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Figure 1: When drying off, get anyone involved to spray their initials on the cows they treat so problems can be identified and training implemented if necessary.
Mastering mastitis control Take time to understand mastitis and be rewarded with gains in animal health and productivity, says Lisa Whitfield.
M
astitis is a disease that is universally experienced on dairy farms. There is no farm that doesn’t have mastitis but there is wide variation between experiences on each farm from season to season. Ask yourself if mastitis control is a priority for you. It takes the investment of time, effort, and money to understand mastitis on an individual farm but the long-term gains in animal health and productivity are very rewarding. Over the last six years I have been privileged to have worked with a number of farmers who have been successful in lowering their bulk tank somatic cell counts and clinical mastitis rates. Some of the lessons they have learned, which they felt made a difference to their operations, are discussed here:
GET THE BASICS RIGHT, PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL IN THE SHED
cups-off? Do they know how to do teat spraying properly? Are they careful with where they use wash hoses during milking? You may know everything that is Do they know how to take a milk sample important to running a smooth operation for culturing? in the shed, but do your staff have the Machine function and maintenance same knowledge? It is important of its components is a given to that everyone involved in the most people; however, it is still milking process knows the surprising fundamentals about mastitis. how often the milking Ensuring a good baseline machine is not working level of knowledge among correctly and problems your staff will start you off on haven’t been addressed. the right foot when it comes Make sure the rubberware is to tackling mastitis. The actions changed on time and don’t crank Lisa Whitfield. of people on the farm are one of vacuum levels up unnecessarily. the biggest contributors to mastitis problems, so you have to invest the time WHERE DO YOUR MASTITIS into getting everyone on the same page. PROBLEMS ORIGINATE? Do they take note of the cow that is slow Which mastitis-causing bacteria are a to walk out of the paddock? Do they strip problem on your farm? If you can’t answer and paddle that quarter that is swollen at this, how do you know where to focus
Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | July 2020
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