Whether your herd practice is large or small, whether you are a producer or a medical practitioner, or a bovine-focused professional, these DairyComp courses are practical, hands-on, and available to you 24 hours a day during the course timeframe.

If you want to learn the DairyComp305 software for career progression, improved dairy management, enhanced evaluation of dairy herds, or just want to experience how this herd management tool works, this is the most comprehensive and easy-to-follow method available.

Developed by Paul Rapnicki, DVM, MBA, University of Minnesota, in collaboration with Valley Agricultural Software, these online courses are the best resource for DairyComp305 proficiency.

DC305 Intro: April 18 (firm registration deadline April 4). This is a newly revised, online, self-paced, introductory course for DairyComp305. The first in a series of courses, over 1,600 clients of this herd management tool helped perfect this newest 8-unit introductory class. The course is designed to take up to 8 weeks but can be finished early depending on the client's self-paced style.  The course ends on June 13, 2011.

BREDSUM: April 18 (registration deadline April 4). This course is designed to help you understand the DC305 mechanics of running the BREDSUM command as well as the information provided in the various BREDSUM reports. In this course we will look closely at the BREDSUM report format and cover in detail the most commonly used BREDSUM options. The course is designed to take up to 4 weeks but can be finished early or anytime before June 13.

DairyCOMP305 Somatic Cell Count: April 18 (registration deadline April 4). There are many Somatic Cell Count reports options available to users of DairyCOMP 305. Evaluating SCC data is an excellent approach to assessing the milk quality and mastitis control program of a dairy herd. Throughout this course, you will be able to practice creating SCC reports using a DEMO version of the DairyCOMP 305 software program. This online course has been designed to increase your ability to create DC305 reports using SCC data provided by a Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) and downloaded into a DC305 cowfile. The course is designed to take up to 4 weeks but can be finished early or anytime before June 13.

Class instructors point out that when registering: "We encourage registrants to consider purchasing the "online-only" version of these 3 classes to get the best value at the lowest cost to you. ALL information on the optional CDs and the optional printed books is IDENTICAL to the online version which you can print from your screen when desired. We are happy to send you the CD and books for the additional fees listed on the Web site, but you can successfully take the courses without the additional cost – many people do so very successfully."

For all information about these three courses, the modules, the length of the course, the fee structures, please go to www.MNDairyHealth.org and click on the photo under the DC305 header.

Source: U-M