Free Dairy Animal Care Workshops in April - Register Now!

By Blake Jackson

Three Animal Care Workshops, available in both English and Spanish, will be held in April for dairy producers and their employees.

Hosted by the Center for Dairy Excellence, PA Beef Council, Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania (PDMP), and Penn State Extension, these workshops focus on enhancing animal care skills to meet National FARM program training requirements.

Scheduled for April 1, 8, and 15, the events offer participants the opportunity to obtain Calf Care and Quality Assurance (CCQA) certification or Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) recertification.

Each workshop concludes with an optional tour of a nearby dairy farm, adhering to strict biosecurity protocols.

“We’ve had about 80 individuals from dairy farms across the state join us for the first few workshops this spring. We’re looking forward to having more dairy teams join us this April for these free National FARM training opportunities that include a tour of other dairy operations,” said Valerie Mason-Faith, Risk Education Manager at the Center for Dairy Excellence.

“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.”

Training areas covered include:

• Antibiotic Stewardship, Pain Management, and On-Farm Chemotherapeutic Stewardship: Emphasizing proper medication administration and adherence to meat and milk withdrawal times.
• Calf Care and Nutrition: Focusing on achieving optimal growth targets and Average Daily Gain (ADG).
• Biosecurity and Premise Mapping for Dairy Producers: Identifying critical control points (CCPs) for disease transmission prevention.
• Fitness for Transport and Quality Assurance: Reviewing protocols and management decisions to improve animal transport and quality assurance.

The April workshops will take place:

• Tuesday, April 1, 2025 (Crawford County): Crawford County Extension Office, with an optional tour of Apple Shamrock Dairy Farm.
• Tuesday, April 8, 2025 (Mifflin County): Belleville Community Center, with an optional tour of Kish View Farm.
• Tuesday, April 15, 2025 (Bradford County): Troy Fire Hall, with an optional tour of Gorrell Dairy LLC.

All workshops run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

To register for the free workshops, call 717-346-0849 or visit www.centerfordairyexcellence.org/animal-care, providing the names of attending employees.

Photo Credit: center-for-dairy-excellence