The University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine has awarded Certificates of Proficiency in Dairy Herd Health Management to 32 Wisconsin veterinary practitioners from across the state. The veterinarians, who are the first group to complete the course, received their certificates March 20 at an awards banquet on the UW-Madison campus.

The practitioners completed a course consisting of 13 two-day modules over a two-year period. The class work was complemented by study assignments on their client farms.

The curriculum included: challenges to the dairy industry, farm business plans, feedstuffs and nutrients, feed storage and delivery systems, nutrition and disease, replacements, records and reproduction, infectious disease management, mastitis and milk quality, and planning and implementation of a farm expansion. The veterinarians who completed the course are well prepared to assist with dairy herd management decisions.

The teaching faculty included members of the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and other experts in academia and private veterinary practice from across the nation. The course also receives financial assistance and participation from Farm Credit Services of Wisconsin.