Now is the Time to Milk Record

The key reasons to record cows in the management of milk at this time of year are:

1. Track high Somatic Cell Count (SCC>=200,000 cells/ml) cows during late lactation.
   Any cow with an SCC of 200,000 or more may have subclinical mastitis requiring immediate attention. The identification of the infected quarter(s) in these cows using the California Milk Test enabling informed decision making ie. to treat, carry out culture and susceptibility testing or early drying off, was the most frequent advice given during the TASAH-funded Cell Count Solution consults during 2024.
2. Analyse the possible spread of infection in your herd.
   The tracking of SCC during lactation allows you to look at herd level trends in spread. In consultation with your advisor/veterinary practitioner, you can examine spread by lactation number, days in milk or calving dates of your cows. Spread of infection from cow to cow at this time of year can originate from the parlour during milking.
3. Targeted treatment at drying off, selectively reducing the use of antibiotics.
   The AHI Dry Cow Strategy for dairy farmers outlines several mastitis control decisions before drying off. A milk recording taking place 4- 6 weeks before drying off is one of the main pieces of information at individual animal level that is needed for an optimal drying off approach. The examination of each cow’s SCC along with her clinical history will allow you to consider prudent use of antibiotics at drying off. This depends on an acceptable level of risk, biosecurity arrangements and key achievements that you want for your herd.