Lower your SCC - Advice from Dr. Jeff Reneau:

Cow hygiene score card.  A University of Minnesota study showed that in herds where environmental mastitis predominate, hygiene of the lower rear legs and udder correlated to SCC.  Cows with higher cow hygiene score also had a higher SCC.  The average hygiene score for rear legs and udders for cows in this study was 2.95 (on a hygiene score scale of 1-5 with 1 being spotlessly clean and 5 being very dirty) and the average SCC for the 1191 cows studied was 405,000.  For the cows in this study, every 1 unit score improvement in hygiene resulted in a 50,000 reduction in SCC.  Using the cow hygiene score card, also found on the above mentioned website, you can determine the potential SCC impact of keeping your cows cleaner.

 

 

Cows are dirtier in early lactation.  Unfortunately this is also the time when they are most vulnerable to getting new mastitis infections because their immune system may be somewhat depressed.  Therefore, more intense bedding and stall management should be given to maintain clean and dry stalls for close-up dry cows, fresh and early lactation cows.

 

University of Minnesota Diagnostic Lab culture records indicate that most of the mastitis in Minnesota dairies is coming from environmental pathogens.  That is why the bottom line for reducing Minnesota BTSCCs boils down to hygiene.  More effort in keeping cows cleaner and more effort in cleaning teat surfaces prior to milking will always pay off in lowering BTSCC.  How about it?  Let’s all initiate a “spring cleaning” in a concerted effort to get Minnesota’s SCC back on track.

 

 

Mastitis Culturing

 

With warmer weather coming there is often an increase in the incidence in mastitis and subsequent Bulk tank Somatic Cell Counts. Many Minnesota DHIA Field Representatives have had training in proper sampling techniques for taking Bulk Tank and individual cow samples for mastitis culturing. They will be happy to assist you if you are interested in having some cultures tested to determine what organisms are causing your herd problems.

 

Here are some things to keep in mind regarding mastitis cultures:

·                    Avoid contamination! The best time to take individual cow samples is after prepping the cow, but before putting the unit on. Clean teat ends thoroughly while prepping and then use an alcohol pad to scrub the teat end before taking the sample. Samples must be taken directly from the teat—milk going through the claw or hoses will be contaminated.

·                    Vials must be sterile! Vials can often be obtained from your milk hauler for a few samples, or get them from the lab that will do the culturing. DHIA testing vials will not work because of the preservative in them. Avoid touching the inside of the cap and keep dust and other contaminates out of the sample.

·                    Samples must be cooled immediately, and frozen as soon as possible. They must be packed to remain frozen while shipped to the lab.

·                    Five days worth of samples can be taken and combined for Bulk Tank cultures to give a more representative result than just one day.

·                    Your Field Representative has more detailed information that they can print out for you, including the cost of cultures done at the Stearns DHIA lab or the University of Minnesota.

 

RFID Tags available from DHIA

The bovine industry has settled on Radio Frequency chipped eartags as the best management practice for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS).   Minnesota DHIA offers the tags.  You can choose RFID tags from Fearing (Digital Angel), and All Flex.  All Flex RFID tags are $2.60 each, plus shipping and sales tax.  Digital Angel RFID tags are $2.15 each ++.  Please have your Premise ID ready when you call to order tags.

 

 

You can order RFID tags in tandem with management tags.

 

 

Tag should be inserted in the left ear, no closer than 1/3 of the ear from the head, between the middle two cartilage ribs, with numbers on the inside

 

 

 

Cows For Sale

Cows for sale is a service of MN DHIA.  Members can advertise for just $2.50 per animal with a maximum of $50 per herd (good for 60 days). Cows are listed on our website, on the Field Rep updates, and in this newsletter.  Please contact Nancy Zander at 800.827.3442 to list "Cows for Sale".

