By Rafael Portillo-Gonzalez, Richard V. Pereira and Greg Habing
Antimicrobial stewardship is no longer just a buzzword in the dairy industry. It’s a critical piece of responsible animal care that supports herd health, milk quality and the long-term effectiveness of antibiotics. A new, free online training course offers dairy producers, veterinarians and farm workers a flexible tool to improve how they recognize and treat common diseases in adult cows.
Developed by Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, this fully online course, available in both English and Spanish, is hosted on the Extension Foundation’s learning platform. It was built with the real-world needs of farms in mind and supports training in disease identification, treatment protocol adherence and antimicrobial stewardship.
What’s the goal of this training?
The goal of the course is to serve as a free online resource for farmers, veterinarians and other dairy professionals by building farm workers’ knowledge and skills in early disease detection, responsible antibiotic use and adherence to farm-specific protocols. It aims to increase consistency in treatment decisions and improve communication among team members. In doing so, it helps ensure that antibiotics are used only when necessary, protecting both animal health and the tools we rely on to manage disease.
How to access the course
To get started, individuals must register online at: https://campus.extension.org/login/index.php, select “create new account” and follow the steps to register.
There are two versions of the course: English: Early and accurate disease detection in dairy cattle, campus.extension.org/enrol/index.php?id=2707 and Spanish: Detección temprana y precisa de enfermedades en ganado lechero, campus.extension.org/course/view.php?id=2717.
Once on the course page, click “enroll me” at the bottom. The course is mobile-friendly and can be completed on phones, tablets, laptops or desktop computers.
Six practical modules
The training consists of six interactive modules that cover key AMS and animal health topics: Basic Concepts on Antibiotic Resistance; Conducting a Visual Exam for Disease Identification; Lameness: Building the Knowledge Base; Mastitis: Building the Knowledge Base; Metritis: Building the Knowledge Base, and Treatment Protocols: Basic Concepts and Examples.
Modules can be taken in any order, although following a sequence may be helpful when implementing a farm-wide training plan. The interactive content, featuring images, videos and real-life scenarios, helps make learning engaging and directly applicable to daily work.
Upon completion of all six modules, participants are eligible to receive a certificate of completion. Be sure to enter your full name accurately when registering. This is the name that will appear on your certificate.
Customizing the training for your farm
The online modules are designed to build foundational knowledge; they are not intended to provide farm-specific disease prevention or treatment plans. That’s where local expertise comes in. Farms are encouraged to integrate this course into broader training programs that include standard operating procedures for diagnosis and treatment; clear drug-use guidelines; cow-side, hands-on training sessions, and team discussions to reinforce learning and identify knowledge gaps.
Herd veterinarians or experienced farm managers should help lead these discussions and connect the modules to farm-specific practices and goals. This allows the training to be customized while encouraging open communication between farm workers and supervisors.
On-farm training framework example
Here’s an example of how the training can be implemented on a farm:
Session 1: Planning and Introduction – Meet with the veterinarian and managers to review SOPs for disease detection and treatment. Set goals and expectations for the training. Assign modules 1 and 2 (antibiotic resistance, visual exam).
Session 2: Review and Hands-On – Discuss what workers learned from modules 1 and 2. Cow-side practice of visual exam skills. Assign modules 3 and 4 (lameness, mastitis).
Session 3: Connecting to Daily Practice – Review content from modules 3 and 4. Discuss lameness and mastitis cases on the farm. Assign modules 5 and 6 (metritis, treatment protocols).
Session 4: Final Discussion – Review modules 5 and 6. Discuss SOPs for metritis and treatment protocols (dosages, routes, withdrawal times). Cow-side session to reinforce skills and answer questions.
This structure allows learning to unfold over time and ensures that workers have the chance to apply what they learn to real farm cases. Holding brief discussions during herd checks or routine visits can make training more manageable and relevant.
Let’s build smarter, stronger farm teams. This course is a simple yet powerful tool to strengthen on-farm disease detection and treatment practices. With a flexible, online format, bilingual options and a strong connection to real farm protocols, it’s designed to empower farm teams and protect both animal health and antibiotic effectiveness.
By investing in education today, you’re preparing your team to make better decisions tomorrow. Access the course, engage your staff and take a meaningful step toward better animal care and smarter antimicrobial use.
Let’s continue working together to spot it early, treat it right and ensure a sustainable future for our farms.
(Rafael Portillo-Gonzalez is a postdoctoral scholar, and Greg Habing is a professor and co-chair of the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine at Ohio State University. Richard V. Pereira is an associate professor of Livestock Herd Health and Reproduction at the University of California, Davis.)
