Milk Quality

A smarter mastitis treatment starts with the pathogen

jennifer_3.roberts@boehringer-ingelheim.com — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

When mastitis happens, it is easy to assume antibiotics are the next step. In many cases, they are, but not always. That’s where intentional mastitis treatment decisions make a difference.

Hygiene from parlor to trough

drdavidkolb@acepsis.com — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Creating a clean environment should always be present on a dairy producer’s mind, for many reasons. There are the obvious reasons like food safety, milk quality, animal welfare and more. But it also paints a better picture for consumers and it’s just a good business strategy.

The impacts of visit behavior to milk quality in automated milking systems

jvogel@lely.com — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0500

The benefits to automated milking systems are well documented when referenced to cow welfare, production potential and labor optimization. Although there are many facets to the optimization of these systems, one of the most undervalued is the parameters surrounding individual milking events and what draws the cows to the robot.

Towels can triple your profits

theudderdoctor@gmail.com — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Most dairies are looking for ways to lower their somatic cell count (SCC), have fewer clinical mastitis cases and milk cows faster. There is one important way to help with all three of these areas: drying teats properly. Many dairies are in such a hurry to get the milking routine done that they overlook the importance of the drying step.

Case study: The chronic cow driving up bulk tank SCC

gepalas@iastate.edu — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

This 1,100-cow herd in the Midwest didn’t think they had a severe somatic cell count (SCC) problem, but they knew it needed to be monitored so it wouldn’t get out of control. The first step was to analyze the herd, understand where they stood and determine whether any trends were developing.

The mystery of the night shift: Why protocol drift happens after dark

shaun@futurecow.com — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Whether it’s a five-man double-50, a small flat barn or a rotary, night shifts consistently show the highest deviation from standard operating procedures (SOPs). But the real question is, why? And more importantly, what can we do about it?

Equipment, chemistry and people: A three-tier checklist for modern parlors

shaun@futurecow.com — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Milking parlors perform at the intersection of three forces: equipment performance, chemical effectiveness and human compliance. Each one can elevate milk quality or quietly sabotage it.

Dollars down the drain: What one case of mastitis can cost you

dtnolan@illinois.edu — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

We often hear that mastitis costs the U.S. dairy industry $2 billion per year. But what does this mean on a case level?

Maintaining a low somatic cell count is a ‘whole-farm challenge’ at Shiloh Dairy

matti@agproud.com — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

When Travis and Gordon Speirs of Shiloh Dairy set out to improve milk quality in their Holstein herd, they were aiming for a somatic cell count (SCC) below 120,000. The dairy currently runs a SCC of 77,000. Their secret sauce? Milk quality isn’t a parlor issue.

A decision tree to mastitis prevention

adrianne.trennepohl@genusplc.com — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0500

To effectively manage milk quality and boost production, it is essential to ensure that cows are comfortable in their environment. Therefore, paying attention to proper udder care is crucial; neglecting it could jeopardize your operation’s bottom line.

Does explaining ‘why’ provide motivation for compliance in the milking parlor?

gdc3@psu.edu — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Human behavior can be challenging to change once habits are established. This might be one of the reasons some employers prefer to hire new, inexperienced employees, as compared to those who may bring previously learned bad habits to the job.

Battling Klebsiella: Tools to keep in your toolbox

dtnolan@illinois.edu — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Klebsiella is a difficult bacteria to deal with because infections can come on quickly without warning and have the potential to be fatal. Understanding how it spreads and how to prevent it is important for protecting herd health.

Dairymen share strategies for low SCC and high efficiency at National Mastitis Council annual meeting

frances@agproud.com — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

During a producer roundtable at the National Mastitis Council annual meeting, Jan. 27-30, in Charlotte, North Carolina, three dairymen defined the ways they achieve low somatic cell counts (SCC) with farm protocols, training and implementing new technologies.

Making sense of milk culture results: A practical guide for dairy producers

shannon.walsh@hipra.com — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Milk cultures are a powerful tool in managing mastitis, offering insights into which pathogens are affecting your herd. Understanding whether infections stem from environmental or contagious organisms can help guide crucial decisions.

Bimodality explained: How it impacts your farm

ppeetz@lely.com — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Bimodality can strongly impact both milk production and cow health. Let’s examine its impact on dairy farm performance and outline strategies to effectively reduce its occurrence.

Weighing the costs of mastitis treatment? Ask these five questions

john.champagne@merck.com — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

We, as dairy caretakers, often feel an immediate need to do something in response to seeing abnormal milk. However, it may be more prudent to pause, take a strategic step back and weigh the options before proceeding with blanket treatment for all clinical mastitis cases.

