It's no surprise that cows with lower somatic cell counts (SCC) produce more milk. A rule of thumb is that for every 100,000 cells drop down toward 150,000, you gain a litre of daily production. Or by dropping bulk milk SCC (BMSCC) from 350,000 to 150,000, a 300-cow herd can earn approximately $250 more each day.
The national average BMSCC continues to trend upwards, costing both suppliers and dairy companies time and money. Somatic cells are the udders' response to infection with bacteria and are a direct measure of the level of mastitis in a cow or herd. The lower the BMSCC, the healthier your cows, and the better the quality of milk produced.
Fonterra is launching an initiative to reduce mastitis in high SCC herds. This follows the tremendous success of their hygiene-grading service model implemented in October 2009. The key to this improvement, according to Andy Goodwin, Fonterra Milk Quality Manager, was early intervention, consistency of delivery and consistency of key messages.
The initiative will bring together veterinarians, Fonterra milk-quality staff, dairy assessors and milking machine technicians to help farmers with high cell-count herds.
The four stages in the process start with:
Trigger point 1: Fonterra contacts farmers who have breached the BMSCC threshold and discusses measures the farmer is taking to reduce their BMSCC. If Fonterra thinks it is necessary, they initiate the next step.
Trigger point 2: dairy assessors visit the farm to identify any obvious risk areas. If the BMSCC does not drop below 400,000, Fonterra may trigger the next stage.
Trigger point 3: an accredited veterinarian is required to complete a mastitis management visit to identify the causes of mastitis and make appropriate recommendations. If the herd continues to grade then the next stage is initiated.
Trigger point 4: Pure Milk Mastitis Consultancy liaises with the famer's vet and does another review at a milking visit to identify areas that may be of concern.
For consistency of approach to the investigation and to ensure the advice given follows industry recommendations, accredited veterinarians will be required to undergo training. Vets who have already completed the New Zealand advanced mastitis training course or "Countdown Downunder" training are required to complete a one-day refresher course.
Anita Renes and Craig Dickson have completed all requirements and are accredited veterinary providers to the Fonterra initiative. Greg Smith and Craig Tanner have both completed the advanced mastitis training course.
Some of your investment in milk quality may be recoverable as demerit relief.
Why wait to take advantage of more production, reduced animal health costs and a less stressful milking environment? If your BMSCC is greater than 300,000 you are not only losing money, you're also at risk of grading. Totally Vets' skilled milking management veterinarians are willing to walk you through the process of achieving quality milk supply.
