Mastitis Control Without A Slap In The Face

Abstract

The importance of quality milk has been known by our profession for years. As dairy farmers work to improve their milk quality, the level of environmental mastitis appears to be going up as somatic cell counts go down. As our producers do a better job, the contagious bacteria are under control and the only bacteria left are the environmentals.

Many new procedures have been introduced to the dairy industry to help dairy farmers reduce the level of environmental mastitis. Things such as predipping, not using water, clipping udders, keeping stalls clean and dry, lot and pasture management, vaccines and nutrition have all been introduced to dairy farmers to help them control environmental mastitis.