Mastitis records are an essential part of dairy herd management for many progressive dairy operations. The adage of “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” holds true when it comes to mastitis management.

Every case of mastitis is costly to the dairy producer. It may be in terms of decreased milk production, treatment expense, lower milk quality premiums and possible culling or death of the affected animal. Indirectly, it takes extra time during milking to properly identify a treated cow and discard her milk, and there is always the risk of antibiotic residues if a treated cow is accidently milked into the tank.