Editor’s note: This article was written as a follow-up to the piece, “Say goodbye to NPEs in teat dip,” published in the Jan. 19, 2015 issue of Progressive Dairyman. Editor's note: This article has been corrected to indicate the duties of the National Mastitis Council in recommending protocols, not testing for efficacy of teat dips. Recent action in international markets banning nonyl-phenol ethoxylates (NPE) in milk has raised U.S. dairy producers’ awareness of the substance in teat dips.

Iodine-based teat dips containing nonylphenol ethoxylates, or NPEs, were once the standard throughout the dairy industry. As possible side effects of NPEs have become known, use has gradually decreased in the U.S. and worldwide. Now a ban by China on the use of this material in milk production products is prompting the component’s final days.

If women, particularly young women, could see more strong female role models in agriculture, it might help them meet their challenges and inspire them to be more successful.