Knowing the classification of a mastitis case can help you choose which animals to treat, saving you money and improving judicious antibiotic use.

Milk quality is an ongoing battle for many dairy farms. Just when you think you’re on top of your somatic cell counts, the next bulk tank report arrives saying it went up again. And since many cooperatives provide premiums based on milk quality, this is a problem that is costing you money.

By pairing management practices with innovations in genomic testing, producers can stock their herds with the right animals that have the potential to be high producers of milk, fat and protein; have less risk for mastitis; require a reduced need for antibiotic use; produce more salable milk; and possess greater potential for improved herd profitability.

I am so proud of the great improvement in milk quality I have seen in nearly 50 years. Who knows where it will be in another five to 10 years?

Justin Graham of Brooksco Dairy joins Matti McBride on this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast to chat about milk quality. Learn about Graham’s role as staff veterinarian at southern Georgia’s Brooksco Dairy; milk quality protocols, including Brooksco’s sand reclamation program; challenges and changes in milk quality over the years; and his role as a member of the National Mastitis Council’s board of directors.

Efficiency is key to making the milking system as profitable as possible. Parlor turns can greatly impact milk collected per stall, and milkabilty measures of individual cows, like milking speed and milking duration, will impact how quickly cows make their way through the parlor.

Clinical mastitis cure versus bacteriological cure … is there a difference between the two? Does it really matter? In a word, yes. In a few more words, it matters because the difference between achieving one and not both can be the two things that make or break a dairy’s bottom line: lost productivity and increased costs.

When you make a teat dip change, plan for at least three to four weeks to start seeing a difference – and that’s if all other variables remain the same. Remember, you are using a teat dip to help prevent mastitis, not cure it.