MASTITIS, MICROBES AND
MANAGEMENT
Like the common cold in
humans, mastitis is the most
common ailment of the dairy cow.
With all of the modern technology
and know-how aimed at preventing
or curing this scourage of dairying,
it is still rampant on many dairy
HIGH REPEATABILITY SIRES
For A Dependable Breeding Program
Code*
Name
29H1881
29H2417
29H2501
29H2510
29H2719
29H2775
29H2785
29H2786
29H2825
29H2811
29H3050
29H3200
29H3350
Bootmaker
Art
Imp. Knight
Demand
Boot-Nick
Triple Threat
1 Milestone
Mars '
Ormsby
Chris
Jordan
Chip
Rumler
29H2694 Bud
29H2875 Excellon
29H2905 Cal
29H3017 Belle
MS
Tip
Dairy
Business
By
Newton Bair
farms. The interesting thing is,
some good common know how can
keep it under control.
On a farm with good
management, their somatic cell
count is consistently under 250,000
and only rarely does a cow have to -
be culled because of an incurable
udder infection. How do they do it?
Current ABS Sires With 100 Daughters or More:
Class PD$ PPM % Test PDF Rpt. dtrs.
EX-94GM +sl4l + 1253 m -.07% +351 99% 27.634 +1.02
GP-80GM +sl62 + 1010 m +.14% +5Bl 99% 3,462 - .46
VG-86 +sls2 + 1080 m +.06% +49f 99% 2,218 - .43
VG-87 +sl93 +2173m -.31% +29f 99% 4,598 + .70
EX-93 GM +sl3o +lll9m -.04% +341 97% 972 +1.59
VG-89GM +$ 79 + 359 m +.14% +341 98% 1,257 +2.31
VG-86 GM +sl3s +1429m -.18% +241 96% 523 +1.23
EX-95 +sl74 + 1716 m -.17% +361 87% 150 +1.79
VG-87 +$ 96 + 1138 m -.19% +l2l 92% 242 + .19
VG-85 +sl79 +2030m -.30% +26) 87% 128 + .09
6P-83 +sl63 , + 1698 m -20% +3Ol 89% 174 + .33
VG-85 GM +sl32 +1402m -.18% +231 99% 2,365' - .75
EX-92 +sl47 + 1252 m -.04% +391 83% 135 + .86
Four more sires that should have 100 or more daughters in their next prool:
GP-80 +sl3B + 1090 m +.00% +4Ol 81% 86 +1.16
GP-82 +sl2B + 1036 m -.01% +361 84% 94 + .39
VG-86 GM +sl77 + 1767 m -.18% +361 84% 98 + .00
VG-86 +sl4l + 1126 m -.01% +4Ol 74% 98 +1.53
These high repeatability sires, and others are
available from these ABS representatives.
Bangor. PA Eric Heinsohn
Baptistown, NJ Cindy Gordeuk
Columbia, PA James Charles
Ephrata, PA Darvin Yoder
Holtwood, PA Paul Herr
Lebanon, PA Paul Martin
Leola, PA ' Lynn Gardner
Port Murray, NJ Robert Kayhart -
Prospectville, PA William Tyner
Reading, PA Robert Greider
Bernville, PA Robert Greider
Stewartstown, PA Tom Engle
Thomasville, PA Ira Boyer
West Grove, PA Dan Rush
K:rkwood, PA Dan Rush
Lets look at some of the low SCC
herds, and observe their
management. We might just pick
up a few practices which con
tribute to their success. Don’t be
too surprised when you discover
that you knew that all long. Be
honest enough to ask yourself
whether you actually do tvhat you
knew to be correct.
Four of the highest producing
herds in Lebanon County have
consistent SCC counts averaging
under 350,000, which receives a
code of about 2.5 on the DHIA
report. These are not the only ones
this low, the county average is only
coded at 2.9, which represents a
count of less 400,000. Jhese herds
are averaging between 18,000 and
20,000 pounds of milk per cow.