8 mastitis prevention strategies during the dry period

jennifer_3.roberts@boehringer-ingelheim.com — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Mastitis is always a concern around the dairy, but staying extra vigilant at dry-off and during the dry period is important for preventing clinical infections.

Managing mastitis in hospital pens

theudderdoctor@gmail.com — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0400

The hospital pen or group is often the most disliked pen on a dairy. These are the cows that have abnormal milk and may or may not be sick. These animals must be isolated and identified so their milk does not enter the milk supply. The better the program for handling these cows, the lower the risk of spreading to the clean cows in the herd.

Sampling for success: Making mastitis diagnostics work for you

justine@udderhealth.com — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0400

There is no doubt that the use of routine culture for mastitis pathogens, both contagious and environmental, is a powerful management tool for maintaining good udder health and milk quality in progressive dairy herds.

[Podcast] Milk quality and more with Justine Britten

Tue, 20 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

In this episode, learn from National Mastitis Council president and director of Udder Health Systems Justine Britten as she and host Matti McBride discuss innovations that have changed how milk quality is managed on dairies, common problems in parlors, tips for sampling milk for mastitis cultures and more.

Milk quality audits: The key to healthier cows and consistent milk checks

akinney@boumatic.com — Fri, 09 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

A farm audit is more than just a compliance check; it’s a proactive tool to improve animal welfare, maximize milk premiums and reduce costly issues such as mastitis and bacterial contamination of the bulk tank.

7 parlor hygiene tips to improve milk quality

ernesto.tapia@delaval.com — Mon, 05 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Every person reading this article likely has some idea of what it means to produce good, quality milk. But consider that milk quality varies depending on the perspective of consumers, processors and farmers.

InFocus: National DHI test-day somatic cell count unchanged at 181,000

audrey@agproud.com — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 10:00:35 -0400

Nationally, the average 2024 DHI test-day herd SCC was 181,000 cells per milliliter, unchanged from 2023, according to a summary report from the Council of Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB) and compared to previous reports from CDCB and the USDA’s Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory.

Trace minerals boost immune function, reduce mastitis

louderdvm@gmail.com — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 23:00:00 -0400

At freshening, with milk production and the risk of mastitis, the cow finds herself with the lowest levels of trace minerals to support her immune system. Even with properly balanced trace minerals going into the ration, the cow is unable to absorb them quickly enough to return her mineral stores to the levels needed to support immune function in her system and in the udder.

Don't overcomplicate milk quality: It's not rocket science

shaun@futurecow.com — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

A farm decides on its own what its milk quality is. Wait, what? That’s right – the choices made daily determine milk quality. High-quality milk doesn’t happen by accident; it’s the result of intentional decisions in three key areas: 1) the people on the farm, 2) the environment the cows live in and 3) the tools provided to both the employees and the cows to ensure success. Let’s break it down.

Minglewood Dairy combines tradition and innovation for premium milk quality

audrey@agproud.com — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Ever since 1894, Minglewood Dairy has upheld a tradition of exceptional care for their cows and land, evolving significantly over the past 130 years.

An apple a day keeps mastitis away: Monitoring mastitis in automated milking systems

john@cow-corner.co — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Routines to maintain udder health change with the transition to automated milking. In a parlor, most of the monitoring of the cow, the equipment, and to some extent the environment, is part of the milking routine. It is completed by the workers in the parlor as they prep, strip and attach milkers. In automated milking, it is important to develop daily routines to monitor those milk quality control points in other ways.

Klebsiella mastitis: Stop it before it starts

pdv3@cornell.edu — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Klebsiella is a gram-negative bacteria that can cause severe clinical mastitis in dairy cows. If they survive the illness, cows are often culled due to low milk production. This article describes some common ways Klebsiella is transmitted from the environment to teats and strategies on how to prevent Klebsiella mastitis cases on your farm.

What’s the new normal for clinical mastitis therapy?

theudderdoctor@gmail.com — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The treatment of clinical mastitis has dramatically changed in the approximately 50 years of my veterinary career. The major focus has been on the proper and judicious use of antibiotics in dairy cattle and assuring the public there are no antibiotic residues in the milk supply.

Addressing parlor challenges: A three-legged stool for success

matt_dodd@diamondv.com — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The parlor is a critical place on a dairy to have productivity and efficiency dialed in 365 days a year. When it comes to leveling up your parlor output, audits are a helpful tool in finding ways to fine-tune and uncover areas for improvement that drive milk harvest success – ultimately impacting the dairy’s bottom line.