Milk Quality Technical Advances: More profit through proactive monitoring|(Winter Dairy Management 2007)|

2007 Impact statement
  • Conway, John F

abstract

A series of meetings held at 17 sites around New York state, taught dairy producers and their advisors how to apply new mastitis prevention monitoring technologies.

submitted by

issue being addressed

The simplest and perhaps the most dramatic way to look at the economics of mastitis and milk quality is to reduce it to a single farm basis. A 650 cow dairy herd with 2% mastitis and a bulk tank Somatic Cell Count (SCC) of 350,000 will sacrifice $93,075 in lost premiums, $30,275 in lost production, $11,489 in related culling or deaths and $4,689 in clinical case treatment costs. The ripple effects are substantial as well: lost yields if the milk is bound for manufacturing and compromised shelf life if bound for fluid. This scenario is by no means out of bounds and when multiplied by the number of 650 cow blocks in New York state performing at this level or worse, there is a pile of money being left on the table. The good news is that many, many herds who are accomplishing the fundamentals of mastitis prevention and control retain most of that lost revenue. All producers can benefit from some new advances in “before the dam breaks” monitoring.

response

A collaborative effort between PRO-DAIRY, Quality Milk Production Services (QMPS), and local Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) units manifested itself in five-hour workshop seminars for dairy producers in 17 dairy neighborhoods across New York state; 349 dairy producers from 217 farms and 110 agriservice personnel participated in workshop presentations given by QMPS veterinarians. Topics ranged from deep within the farm’s milking system to effects in the supermarket dairy section: "Milk Quality: What is it worth to you?," "Milk Quality Monitoring: Influence of Cow Health and Well-Being on Milk Quality," " SCC and Clinical Cases," "Supermarket Dairy Section – Bacteria Counts, Managing Emerging Microbes and Controlling Contagious Fiends, Facilities Matter!, Information Based Treatment Decisions," and "Who’s Lurking in Your Bedding?"

impact assessment

Ninety percent of participants filled out a qualitative evaluation at the end of the day’s program. Presenters and content scored high. Participants were asked “what changes they were going to make as a result of attending this workshop.” Ninety-five percent of those filling out the evaluation were able to specify a change they were going to make (many giving more than one), and some elaborated expected results. A participant referenced to this workshop in answering another producer’s question pertaining to sanitizing milking machines between cows (when infected with contagious mastitis organisms) on “Dairy-L”, an international dairy industry list-serve. As participants call into the Quality Milk Production Services (QMPS) for survey work over the next year, they will be able to determine the impact of changes made as a result of attending these workshops.

academic priority area

has geographic focus

more links 3 more

funding source description

New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets

collaborators

  • Cornell Cooperative Extension County Assosciations & Regional Teams
  • QMPS
  • PRO-DAIRY

key personnel

  • Jerry Bertoldo
  • Frank Welcome
  • Hal Schulte
  • Gary Bennett
  • Mike Zurakowski
  • Lisa Kempisty
  • Ruth Zadocks,
  • Ynte Schukken
  • Linda Tikofsky
  • John Conway

department, unit, division

mission focus

From CALS annual faculty reporting. Imported on August 5, 2008