July 2002

Summer Months and Somatic Cell Counts

1. Evaluate your current status.
1. If a high percentage of animals < 30 DIM on the Yearly SCC Summary section of the Herd Summary Report are infected it would be a good idea to evaluate your dry treatment program and bedding conditions for dry & close-up animals.
2. The Changes in SCC Status section shows the most recent test results. A good goal would be to have less than 10% new infections for fresh cows and less than 7% new infections for current vs. last test. Divide Fresh Infections by Fresh Cows in the Production Averages section to see what percent of animals in each test interval were infected on the first test.
3. Use the Somatic Cell I. Herd Summary, or the Bulk tank analysis report in Scout or Dairy Comp 305, to determine the percentage of somatic cells individual cows are contributing to the tank.
4. Use Bulk tank cultures to determine if you are dealing with contagious or environmental organisms. Individual Cow cultures help you to decide if you should treat, milk last, or cull. Use a high quality laboratory so you can be assured of the accuracy of the results. Many DHIA Field Representatives have had training to be able to take samples for you and have additional information on the value of doing cultures.
   
2. Check your milking procedure.
   Drs. Jeff Reneau and Ralph Farnsworth from the University of Minnesota observed thousands of milkings to develop the Minnesota Method of udder preparation.
   
   1. Brush off loose contamination and apply predip to cover the entire teat.
   2. Use milking gloves and clean teats with three to four vertical hand motions, and then use the thumb and first finger in one or two horizontal motions across the teat end to remove dirt and manure. Forestrip to check for clinical mastitis.
   3. Allow 30 seconds of contact time for the teat dip, then dry teats with a single service towel. Make a special effort to ensure the teat end is cleaned. (Most dairies omit this very important step).
   4. Attach the unit within 1 to 1.5 minutes from the start of udder prepping.
   5. Remove the unit as soon as the cow has completed milking to avoid overmilking which may cause teat end damage and subsequent increased susceptibility to mastitis. Cows should have up to 1.5 cups of milk left in the udder when the unit is removed. Strip the cow as soon as the unit is removed, taking milk that readily flows into the teats without massaging the udder, to determine how much milk is left.
   6. Apply post dip as soon as possible after removing the unit. Cover the entire area of the teat that had contact with the milking unit. Complete coverage of teats with pre and post teat dip is a significant factor in controlling contagious mastitis causing agents such as Staph aureus, Step Ag. and mycoplasma.
   
   Bacterial contamination of the udder and teat is directly linked to milk quality and udder health. Good udder prepping techniques can cut bacteria by 75 percent. For you, that means lower bacteria count in the bulk tank and better chances you can keep your cows free of mastitis. In addition, cows that have had good udder prepping often milk out faster and may produce more milk.
   
3. Maintain clean bedding.
   Many dairymen pull bedding from the front of stalls to the back and then put clean bedding in the front. University of Minnesota research shows that bacteria in that front bedding has already had a chance to multiply so counts can get extremely high in a relatively short time. The preferable method according to their research is to scrape the back of the stall clean and replace that bedding. Keep enough bedding under the cow for good cows comfort and cleanliness.
   
4. Make sure milking equipment is working properly.
   It is a good idea to have equipment checked on a semiannual or at least annual basis. Dirty or improperly functioning vacuum regulators and inaccurate vacuum gauges are common problems. Change inflations and hoses at recommended intervals.
   
5. Control Stress.
   Animals under stress are more susceptible to disease. Good ventilation,comfortable stalls, clean water and good nutrition will help cows resist mastitis infections as well as produce more milk.
   

Powdery Mildew
With the warm humid weather we have been having lately you may start seeing patchy gray/white areas on your plants which is caused by powdery mildew. It usually starts on the lower larger leaves and spreads quickly. Susceptible perennials include phlox, bee balm, asters, astilbe, black-eyes Susan and coreopsis. To get it under control try drenching the effected plants with this powdery mildew tonic every 1-2 weeks. Can also be used every 2 weeks as a preventive before any symptoms appear.

Powdery Mildew Tonic
4 Tbsp. of baking soda
2 Tbsp. of Murphy's Oil Soap
1 gal. of warm water
Mix all of these ingredients together. Pour into a handheld mist sprayer, and apply liberally when you see signs of white spots on your plants.