A large portion of any dairy farmer’s milk check can come from quality bonuses. These quality bonuses ordinarily pay additional money for shipments of milk that test low in somatic cell count (SCC) as well as bacteria, which is measured by total plate count. These are on top of the usual payments for butterfat and protein. All of these quality components have a direct effect on the finished dairy product that is created with this milk.

An 18-month, nationwide study confirms there are large and consistent differences in the fatty acid profile of organic and conventional milk and dairy products in the U.S. The research was carried out by a team led by scientists at Washington State University and appeared in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal Plos One last December.

Producing high-quality milk is a front-and-center goal of most dairy operations. Controlling mastitis and treating it effectively are key to achieving that goal. As the general public turns up its scrutiny on food production, it’s as important as ever to make sure we as an industry are using antibiotics responsibly.

Implementing a whole-farm approach to mastitis can impact farm profitability. A partnership between farmer and veterinarian managing udder health, based around protocols and education, can see a milk-quality program develop to minimize losses through mastitis. That can be worth several dollars per cow per year.

In 2013, the Center for Dairy Excellence released the results of a year-long comprehensive “Pennsylvania Dairy Futures Analysis,” showing trends in dairy production, processing and consumption, as well as opportunities for future growth in Pennsylvania. We conducted this analysis with the help of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn State and Saint Joseph’s University. When we released the results of the analysis early last year, the Center for Dairy Excellence offered 20 prescriptions intended to inspire the industry to strengthen our foothold in dairy. One of the most simplistic pieces of advice we offered in those prescriptions is that “getting better is essential.”

We have been talking a lot about teat dip lately. Recently, I have covered the basic chemistry behind it, the types of germicides, and the other ingredients and what they do. What we haven’t spoken about is who is making the dip and how it is being made. Why are we paying so much attention to this aspect? Because it is just as important as what is in the dip. Manufacturing facilities and standard operating procedures can make all the difference when we are making teat dip.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to mastitis treatment. With numerous mastitis-causing pathogens lurking on dairies, producers and veterinarians need flexible mastitis treatment options to effectively treat mastitis. Extended therapy is a relatively new treatment option in the last decade that offers flexibility.

With your 2013 harvest safely packed away, now would be a good time to think back and see if you can do anything better this year. With forage representing 50 to 70 percent of most diets, the need for consistency and quality is paramount, especially as we move to even higher-forage rations, as was pointed out by all three presenters on a recent webinar, “Capture the Benefits of a High-Forage Ration.”

Join the club. You are not alone in your disdain for alfalfa diseases and insects. Invisible disease organisms sit in waiting until the perfect environment exists to indiscriminately infect your alfalfa plants. Insects seem to appear out of nowhere and then reproduce faster than the speed of light to aggressively feed on your crop. Both disease and insect damage can lead to significant loss of production, reduced forage quality and early stand loss.