Dairy Veterinary Extension
Dr. Shearer serves the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine as Dairy Extension Veterinarian. In this role he is responsible for the development and delivery of veterinary extension programs designed primarily to meet the needs of Florida’s dairy farmers, veterinarians and allied agri-business industry. In cooperation with Dairy Extension Faculty from the Department of Animal Sciences and the University of Florida’s statewide network of county faculty, Dr. Shearer is but one of several conduits for the exchange of information between the University of Florida and the Florida dairy industry.
While Dr. Shearer has several years of experience dealing with problems common to large dairies in the southeastern United States, his primary area of interest in recent years has been the management of lameness disorders in dairy and beef cattle. The Florida Dairy Advisory Committee identified lameness and foot care as key issues for extension program development in the early 1990s. In response to this request, and thanks to a grant from the Florida Dairy Check-off, Dr. Shearer established the Master Hoof Care Program, a training program designed to teach on-farm employees how to properly trim and treat foot problems. Since 1996, this program has continued to develop both national and international recognition for its impact on foot health in dairy operations. In addition to his work on lameness, Dr. Shearer is also actively working on issues related to animal well-being. He has prepared several training documents and informational items on the topic of animal welfare (see section on publications and web sites).
He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) where he is currently Chair of the Animal Welfare Committee. Dr. Shearer is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Professional Animal Auditors Association, an organization dedicated to the certification of animal welfare audits and auditors.