn how to calculate optimal average daily gain for calves, identify critical control points for disease transmission, understand approved extra-label drug use, mitigate disease risk in calves, and manage animal movement and traffic flow on their premises. They will also review best practices for fitness to transport, quality assurance, and medication administration.

Each workshop includes lunch and an optional tour of a nearby dairy farm, with strict adherence to biosecurity protocols during the tours.

The workshops will be held in Cumberland, Lancaster, Crawford, Mifflin, and Bradford Counties on various dates in March and April.

To register for a free workshop, call 717-346-0849 or visit the Center for Dairy Excellence website. Include the names of all employees attending from your farm.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Contact Valerie Mason-Faith vmason@centerfordairyexcellence.org for more information.

Photo Credit: center-for-dairy-excellence