1. Home
2. Conferences
3. 2023 Extension Risk Management Education National Conference

Bilingual Milker Training Resource

Jennifer Bentley

Summary

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach partnered with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Dairy Extension and Alltech to develop a free, online dairy training program. The Bilingual Training and Education Program to Improve Practices That Affect Milk Quality has been designed to help dairy farm employees better understand the how’s and why’s of handling and milking cows.
The employees who manage the milking should thoroughly understand the milk production cycle, the milking procedure, and the importance of bedding material and animal hygiene to improve milk quality and udder health. Results from previous surveys indicate that employees are more successful in their jobs and employee retention is higher if the training is (offered) in their native language. This milker training resource will provide producers and employees with the tools needed to make positive changes in milk quality and cow health and well-being.
After completing each training module by viewing the short accompanying videos and resource materials, participants complete a quiz to receive a certificate of completion. Each training module includes videos presented in Spanish with English subtitles. The quizzes are offered in both English and Spanish, and the Spanish quizzes include audio translation. The videos include demonstrations of on-farm practices to emphasize key milking and management techniques.
Education satisfies an employee’s drive to comprehend and is critical for dairy employees to be capable of doing their jobs correctly. No matter the experience level, proper training improves skills and reduces mistakes or actions based on either misinformation or a general lack of information.

Details

---