The Southeast region of the U.S. consistently has the highest average somatic cell count (SCC) of any other region in the country, but over four years of the Southeast Quality Milk Initiative project, one thing has been evident: Many dairy producers in the Southeast are producing high-quality, low-SCC milk.

We are all familiar with the phrase “time is money,” and this is never so true as when fighting contagious mastitis in dairy herds. One of the most frustrating challenges a dairy farmer faces is the inability to identify what is causing the problem; you send off a sample for culture, wait over a week and then get back a report stating “No Growth.”

Early detection of mastitis cases is considered the best option to allow cows the best chance for a quick recovery. Until now, mastitis detection has been based on seeing clinical signs, such as a swollen quarter or flakes in the milk.

Are you milking your cows efficiently while optimizing milk yield and milk quality? The goal in any milking routine is to synchronize timing between milk letdown and unit attachment. Units should be calmly attached to clean, dry teats.

Like other technologies and practices, dairy producers face increasing pressures regarding antibiotic use from consumers and regulators. Dr. Brian Lubbers, DVM, Ph.D., believes producers must embrace “antibiotic stewardship” to ward off even greater antimicrobial restrictions.

The Quality Milk Alliance (QMA) and the Southeast Quality Milk Initiative (SQMI) are two USDA projects focusing on improving milk quality in the U.S. The two projects are similar but use different methods to determine what producers are doing well and not so well when it comes to producing high-quality milk.

It’s easy to focus on heat stress and its impact on herd health during the dog days of summer, but one often-overlooked area is cold stress and how it compromises herd productivity and performance.

During these short and frigid days, producers should think about winter management for optimal udder health. By now a plan should be in place, but revisiting best practices from time to time is always a good idea. The consequences of freezing weather to cows can be devastating and, in the case of Staphylococcus aureus infections, potentially last throughout the rest of the year.

Extra days open, premature culling, lost milk production and even death are some of the costly consequences of lameness on a dairy, but there are ways producers can cut down on losses.

It doesn’t matter whether the margins are reasonable, like we saw in 2014, or drawn tight, like they are in 2016 – one thing we can always invest in is cow comfort.