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NEWARK, Del. Mastitis costs
the American dairy industry close
to |2.8 billion a year, or about $225
per cow annually. Dairy producers
can reduce these losses by adop
ting a preventive mastitis
program, says University of
Delaware extension dairy
specialist Dr. George Haenlein.
Both clinical and subclinical
forms of mastitis hinder
production, he says. With either
type, cows produce less than they
could, but few dairy fanners are
aware of the extent of their losses.
He estimates that with subclinical
mastitis, milk production drops 10
to 15 percent per infected quarter,
for an average annual loss of $147
per cow, compared to losses of $7B
per cow with clinical mastitis.
Check lactating cows for subclinical mastitis by running
either California Mastitis Test or enrolling in DHIA somatic
cell counting program.
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Mastitis management turns dairy losses into profits
Roughly half of all cows go into
their dry period with subclinical
mastitis, Haenlein says. Without
treatment, 60 percent will develop
clinical mastitis when they
freshen.
“If producers look at these
figures, they will realize that the
real challenge is to eliminate the
nonvisible subclinical cases,” the
specialist says. He suggests they
adopt a seven-step managorngnt
program to reduce infection and
loss of milk.
1 - Maintain a clean environment
by providing fresh bedding and
keeping barns, pens and free stalk
clear of manure.
2 - Maintain and sanitize milking
equipment properly.
3 - .Follow good cow hygiene by
washing and drying teats with
single-use paper towels.
4 - Dip teats in a recommended
antiseptic after each milking.
5 - Follow a dry cow therapy
program by treating quarters at
drying off with preparations
proven effective against mastitis
infections. To cure subclinical
infections use antibiotics such as
novobiocin, penicillin and
dihydrostreptoroycm, known to
control mastitis-causing bacteria.
6 • Check each lactating cow for
subclinical mastitis by running a
California Mastitis Test (CMT) or
enrolling in the DHIA somatic cell
counting program (SCO).
7 - Culture and treat infected
quarters showing a “trace” on the
CMT, or 250,000 somatic cells or
more on the DHIA SCC program.
Haenlein says dry cow mastitis
treatments can be 90 percent ef
fective in reducing the incidence of
UNIVERSITY PARK - “Using
modern oat varieties and
managing them carefully will go a
long way toward increasing your
chances for producing a profitable,
bumper crop,” declares Harold G.
Marshall, USDA research
agronomist at Penn State.
He claims that farmers
producing 100 or more bushels of
com per acre, using comparable
management, should do the job
with oats and at about half the cost
for com.
“You may need more fertilizer
than you have been using, but
otherwise the cost per acre of
producing either good or poor oats
is similar - so good management is
essential,” Marshall affirms.
He says oats are worth growing
if farmers can harvest 80 to 100
bushels of grain per acre - plus one
and one-half ton of straw or more
per acre.
Marshall has been doing
research with oats lor 24 years at
Penn State. He and Elwood Hatley,
Good management can
make
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Staph, aureus infections. When a
clinical mastitis infection occurs,
treat it immediately. He recom
mends using a combination an
tibiotic formulation containing
penicillin and novobiocin on lac
tating cows. This formulation can
control the bacteria responsible for
90 percent of all mastitis in
fections. By following these
management guidelines for dry
and lactating cows, producers can
maintain milk qudity and avoid
milk losses.
“Mastitis adversely affects the
quality of milk and milk products
just as it affects production,” the
specialist says. “If dairy
producers are to continue
providing the quality milk
products consumers demand, they
should make mastitis control a top
priority in their herd health
program.”
“Of course, cost is a major
oats profitable
extension agronomist in the
College of Agriculture, suggest a
seven point program for fanners
to use in producing high yields of
oats, given favorable weather:
Proven Variety
First, use an adapted variety of
proven performance. Don’t limit
grain yield and quality by growing
varieties that are genetically in
ferior. In general, the newer
varieties have substantially im
proved standing ability, disease
resistance, and grain yield. They
should increase the chances of
harvesting a bumper crop if
weather and management con
ditions are favorable.
According to Penn State’s
Agronomy Guide, the best oat
variety choices for 1983 are Noble,
Larry, Ogle, and Porter. The
average grain yield of these
varieties in Penn State tests over
the past four years has been over
100 bushels per acre.
Larry and Ogle are two high
yielding new varieties developed
factor to consider when
establishing a mastitis
management program,” Haenlein
says. Individual producers must
decide whether the program is
worthwhile to them. They should
look at production loss mastitis
would cause, put a dollar figure on
it, then consider what a
management program would cost
Most will find the money is well
spent.
“If a cow is producing 12,000 to
15,000 pounds of milk each year at
a value of 13 cents per pound, she’s
bringing in approximately $1,500 to
$2,000 each year. After a mastitis
infection, it’s possible that she
could stop milking aithoghter, but
she will definitely have a drop in
milk production. Treating the four
quarters at dry-off costs only $6.
That $6 could actually save the
producer up to $1,500 a year,”
Haenlein says.
by the Illinois Agricultural Ex
periment Station and released
jointly with Penn State. These
varieties have good tolerance to
barley yellow dwarf virus
(BYDV), transmitted by aphids
and able to cause serious damage
to oats. They have yielded 10 to 15
percent more grain than the older
varieties. Larry is an excellent
choice for an early variety. Ogle is
a few days later in maturity but is
the most lodging resistant of the
recommended varieties.
Porter is a new variety from
Indiana. It has good resistance to
barley yellow dwarf virus, ex
cellent bushel weight, and is high
yielding. Porter matures later
than the other recommended
varieties, and is best adapted in
the central and northern areas of
the state. It is not the best choice to
grow in southeastern Penn
sylvania. Risk of damage by heat
or drought, or both, is greatest
there during the critical grain
fillingperiod.
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