55-00-9999
UDDER HEALTH MONITOR
u DHI-427
Test Date: 05-14-2013 Processed: 05-15-2013
SMITH DAIRY HENRY SMITH
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Mastitis can be caused by many factors typically related to environmental or contagious bacteria that are introduced by less than optimal milking procedures or hygiene of facilities or cattle. Mastitis can cause large economic losses from reduced milk production, discarded milk, lowered reproductive performance and excessive herd turnover. Somatic Cell Count (SCC) from a day’s milk is a standard indicator of the impact of udder infection. Cows with levels less than 100,000/ml are considered healthy - and levels of 200,000+/ml typically indicate an udder infection. This Monitor labels SCCs between 100,000 and 199,999 as SUSPECT and reveals cows that are not optimally healthy. Since 2010, some processors have reported 3-month rolling geometric SCC averages to herds because of international pressure for on-farm milk to be less than the E.U.’s legal limit of 400,000/ml. A 3-test day geometric average = cube root of (current test day SCC average X prior test day SCC average X 2nd prior test day SCC average). This method reduces the impact of any single SCC on the average for the 3-month period. How well are top herds doing? Usually herd managers should set their own goals - but ‘performance of top herds’ can illustrate what can practically be achieved. This Monitor defines ‘Top 20%’ herds using each herd’s weighted average SCC. Although average performance is similar across all herd sizes, more small herds have high infection rates than larger herds. The herd size categories for the ‘Top 20%’ are 1 to 199 cows; 200 to 999 cows, and; 1000+ cows.
Cur. Wgted
Milking
1st Lact.
2nd Lact.
3rd+ Lact.
New
Chronic
Infected 3+ Times
Fresh
# Infected
33
5
10
18
16
16
16
1
# Cows
207
75
67
65
207
207
207
11
3-Tst Cur. Geo. Score
Fresh 1st Lact.
Current Dry Off
6
15
4