The Milk Producer - August 2011 - (Page 34)

APPLIEDSCIENCE By Simon Dufour, Annie Fréchette, Daniel Scholl and Anne-Marie Christen Seven proven steps I f you sifted through a huge volume of scientific studies on improving udder health, you would find certain practices you can bank on to reduce your dairy herd’s somatic cell counts (SCCs). While these techniques have been proven effective, many Canadian dairy farmers have yet to adopt them all. Our research team conducted an extensive literature review in 2009 of more than 3,600 abstracts of scientific articles. The motivation was to provide veterinarians and dairy herd advisors with an arsenal of solid information about improving udder health. We objectively selected 36 of them. The studies had to have been conducted after 1979 in herds of more than 39 lactating dairy cows averaging over 6,999 kilograms of milk in 305 days. The result was pinpointing seven simple steps that reduce SCC when practically applied in modern dairy herds. Results from a recent survey, shown in the table on page 37, reveal not all of you use all these practices. The survey was conducted in 2007 and 2008 among the 91 farms in the National Cohort of Dairy Farms of the Canadian Bovine Mastitis Research Network (CBMRN). Yet the vast majority of Canadian dairy farmers put great emphasis on udder health. According to a recent study, 88 per cent of you say you check individual cow SCCs on the day you receive your report. Because you have to adhere to SCC standards to market your milk, this is important information. As well as being a marketing standard, however, SCCs reliably indicate your herd’s udder health. They rise in 34 | August 2011 | MilkPRODUCER You can bank on these management practices to reduce your dairy herd’s somatic cell count and improve overall udder health direct response to infections of varying severity in one or several quarters. Taking action to reduce SCC naturally aims to prevent new infections. These seven steps will have real impact on reducing your herd’s SCC: Since numerous infectious bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus can be found in the milk film left on teats after milking, the post-milking teat dip is an essential tool to prevent transmission of infectious bacteria. 1Use a post-milking teat dip 3Wear gloves during milking Milkers should definitely wear gloves and ideally disinfect them regularly during milking to prevent transmission of pathogenic bacteria from one cow to another. universal 2Usedry-off treatment at with an approved antibiotic Treating all cows at dry-off remains a key element of any mastitis control program. It not only treats infections already present, but also aims to prevent new infections. In fact, the weeks following dry-off represent one of the periods most conducive to new infections.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Milk Producer - August 2011

The Milk Producer - August 2011
Contents
Editor's Notes
DFO Chair's Message
Dairy Update
Industry Roundup
DFC Promotion
Applied Science
Ruminations
Rearing Replacements
Calf Health
Markets
New 'N' Noted
Back Forty

The Milk Producer - August 2011