 

 

April Milk Quality Top 100

	SCC	Cows			SCC	Cows
DAN AND JOLENE SCHLANGEN	31	61		THE UDDER PLACE	89	48
PRAHL DAIRY	33	29		PATRICK BRODEEN	89	47
NORBERT BROWN	39	47		TOM GUNNINK	91	84
HAZEL-BUSH FARMS INC	43	49		ROBERT ZOUBEK AND SONS	91	69
BOB & TERRI KETCHUM	48	116		RANDY GRABAU	93	31
CLETUS MILLER	49	30		AIMEE FINLEY	95	90
DAVID SCHUUR	53	55		SCOTT FELDHACKER	95	55
HENDRICKSON DAIRY	55	32		CHARLRS NIENABER	95	64
DAVID BUCK	55	65		ROLLING W ACRES	95	23
JOHN HOLMGREN	56	10		AB ACRES	96	41
FRANK PATRICK	56	57		MIKE MENZE	96	68
JAVA FARM	58	47		STEVE AND SANDY SIEGLE	96	54
PHILIP HAUGE	58	45		LEZER FARMS	97	46
MARK KLEHR	59	52		TWIN OAKS DAIRY	98	52
DAVE STEMIG	60	52		DANIEL HALLBERG	98	57
GILMAN HALBAKKEN	60	81		MICHAEL BRUCE	98	99
KEVIN ANDERSON	62	45		JEFF BLENKER	99	36
RICK HEUER	63	73		CHUCK KLAPHAKE	101	93
PETER & MARK HENDRICKSON	64	70		HARLAN + KATHY LAPE	101	49
MARVIN NELDNER	64	23		STEVEN KUEHN	101	31
STEVE MARTIN	64	44		ROBERT + FAWN STAUB	102	27
SCHEFERS BROS	66	73		STARLIGHT ACRES	103	51
TERRY KOLSTAD	67	24		F  LYLE SONDAG	104	41
RICHARD SCHNOBRICH	67	42		GARY BECKMAN	105	74
LARRY BRAEM	68	38		MAYNARD SCHUMACHER	105	45
GOLBERGS LAKEVIEW DAIRY	69	58		STAN WURTZBERGER	105	34
RUIS-ING SUN DAIRY	69	61		LEO + LYNN GARTNER	105	51
JERON NATHE	69	232		B AND C DAIRY	106	65
SELKE FARMS	71	153		PAUL & MARY ZIMMERMAN	106	61
LARRY AND SHARON WISTE	71	26		FRED VIERE	107	80
PEDERSONS Y-ME RANCH	72	59		MIKE MOTL+KIM HARFF	107	77
RICKY AND LEE THOMPSON	72	63		REUBEN AND JANICE STOMMES	108	64
TODD & KATHY JOHNSTON	74	57		MANUEL JERGER& SONS	108	130
OAK GLEN JOHNS	75	32		MARK MUNDT	108	126
KIRK SCHLEMMER	75	53		DEAN + ELIZABETH JOHNSON	109	71
GERALD+LISA BURG	78	39		JOHN ROBERS	109	20
MOLDANS HOLSTEINS	79	67		ANDY KRONEBUSCH	110	52
DEAN RAUSCH	79	59		TOM FUECHTMANN	110	93
D & J  DAIRY	79	65		WAYNE KOEPP	111	158
KIMM'S DAIRY	81	85		PETER SKAJ	111	36
KIRK BENGTSON	81	44		MIKE + DONNA TELLERS	112	55
WAYNE + LONNIE GREENER	83	90		IRVIN + JOANNE SCHANSBERG	112	147
OREN AND JULIE OLSEN	83	93		DAVID H ROTT	112	115
JERRY + BEV POHLMANN	84	61		ISIDORE+JANET LOEFFELHOLZ	112	98
KEVIN & SHEILA THARALDSON	84	53		RUECHEL DAIRY FARM	112	76
CHUCK LEUTHOLD	84	70		DOUG SUHR	113	94
HOLLERMANN DAIRY	87	259		ZUMBRO VIEW FARMS LLC	113	51
ROGER ALDINGER	87	64		DAVID + PATTI TVEDT	114	53
JEFF & TINA VINKEMEIER	87	72		KEVIN & CARAL SCHAFER	114	30
ROGER DITTBERNER	88	38		GREG RINDSIG	114	45
MARK TESSMER	88	42		RAY+CHERYL SEIBERT	114	62

 

 

Corrected February Milk Quality Leaders

 

	SCC	Cows			SCC		Cows
ROBERT SLATER	36	24		WALLACE + ROGER BRADLEY	88		35
DAN AND JOLENE SCHLANGEN	44	60		KEVIN ANDERSON	90		45
PHILIP HAUGE	46	45		EUGENE ARNDT	90		44
MARK KLEHR	50	51