Millk quality review
Prior to drying off, Totally Vets endeavours to conduct a milk quality review (MQR) with all of our dairy clients. There is more to be gained from this review than just a prescription for dry-cow therapy antibiotics. While dry-cow therapy is an important part of mastitis control, it is only one part. The MQR is a valuable opportunity for you to set goals and make improvements to reduce bulk milk somatic cell count (BMSCC) and clinical mastitis in your herd.
What do you stand to gain by improving your milk quality?
- Increased production - reducing the BMSCC from 250,000 to 125,000 results in a 1.8% increase in herd production
- Reduced animal health costs - the cost of treating a case of clinical mastitis ranges from $90 to $200
- No grades - grades for breaching BMSCC limits can be costly
- Reduced losses - fewer deaths, dried-off quarters, damaged udders and less culling.
- Less stress and happier staff - managing a mastitis/SCC takes its toll
- Milk payment incentives - Open Country provides milk payment incentives for meeting company BMSCC targets. Fonterra review this option regularly and it may be introduced in the future
- Pride in producing a quality product (and bragging rights to your neighbours!)
At your MQR you can discuss the following aspects:
- Bulk milk SCC curve - what does it tell us about mastitis in your herd?
- Clinical mastitis - is the rate of mastitis a cause for concern? When do the cases occur? What is the rate of calving mastitis in heifers? Heifers need to be managed differently to cows
- Analyse herd test data - what percentage of your herd is sub-clinically infected and what is the new infection rate?
- Mastitis cost calculation - estimation of what mastitis is currently costing you and what you stand to gain from improvement
The above information helps us to assist you with identifying milk-quality problems, select the most appropriate dry-cow therapy option and plan any further actions.
Totally Vets has veterinarians with specialised training in mastitis investigation. A visit during milking to assess the risk factors on your farm relating to the machine, cow, staff and environment can be extremely worthwhile. It is very important to seek expert advice before spending money on expensive technology - sometimes the solution is free! Totally Vets provide the following services:
- Analysis of mastitis data
- An action plan to improve milk quality
- Culture and interpretation of milk samples
- A milking management visit to assess and identify all the likely causes of mastitis on your farm with a detailed report
- Staff training on mastitis prevention, identification and treatment
- Staff training/revision on dry-cow therapy insertion technique and hygienic milk sampling
- Grade busting - emergency visit to stop grading
You get the most out of your MQR by supplying as much information as possible. If you have already signed up to Infovet and regularly enter your clinical mastitis events into Minda, then we already have most of the information we need. If you are not signed up for Infovet, you will receive a milk quality review questionnaire to fill in and return to us before your consultation. The more accurate the information you supply us, the better the advice we can give you.
