Ruminant Herd Health Management

Catalog description

The course will provide students with basic and foundational knowledge regarding herd health programs in ruminant production systems. The student will explore crucial areas of managing production systems such as implementation and development of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and protocols and biosecurity programs for common diseases that threaten the sustainability of the human food supply worldwide, such as Brucellosis and Tuberculosis. Furthermore, the student will explore important concepts regarding diagnosis, treatment, management and prevention of ruminant diseases in an organized manner, moving from younger to older animals, and following them through their production cycle. In addition, the course will integrate on-farm field data collection with farm record analysis to provide students with critical thinking skills for troubleshooting a variety of health issues in production systems. Students enrolling in this course must possess basic information regarding animal biology and farm management. The information provided in this course will complement several courses regarding cattle operation management and prevention of diseases in production animals.