Short Course Information

The short courses have limited enrollment and require an additional registration fee. Registration is based on a first come, first served basis.

The deadline for short course registration is January 19. Registrations may be accepted after the deadline if space is available. Courses may fill up before the deadline, so early registration is recommended. In order to sign up for a short course, you must also register for the general session.

Payment must accompany registration. Phone-in reservations are NOT accepted.

To increase the likelihood of getting registered for a short course, register online (mailed or faxed registration forms are not entered into the system as quickly).

Click here to check short course availability

Course 1: Monitoring Udder Health Intervention with PCDART Tools
Date and Time: Sunday, January 31, 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Class Size Limit: 30 people
Course Fee: $115
Instructors: Kas Ingawa, Dairy Records Management Systems, NCSU, Raleigh, North Carolina; Bruce Clark, Northstar Cooperative DHI Services, Lansing, Michigan

This short course will focus on utilizing tools within the PCDART dairy herd assessment and Herd Detective (can be used with all major on-farm dairy herd management programs) software programs to monitor the success or failure of intervention. The course will consist of a short review of the specific database items and reports which help define a herd's current udder health status and then monitoring changes over time in both individual cows and the overall herd's udder health status. The majority of the course will be designed in a case review format in which data from actual herds are provided; a structured approach is implemented to evaluate the success or failure of intervention strategies.

Important note: Participants must provide their own laptops for this course.

Course 2: Milking System Evaluation - Where Do I Start?
Date and Time: Sunday, January 31, 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Class Size Limit: 40 people
Course Fee: $115
Instructors: Patrick Gorden, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa; David Reid, BouMatic, Madison, Wisconsin

This short course is meant to be a beginner to intermediate course on evaluating milking systems within a complete milking time evaluation. Evaluation of milking systems utilizing guidelines established by NMC will be discussed with emphasis on milking unit performance. The course will utilize case studies to emphasize important concepts of system evaluations. All participants will receive a copy of NMC's "Procedures for Evaluating Vacuum Levels and Air Flow in Milking Systems" and a handout of the course content. All participants should understand the concepts for completing the Milking System Evaluation Form upon completion of the course.

Course 3: The New Sciences of Teat Disinfection
Date and Time: Monday, February 1, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Class Size Limit: 40 people
Course Fee: $80
Instructors: Colin Kingston, Ambic Equipment Ltd, Witney, United Kingdom; Joe Morelli, Ecolab, Redmond, Washington

This is a new course for dairy industry professionals responding to the growing variety of means of applying teat disinfectants and the wide array of active agents and formulations of products now available. The course will demonstrates the range of equipment - the different types of dip cups, spray systems and even automated sprayers - that can be used to apply the modern disinfectant actives and formulations. It will show how certain application products fit certain disinfectants and how they can be selected and optimized for any type of milking operation. Handouts on course materials will be provided.

Course 4: Methods to Evaluate Individual Farm Mastitis Data to Make Decisions to Optimize Disease Prevention
Date and Time: Monday, February 1, 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Class Size Limit: 30 people
Course Fee: $115
Instructors: Martin Green and Andrew Bradley, University of Nottingham Veterinary School, Nottingham, United Kingdom

A recently completed research program in the United Kingdom has thrown light on how patterns of clinical mastitis alongside somatic cell counts relate to new infection rates on dairy farms. The findings of this study have broad applicability and offer challenges to thinking about mastitis control in any environment. This course will demonstrate how mastitis patterns can be used in practice, to improve the understanding of mastitis epidemiology on individual units and to directly help selection of appropriate preventive measures. Participants will see real examples and, in interactive sessions, make their own farm assessments, using novel software to aid analysis. We will also illustrate how the whole scheme is used on a widespread basis in the UK by dairy practitioners, to facilitate adoption of a national mastitis control plan. The participants will receive handouts and a trial software CD.

Course 5: All You Need to Know About Teat Condition
Date and Time: Monday, February 1, 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Class Size Limit: 40 Course
Course Fee: $115
Instructors: Ian Ohnstad, The Dairy Group, Taunton, United Kingdom; Elizabeth Berry, DairyCo, Circenster, United Kingdom; Doug Reinemann, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin; Brian Pocknee, The Dairy Group, Taunton, United Kingdom; Tom Hemling, DeLaval, Kansas City, Missouri

The original "Teat Club International" (TCI) course has been updated and is presented to explain how to assess teat condition; the effects of machine milking, the environment and various skin infections; how to determine when a problem occurs; and how to resolve any problem. A series of modules will be followed ending with an assessment/discussion task in identifying various teat conditions, their causes and significance. This course is for those who have not previously attended a TCI teat condition short course. All participants will received the TCI's "Teat Condition Portfolio" CD.

Course 6: 200,000 and Beyond - What Somatic Cells Really Tell
Date and Time: Monday, February 1, 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Class Size Limit: 40 people
Course Fee: $115
Instructors: Ynte Schukken, Frank Welcome and Brad Rauch, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York; Paolo Moroni, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; Alejandro Ceballos, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada

Learn innovative ways of working with somatic cell count data. The course will provide innovative concepts that offer insight into what somatic cells really tell us. A combination of lectures and small group discussion on case studies will be used. New ideas and methods for identifying, tracking and managing somatic cells will be presented. Learn about New York Quality Milk Production Services' methods, initiatives and results. The course participants will receive all course materials in electronic form on a CD so that they may be able to use these materials in their own practice.

Course 7: Finding the Lost Efficiency in your Dairy Operation
Date and Time: Monday, February 1, 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Class Size Limit: 40 people
Course Fee: $115
Instructors: Tom Lorenzen, Alltech, Omro, Wisconsin; Fabian Bernal, Dairy Workers' Program - Spanish, Alltech, Nicholasville, Kentucky

Cows don't lie! Stop, look and listen to your cows. Learn how to identify the small elements of dairy production that keep a dairy operation from achieving top-notch production efficiency. Discussions will focus on: 1) the work of milker technicians, proper milking procedures and common errors in milking management, with highlights from videos that illustrate improvements seen before and after attendance at a milker training school; 2) cow comfort issues, effective use of cow movement and management considerations involving cow feeding behavior and cow resting comfort; 3) the milking equipment in regard to parlor efficiency. Video demonstrations and discussion will highlight this energetic short course. You will learn some of the "little things" to improve the bottom line that do not require out-of-pocket investment to remedy "lost efficiencies". Relevant literature will be provided.