Herd testing offers peace of mind
Herd testing, whether it heralds good or bad news, is ultimately good for a farm’s viability and for a farmer's peace of mind.
DairyNZ senior scientist Jane Lacy-Hulbert outlines seven ways to fine-tune your dry cow approach and get the most out of your time and money.
National average somatic cell count (SCC) levels have dropped a lot over the past few years. The dairy industry is likely to achieve a national average bulk milk SCC of 150,000 cells/ml by 2016. Here are ways to contribute to this.
Choose the right approach for your herd
Antibiotic dry cow treatment (DCT) and internal teat sealants (ITS) are effective tools – DCT for treating infections in high SCC cows, and DCT or ITS for preventing new infections in low SCC cows.
Take time with your vet in your milk quality review to look at mastitis treatment records, SCC history and the mastitis risk of your wintering/calving system.
For information and recommendations on drying off and deciding your dry cow management strategy, visit dairynz.co.nz/dryingoff.
Know the bacteria
Knowledge of the bacteria responsible for clinical cases in spring, or high SCC cows in autumn, is invaluable for more cost-effective decisions about dry cow treatments. Discuss with your vet the right cows to sample and refer to DairyNZ’s Healthy Udder guide for sampling procedures.
Revisit your treatment plan
In recent years, many farmers have successfully trialled combination treatments (where a cow received both DCT and ITS). With a lower milk price, farmers may be rethinking this approach. Support your spending with other preventative measures (see tips 5, 6 and 7).
Consider which DCT products for high SCC cows
Talk to your vet about cost-effective solutions for older, higher SCC cows. The difference in cure rates between different product brands is marginal. Cows with a high SCC don’t necessarily need the more expensive treatment.
Support your investment decisions using trained staff
Spend time and effort on training your team to administer DCT and ITS with correct hygienic technique. Refer to DairyNZ’s Healthy Udder for step-by-step instructions and ask your vet for training. Poor technique risks of dead cows.
Teat spray springers before calving
Teat spraying springers two to three times a week reduces the risk of new mastitis cases at calving. This simple technique is good for protected and unprotected animals. Where practical, it may provide a low-cost way to extend the benefit of some dry cow products.
Milk cows soon after calving
Bringing cows that have just calved into milk within 12 hours greatly reduces the level of clinical mastitis. Although tested on heifers, this solution should work well for mature animals also.
• This article was first published in Inside Dairy April 2015.
Managing director of Woolover Ltd, David Brown, has put a lot of effort into verifying what seems intuitive, that keeping newborn stock's core temperature stable pays dividends by helping them realise their full genetic potential.
Within the next 10 years, New Zealand agriculture will need to manage its largest-ever intergenerational transfer of wealth, conservatively valued at $150 billion in farming assets.
Boutique Waikato cheese producer Meyer Cheese is investing in a new $3.5 million facility, designed to boost capacity and enhance the company's sustainability credentials.
OPINION: The Government's decision to rule out changes to Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) that would cost every farmer thousands of dollars annually, is sensible.
Compensation assistance for farmers impacted by Mycoplama bovis is being wound up.
Selecting the reverse gear quicker than a lovestruck boyfriend who has met the in-laws for the first time, the Coalition Government has confirmed that the proposal to amend Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) charged against farm utes has been canned.
OPINION: Years of floods and low food prices have driven a dairy farm in England's northeast to stop milking its…
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content…