For over a decade, University of Minnesota veterinary students interested in a career in dairy medicine have traveled to a commercial dairy west of St. Peter, Minn. to receive the in-depth training they need. The University and Davis Family Dairies have re-named the educational facility in honor of the professor who got it started in 2007.
The newly-renamed John Fetrow Dairy Education Center is a pioneering, nationally-recognized program for in-depth dairy veterinary education. Fetrow is a retired professor at the University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
In addition to designing and championing the fundraising and construction that created the Center, Fetrow’s 40-year career includes leadership for revolutionizing clinical training for veterinary students throughout North America. Fetrow also led numerous ground-breaking research efforts and remains a sought-after speaker on dairy health issues. But perhaps his greatest legacy is the dairy education center that now bears his name.
In 2013, the program was named a National Center of Excellence in Veterinary Dairy Education by the USDA. Since 2009 it has provided intensive, four-week training sessions to over 130 veterinary students intent on focusing their careers in dairy production medicine, plus continuing education to thousands more. It includes three classrooms, a research laboratory, student hands-on training facilities, and housing for up to 24 students and two instructors. The Center is integrated into the Davis Family Dairies’ New Sweden Dairy. The University and Davis Family Dairies recently renewed their private-public partnership, which operates the John Fetrow Dairy Education Center, through 2023.
