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We’re a few months into the new 400,000 somatic cell count (SCC) limit for milk used for export to the European Union (EU). The USDA made it official on January 1. So, what have you done differently on your operation?
The measurement is made based on a three-month average and doesn’t apply to all milk – only milk that will be sold to the European Union.
While some of us may dislike the added regulation and increased recordkeeping by milk haulers and processors, producing a higher-quality product benefits customers and cows. Lower somatic cell counts mean increased production for our cows and increased shelf life for consumers.
Mastitis is one of the most common diseases affecting dairy operations as a detriment to cow comfort and, ultimately, profitability.
Traditionally, dairymen have relied on a five-point plan to control the disease that focuses primarily on sanitation and proper treatment of the herd.
But Dr. Stephen C. Nickerson, head of the Animal and Dairy Science Department at the University of Georgia, thinks there is one area that deserves greater consideration.
Editor’s note: The following commentary is in response to the article “Use an index to help you rethink lameness prevention,” written by Vic Daniel and published in the March 21, 2012 issue of Progressive Dairyman. Click here to read more about this topic.
In the 1980s Karen Mortensen, a Danish researcher, introduced the concept of lameness being a “multifactorial problem.” That theme, I suggest, is the same as the recently published article by Vic Daniel, which was thought-provoking and timely.
Stress
Daniel’s article reminds us that lameness does not have just one cause, but is initiated by a number of different interrelated factors.
A May 8 webinar offered dairy producers advice and reminders about preventing lameness. The hour-and-a-half presentation featured Penn State Extension Veterinarian Ernest Hovingh and Extension Dairy Team member Dan McFarland, an engineer, and explored the relationship between flooring, footing and lameness.
“It’s not quite as simple as saying there’s one individual thing that determines whether or not a cow becomes lame,” Hovingh says. “It’s almost always an interaction between a number of different factors.”
University of Illinois chemist Wilfred van der Donk (right) has identified a chemical compound that could be the next frontier in mastitis treatment. The synthetic compound, geobacillin, is similar to a natural mastitis-fighting compound, nisin, which is made in a cow’s udder.
A commercial form of nisin for mastitis treatment is currently under FDA review and a decision is expected soon. (Read an update about this drug’s approval status below.)
Research initially shows the new compound to be even more potent than nisin against at least one bacterial strain that causes mastitis. Progressive Dairyman Editor Walt Cooley talked with Van der Donk about his discovery.
A century ago, bovine tuberculosis (TB) was responsible for more losses among U.S. farm animals than all other infectious diseases combined. Since state and federal agencies started tracking and eradication procedures in 1917, the disease has mostly been eliminated, but pockets of breakouts throughout the U.S. remain serious and costly for livestock producers.
A year ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Veterinary Services released “Assessment of Pathways for the Introduction and Spread of Mycobacterium bovis in the United States – a study of the condition based on 2009 conditions.”
The study found that the biggest risk factors are the importation of cattle into the U.S. – both legal and illegal – and exposure to wildlife.
Veterinarian Donald E. Sanders of Urbana, Illinois, an expert in dairy herd health and management, has released his ninth book, Raising Replacement Heifers – Doc’s Way.
This practical guide is written for farm managers, including those who want to raise healthier heifers to rotate into their own milking herds, those who want to start raising heifers to sell to other dairies, and those who want to boost the profitability of their operations.
Pam Boocher, member of Elanco Animal Health's U.S. Dairy Marketing Team, talks with Progressive Dairyman Editor Walt Cooley about Elanco's new app, Dairy Source. Find out why Boocher calls it a "one stop shop for the dairy industry." Video by PD Webmaster Ray Merritt.
The developing horns of dairy calves are typically removed to reduce the risk of injuries to farm workers or other cattle later in life. Horns of calves 3 months old or older are normally removed surgically (“dehorning”) by scooping, shearing or sawing. Horn buds of younger calves are typically removed (“disbudding”) using a caustic paste or a hot iron.
There is scientific evidence that all of these methods cause immediate pain and post-operative pain. The immediate pain can be reduced using a local anesthetic to provide a nerve block – this procedure has been used safely for decades and costs just pennies a shot.
Pain can persist 24 hours or more – this longer-lasting pain can be reduced using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (like the ibuprofen you take for a headache). Providing calves a sedative before the procedure can reduce handling stress and make the procedure easier to carry out.
Cow cooling, a topic not taken lightly by producers across the Southwest, was the topic of the noon dairy seminar on February 16 at World Ag Expo.
John F. Smith, dairy extension specialist and professor at the University of Arizona, presented this topic, updating producers on current cow cooling research.
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