They could not do this with a high
somatic cell count.
Some of the management
practices of these top herdsmen
are entirely too obvious like a
clean place to lie down. The
organisms that cause mastitis are
215-588-4704
201-996-2088
717-898-8694
717-733-0966
717-284-4592
717-949-2381
717-656-6700
201-689-2605
Elmer. NJ
Mt. Ai/y, MO
Detour, MO
Allenwood, PA
Carlisle, PA
Coburn, PA
Linden, PA
Mansfield, PA
McClure, PA
Millville, PA
Mifflmburg, PA
Mifflintown, PA
Reedsville, PA
Ulysses, PA
Pen Yan, NY
215-542-8479
215-378-1212
1-800-422-8503:
ext. 81
717-993-6836
717-225-3758
215-869-9187
717-529-6548
First, a clean, dry bed
A Daughter of
29H2785
MILESTONE:
Springcroft
Miss Ollfe
OC EX-90
4-2 295 d
20.194 m
. 3.8% 760 bf
Cyndy Hetzell 609-455-8187
Allan Pickett 301-663-4191
Jim Carmack . 301-662-5419
George Showers 717-538-1812
Wayne Piper 717-249-8882
Wendel Musser 814-349-5310
Larry Bower 717-323-9710
Harold Robson, Jr. 717-662-7731
Michael C. Ewing 717-658-7316
Wilmer Hendricks 717-458-5949
John M. Beachy 717-966-1344
Mervm Zendt 717-436-6386
Glenn Barr ,717-657-2775
Bonnie Barker 814-848-7674
Calvin Crosby 315-526-6144
just about everywhere, but they
are billions, yes, billions, of times
more numerous in any kind of dirt.
So, lesson number one is, keep the
udder out of the dirt.
A clean, dry stall mat with
minimal bedding is a good alter
native to a clean, dry, thickly
bedded area to lie down. Outdoor
loafing lots are not always the best
environment for an udder
remember they contain a cuple of
years buildup of urine, feces, and
other contagion that can harbor an
astronomical number of infectious
organisms, unseen but ready to
invade the milk factory. The more
they can lay their tender teats on a
soft, clean, disinfected surface, the
lesser the incidence of invasion by
microscopic monsters.
Milking practices
None of these top cowmen allow
a machine to keep sucking on a
cow more than about six minutes,
on an average. A few heavy
milkers might take a little longer.
That’s okay as long as there is milk
Rpt.
PDT TPJ
+375
+3OO
+373
+405
56%
81%
81%
76%
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 17,1981—019
FISHER'S PAIMHN6
■ SAND BLASTING ■ SPRAY & BRUSH
PAINTING ■ ROOF COATING
■ CEMENT COATING fl RESTORING
Commercial • Agricultural • Residential
ALSO - WILL DO SIGN
PAINTING AT OUR SHOP.
AMOS FISHER
667 Hartman Station Rd.
Lancaster, PA 17601
717-393-6530
coming down. Every second the
machine keeps tugging away after
the udder is drained of milk, the
chance of drawing some microbes
into the udder increases and you
are in for trouble.
Lesson number two aim to
have the milker attached to an
udder if, and only if, there is milk
let down. Not before, not after.
Work with nature here, by un
derstanding the physiology of the
udder, and the psychology of the
cow.
Milking machines.'
Each of the top four dairymen
use a different make of machine!
So we won’t argue about the name
on the milker system. One of them
actually uses a hybridized system,
but I can assure you that the parts
fit together like a precision
machine, and his only problem is
knowing which supplier to call
when he needs parts.
The secret here is proper in
stallation of the equipment and
frequent and thorough service and
maintenance. Irregular pulsation,
high or low vacuum, uneven air
flow', and back-flooding of milk
lines are prime causes of stress on
the teat ends. Any of these faults
can cause bacteria to back flood
into the teat end, and away we go
with a flare up.
Install them properly, and
service and inspect the milking
machine system often.
(Turn to Page D2O)