Since I graduated from veterinary school almost 30 years ago, there have been big shifts in the types of mastitis found on farms.

Mastitis is an inflammatory disease of the mammary gland that impacts all food production animals reared for milk harvest, but is well documented as the most widespread and costly animal health problem in dairy cows.

In a consumer-driven market like the dairy industry, the demand for high-quality milk is sought after more than ever. Consumers want to be confident in the dairy products they are purchasing, and producers are cognizant of that.

Bedding. Bacteria. Better management.

On-farm culturing is a useful tool for mastitis management. It allows for faster response to infections, saves money and helps to identify causes to help with prevention, according to Dr. Ginger Fenton, dairy extension educator at Penn State University.

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.

Johne’s disease and mastitis are two of the most economically important diseases affecting the Canadian dairy industry.

To improve the control of these infectious diseases and reduce the limiting effects they have on the productivity of the industry, Dr. Herman Barkema from the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was appointed as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Industrial Research Chair in Infectious Diseases of Dairy Cattle.