NEWARK, Del. - The July 1,
1966 deadline is fast approaching
for dairy farmers who will be
confronted with new somatic cell
count regulations. The new
regulations state that unless herd
milk teats are below 1 million
levels per milliliter, milk shipment
will be cut off.
While many dairy farmers have
managed to keep somatic counts
low in recent years, “the new
regulation could not come at a
worse time;” according to George
W. Haenlein, dairy extension
specialist at the University of
Delaware. Farmer financing of the
federal buyout program and
continued milk surpluses have put
dairy farmers under a lot of new
financial stress.
Parts of the Northeast are ex
periencing unusual heat and
drought much earlier in the year
than normal, and the stress of the
coming summer heat is fast ap
proaching.
“These factors can affect
somatic cell counts,” the specialist
says, “just when the new
regulations are going into effect.
While in many cases high somatic
counts indicate the presence of
mastitis or subclinical mastitis,
studies at the yDiversity of
Delaware Agricultural Ex
periment Station and elsewhere
have shown this is not always
true.”
Dairy farmers can take several
steps to keep cell counts low in
tanks, Haenlein says. For
example, during the first week or
so after calving and during the last
month before drying up, many
cows have high somatic counts
without the presence of mastitis.
Keeping milk from these cows out
of the tank will help keep tank
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High SCC Levels Don’t Always Equal Mastitis
counts low. Cows in heat also have In an attempt to simulate stress
higher somatic counts, though it is conditions, cows were injected
harder to keep this milk out of the with a steroid which stimulated
tank. adrenalin production. These cows
Haenlein’s studies have shown experienced significant somatic
that first strippings and last milk ' cell increases by the next day,
especially last strippings by which lasted up to seven days. The
‘hand or machine have higher cows had no previous history of
somatic counts. So he advises mastitis, had been free of
farmers not to strip, or to strip and pathogenic microorganisms, and
discard that milk before milking. had tested low on somatic cell
Keeping cows calm and quiet counts before the injections,
can also help hold down somatic High summer temperatures also
counts, as shown by a University of affect somatic cell counts in milk,
Arixona study. Haenlein says.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Gayle
Furchtenicht, Sarona, Wisconsin
has accepted the position of
assistant editor with the Guernsey
Breeders’ Journal. Since May 27
she has been assisting with
magazine production and
promotional efforts of the
American Guernsey Cattle Club.
Furchtenicht earned a Bachelor
of Science Degree in dairy science
and agricultural journalism from
the University of Wisconsin
Madison this May.
While at the university, she was
a member of the dairy cattle
judging team for three years and
was part of the high overall team
at the 1965 National Intercollegiate
Contest. While active in the UW-
Badger Dairy Club and
Association of Women in
Agriculture, she was also on the
Dean’s Honor List.
During the summer of 1984
Furchtenicht interned with
American Breeders Service in
DeForest, Wisconsin. Last fall she
worked in cooperation with
Wisconsin Dairy Herd Im-
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provement Cooperative to promote
the somatic cell count option
statewide.
Currently she is writing feature
articles for Hoard’s Dairyman
Magazine. Other experience in
cludes an internship with the
Washburn County Register, die
newspaper for Shell Lake,
Wisconsis.
Furchtenicht is the daughter of
Howan} and Jean Furchtenicht of
Nu-Wing Holstein Farm, Sarona,
Wisconsin. She works out of the
AGCC headquarters office in
Columbus, Ohio.
Sondra Stern of Highland,
Maryland has also joined the
Guernsey Breeders’ Journal staff
' as an intern for six months.
Starting in mid-June Stem will
assist with advertising, feature
stories, magazine production and
promotional efforts of the
American Guernsey Cattle Club.
Currently a student at Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State
University of Blacksburg,
Virginia, she is majoring in dairy
science. She is active in the
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Stem has directed publicity University of Maryland she has
campaigns for the Virginia Tech assisted with data entry for
Dairy Club. She also has coor- mainframe computers and bulk
diaated workshops and developed mailing data collection,
both radio and television broad- Stem is the daughter of Melvin
casts to promote the dairy in- Stem, Highland, Maryland. She
dustry, on both county'and state will work out of the AGCC
levels. headquarters office in Columbus,
Ohio.
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In the Arizona study, cows with
previous low cell counts ex
perienced significant cell count
elevations when exposed to heat.
These higher levels lasted as long
as the hot weather did, with a
carry-over effect into November.
In this study, leucocyte levels in
the blood also rose. In mastitis-free
quarters of cows, the fluctuation in
somatic cell counts of milk was
found to be a function of the
leucocytes of the blood.
While not all high somatic cell
counts are a sign of mastitis.
Stem Join Journal
May Meat Production Up
Pennsylvania’s com
mercial red meat
production (dressed
weight basis) during
May 1986 at 85 million
pounds, was up six
percent from last year
according to the Penn
sylvania Agricultural
Statistics Service.
Beef slaughter all 111
million pounds
liveweight was up 18
percent from May 1985.
Total head slaughtered
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Haenlein says elevated levels often
do indicate subclinical mastitis.
In order to sell more of their
milk, producers must do the best
possible milk and cow
management job. Keeping cows
disease-free and monitoring stress
and heat factors can help. Also,
keep milk from drying-up-cows out
of the tank, and don’t afterstrip.
Haenlein advises dairy farmers
to get a California Mastitis paddle
(CMT) for their milking parlors
and use it on each cow every day.
Then farmers should have no
worries about the July 1 deadline.
were 96,000, an 18
percent increase, while
the average liveweight
decreased seven pounds
to 1,156 pounds. The veal
slaughter was 3.4
million pounds
liveweight, up 13 per
cent. Calf slaughter of
18,900 head was up
seven percent, and the
average liveweight
increased nine pounds
to 179.
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