livestock herd health and reproduction

Two UC Davis Livestock Residencies Gain Certification Status

The American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (ACVPM) recently performed an on-site visit at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and granted full certification to two livestock residency programs. Veterinarians completing three-year residencies in Livestock Herd Health and Reproduction (LHHR) and Dairy Production Medicine (DPM) are now recognized by ACVPM for attaining eligibility to take their certifying examinations at the conclusion of their programs to become board certified in preventive veterinary medicine.

UC Davis Helps Family Farm Introduce New Breed of Sheep to California

A small-scale sheep farm in California is the first in the Western United States to have the Awassi breed in its herd. Thanks to help from livestock veterinarians with the UC Davis veterinary hospital, Duckworth Family Farms had eight of the sheep—four males and four females—born via embryo transfer. The farm plans to use the sheep for dairy and fiber production, as well as semen and offspring sales.

UC Davis Helps Nevada Rancher Introduce Gascon Cattle to United States

When rancher Paul Plouviez—owner of the 600,000-acre Bench Creek Ranch east of Fallon, Nevada—noticed that much of the mountainous areas of his large ranch were underutilized by his cattle, he thought back to his native France. He noticed that the terrain and climate of the area, with its extremely hot summers and cold winters, closely resembled the Pyrenees mountain range in southern France. He thought Bench Creek Ranch might be ideal land to raise Gascon cattle, a breed which thrives in the Pyrenees.