Dr. Robert Hagevoort, a native of The Netherlands, is Professor and Extension Dairy Specialist at New Mexico State University. Prior to joining NMSU in November of 2005, Dr. Hagevoort served for over 10 years as an independent dairy management consultant in California. As an Extension Specialist, he works closely with the dairy industry on many emerging issues. In an effort to rebuild a dairy program at NMSU, Hagevoort is the co-founder of the U.S. Dairy Education & Training Consortium. His current focus is the development and implementation of a comprehensive dairy workforce training and education program. Programs in dairy safety awareness, animal handling, parlor performance, calf care, feeder performance, hospital- and maternity-care and mid-level leadership development are being developed, evaluated and delivered.