Trends in quarter-level somatic cell count and implications for quarter milk separation

Authors

  • K. J. Koebel Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
  • K. F. Reed Department of Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
  • D. V. Nydam Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
  • R. D. Watters Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
  • M. Wieland Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108
  • P. D. Virkler Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21423/aabppro20228702

Abstract

The sale of quarter-separated milk is prohibited under the Pas­teurized Milk Ordinance; all milk harvested from a cow with 1 or more abnormal quarters must be discarded. However, the milk produced by unaffected quarters may still be of acceptable quality, i.e. low somatic cell count (SCC). With the increasing popularity of automatic milking systems (AMS) and real-time udder-level SCC monitoring, milk quality must be investigated as future technology may allow for automated quarter-level testing and separation. This study sought to evaluate SCC trends in quarter-separated milk samples from cows with differing numbers of high SCC quarters, in order to determine if unaf­fected quarters continue to produce low SCC milk.

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Published

2023-07-17