Challenging norm on dairy course

Elanco Animal Health’s Advanced Dairy Vetting course broke the mould in terms of format and content – and, according to delegates, was well worth attending, with virtually allstating they would recommendthe course to colleagues.

“The Advanced Dairy Vetting course was the result of research among vets identifying a need for high-calibre, detailed and effective CPD training to help bring the vet ‘to the table’,” explained Elanco’s Kingsley Baxendale, who organised the training, alongside one of the company’s vets, Andrew Linney.

“Over recent years, with the challenges the sector has faced, many practitioners up and down the country had noted the nutritionist and farm business consultant were viewed as part of the team, but that, sometimes, the vet was more on the periphery.”

“The Elanco team felt the vet has a huge amount of knowledge and expertise to bring to the farm, and ought to be viewed as an extension to the existing farm team.

“This is partly why we developed the course.”

Timings and topics

The Advanced Dairy Vetting course ran in two-day blocks, three weeks apart, and covered sections on:

• dairy economics
• data and monitoring
• reproduction managementand reproduction review
• mastitis and milkparlour management
• production management
• communication techniques
• engaging with farmers to facilitate a change in behaviour

Creative and critical thinking

Describing the course, the author said: “For someone like me, with 17 years’ experience who is striving to deliver the best advice to clients, the course was very different to other CPD courses, and really pushed attendees to think creatively and critically.

“Vets need to be at the table for farm planning meetings and, while technically we have lots to offer, sometimes we don’t deliver it in a user-friendly way. The course certainly challenged attendees on farmer engagement.”

Outlining how the modern dairy farm and cow have changed over the past 40 years, course tutor John Cook explained practitioners must seek to be at the forefront of emerging technology as it will lead to tomorrow’s opportunities.

“Data – its collection and interpretation – are crucial to developing the way practitioners work with clients,” said the author.

“The course challenged us to reconsider how we get data from clients, how they regard it, how we manage it and – perhaps most importantly – how we report it back.”

The course format of two, two-day blocks some time apart seemed to have been well received by delegates, with several commenting they had implemented changes between the first and last sessions.

Reinvigorated

“Ultimately, the Advanced Dairy Vetting course aims to be at the forefront of CPD provision to the UK dairy vet,” concluded Mr Baxendale.

“By challenging the ‘norm’ and examining options for change, we hope delegates will be reinvigorated to return to practice delivering their usual high standard of clinical work, with new and improved data content, and user-friendly techniques.”

• For details on the course, contact an Elanco representative.