CHILTON, EAU CLAIRE and FENNIMORE, Wis. — Healthy, high performing dairy herds start with healthy, robust calves. Dairy farmers, herdsman, calf managers, veterinarians, nutritionists and other on-farm animal health resources are invited to attend the 2019 PDPW Calf Care Connection® Workshops, presented by Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW).
Three repeating daylong training sessions will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. on the following days:
- Tuesday, Nov. 19, Fox Valley Technical College, Chilton Regional Center, Chilton, Wis.
- Wednesday, Nov. 20, Chippewa Valley Technical College, Energy Education Center, Eau Claire, Wis.
- Thursday, Nov. 21, Southwest Technical College, Fennimore, Wis.
Workshop trainers, including Dr. Jennifer Van Os, Assistant Professor of Dairy Science and UW Extension Animal Welfare Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Teresa Ollivett, DVM, Assistant Professor at the UW-Madison Department of Medical Sciences; and Franklyn Garry, DVM, Colorado State Extension Specialist and Veterinarian with the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Department of Clinical Sciences.
“Calf Care Connection workshops are a great combination of leading-edge research and practical solutions,” said Shelly Mayer, PDPW Executive Director and Dairy Farmer in Slinger, Wis. “Whether you are a new farm employee or a lifelong farmer, the expert trainers, hands-on application and networking will provide new insight farmers can apply immediately.”
Each workshop will feature a general session presentation by Dr. Van Os and three break-out sessions:
- Social housing: Opportunities for important behaviors. Dr. Van Os will share the latest science on calf behaviors and how group housing can present benefits in growth performance, animal welfare and consumer acceptance.
- Pinpoint the signs of pneumonia. Dr. Ollivett will help attendees identify and diagnose both clinical and subclinical dairy calf pneumonia by examining postmortem calf lungs and will share strategies for the most effective treatment options.
- Interpreting the “bloody data.” Dr. Garry will show participants some of the most common causes of calf mortality and provide sample-taking techniques and record-keeping strategies that will enhance calf care and lead to better health results.
- Social housing … to pair or not to pair? Dr. Van Os will review the factors to consider when making a decision to move ahead with pair or group housing of calves. She will work through scenarios for successful transition to social calf housing on several dairy farm types.
The PDPW Calf Care Connection Workshop is an accredited training and offers up to 4.5 Dairy AdvanCE continuing education (CE) credits, up to 5.7 CEs at UW-School of Veterinary Medicine (UW-SVM) and up to 5.0 CEs for members of the American Registry of Professional Scientists (ARPAS). To learn more or secure your Dairy AdvanCE credits, visit www.DairyAdvance.org.
To register online or learn more about the PDPW Calf Care Connection Workshop, visit www.pdpw.org or contact PDPW at 800-947-7379. Follow along digitally in advance of and during the event by following @dairyPDPW and using #CCC2019 and #mypdpw on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW) is the nation’s largest dairy producer-led organization of its kind, focusing on producer professionalism, stakeholder engagement and unified outreach to share ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.
— PDPW
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