This course aims to strengthen knowledge and practical skills for recognising, assessing and managing heat stress in dairy cattle, particularly in hot and humid production systems. It is designed for professionals who support dairy farmers and are involved in animal health, nutrition, reproduction, farm management, advisory services, or dairy-sector development.
Study time
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9 hours.
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Duration
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4 weeks. |
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Languages currently available
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Target audience
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Livestock extension officers, dairy advisors, field veterinarians, technicians, dairy nutritionists, dairy cooperative staff, and dairy farm managers. It is also relevant to policymakers, researchers, university lecturers, farmers, undergraduate and graduate students, and other livestock professionals.
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Learning objectives
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- Explain the physiological, nutritional, and reproductive impacts of heat stress on dairy cattle in hot and humid climates, including practical methods for monitoring herd conditions.
- Describe heat abatement strategies, including cooling systems, farm management, and feeding and water management practices, that maintain feed intake, reproductive performance, and milk production during heat stress.
- Apply heat-smart reproductive management strategies to improve breeding performance, conception rates, and pregnancy maintenance under hot climatic conditions.
- Explain the steps to carry out a cost-benefit analysis of heat mitigation strategies to support sustainable tropical dairy production systems.
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Course structure
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This course combines five self-study modules with webinars and a discussion forum. Short practical videos are also included to help apply the course concepts to real dairy production settings.
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Topics covered
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- Impacts of heat stress on dairy cattle.
- Heat abatement strategies.
- Heat-smart reproductive management.
- Cost-benefit of heat mitigation strategies.
- Cost-effective management.
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