UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) Scientists at Penn Slate
are teaming up to combat mastitis,
the costliest disease of dairy catde.
“By reducing milk production,
ruining udder tissue and even kill
ing dairy cows, mastitis causes
losses amounting to $2 billion in
North America each year,” said
Dr. Lorraine Sordillo, assistant
professor of veterinary science in
Penn State’s College of Agricul
trual Sciences and director of the
university’s Mastitis Research
Center.
“Studies have shown that masti
tis can cost up to $2OO per cow
every year,” she said. “Despite
continuing research, the disease
remains a serious problem. Too
many producers and scientists
seem to take mastitis for granted,
as if it inevitably comes with the
territory. But the scientists in our
center are dedicated to eliminating
mastitis.”
The Center for Mastitis Re
Conservation Tillage Conference
Exhibits
Lectures
Lunch
Hear Presentations
on Pertinent Topics:
• Soil Quality
• Deep Tillage
• Crop Fertility
• Optimum Management
• What’s New
from Industry
Back To
Ag-Chem, Inc.
Agri-Business Insurance
Agency, Inc.
Agri-Quip Corporation
Bio-Gro Systems, Inc.
Brillion Iron Works
Cargill Hybrid Seeds
Ciba-Geigy
Cummings & Bricker,
Inc.
Doebler’s Hybrids
DuPont Agricultural
Products
search informally unites more
than IS researchers who share an
interest in the disease. It cuts
across departmental and college
boundaries, bringing together
faculty in dairy and animal sci
ence, immunology, molecular and
cell biology, veterinary science
and other disciplines.
“Mastitis is a complex disease
that involves many factors,” Sor
dillo said. “The center enables
researchers studying mastitis from
different angles to share their
knowledge and perspectives. This
will strengthen our efforts to com
bat the disease.
“Pennsylvania’s the fourth
largest dairy state in the nation, so
having a large number of scien
tists and educators interested in
mastitis at Penn Slate is a real
boon,” she said. “We’re in the
• right place at the right time, and
we hope to make a big dent in
' mastitis losses both in Pennsylva
nia and in the nation.”
Mid-Atlantic
December 17, 1992
Considering the Soil
in Conservation Tillage
Commercial Exhibitors
Ephrata Borough
Farm Credit in Pa.
Farmshlne
FMC Corporation
Hoffman Seeds, Inc.
ICI Americas, Inc.
Jacques Seed Co.
Lancaster Farming
Maryland, Pennsylvania
& New Jersey
Soybean Boards
Research
Embers Inn and Convention Center
Programs of the cooperative Extension
Services in Delaware, Maryland, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West
Virginia and the US Department of
Agriculture are open to citizens without
regard to race, color, sex, handicap,
religion, age or national origin. Related
agribusiness firms cooperating.
For lunch tickets and more information see
or call your county Extension Agent
by December 7.
The Basics:
Center Fights Mastitis
Although the center is not yet a
formal university facility, its
members approach their mission
aggressively.
One of their efforts has been to
enhance the Mastitis Research
Farm on Penn State’s University
Park Campus. Located behind the
Animal Diagnostic Laboratory,
the farm has a milking herd of 1%
cows. Facility improvements to be
finished this month will increase
the free-stall barn’s capacity to 50
cows.
The group also has developed a
strategic plan for slashing masti
tis’ economic impacts and for
eventually thwarting the disease
itself. The center’s efforts include
basic and applied research pro
jects as well as extension prog
rams that help producers apply
research results in the bam or
milking parlor.
Current studies and projects
include:
• The effects of vitamin E and
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Monsanto Agricultural
Co.
Northrup King Co.
Pioneer Hi-Bred
International
PACMA, Inc.
Sollenberger Silos Corp.
Tram-Rite Greenline
Service Corp.
Triple H Equipment Inc.
The Tye Company
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 28, 1992-A25
selenium on dairy calUe immune
cells.
• The role of milking machines
in mastitis problems.
• Methods of increasing udder
defense mechanisms.
• Management practices that
can reduce mastitis costs and
risks.
• Differences between healthy
and infected mammary cell
growth and function.
• Genetic and hormonal factors
in mastitis risk and prevention.
• A computerized expert system
to help producers troubleshoot
mastitis problems.
“We take a proactive
approach,” Sordillo said. “Often
producers have to take a reactive
approach-they wait until an ani
mal gets sick before they worry
about mastitis. We think preven
tion is better than cure, so we’re
seeking ways for producers to
keep cows disease-free, whether
through management techniques.
selective breeding, hormones,
immune system enhancers or
other methods.”
The center’s members meet
monthly to share information,
research results and news from the
dairy community.
“Our team includes scientists
and extension specialists, so we
have a good exchange of informa
tion,” she said. “The reserach sci
entists keep us posted on the latest
findings while the extension spe
cialists make us aware of, and
responsive to, producer’s needs.”
Sordillo says this helps the cen
ter’s research efforts continue to
be relevant, while giving exten
sion and educational programs a
direct line to the most current
information. It’s an approach Sor
dillo believes will ensure the cen
ter’s success.
“The Center for mastitis
Research is just gelling started,”
she said. “In the future, we hope to
expand and collaborate with sci
entists at other universities and
perhaps in other nations.”
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