Pennsylvania Dairy Herd Impu
DWA Service Center, Orchard Rend, University Park, PA 16802
Question: We would like to
lower our somatic cell count.
We use our DHIA records to
identify problem cows and
would like an opinion on how to
handle them.
If you are looking for someone
to give you a magic potion to cure
cows of mastitis, I am not the one.
Treating cows with existing
mastitis or high cell counts should
be planned with your veterinarian.
It appears that you are on the right
track by using records found on
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Call Leonard Martin
the SCC Management Report to
properly identify cows that are the
most problematic and need to be
high on the priority list. When it
comes to managing SCC,
prevention has more impact than
curing attempts I would like to
show you some information that
your cows have been providing
for the past couple of years that
really emphasizes this.
I used both the Pa. DHIA SCC
Management Report and the Pa.
DHIA Herd Summary Report II
330 Fonderwhite Road, Lebanon, PA 17042
to access this information. I
would like to concentrate
specifically on differences
between new and chronic
infections Your attempts at
treatment will often be on these
chronic cows with little long
lasting results. New infections are
cows that had a linear SCC of 4
for the first time during the
current lactation. Chronic cows
are those that reached this same
score two or more times during
the lactation.
What I find to be of particular
interest is that the level of
chronically infected cows stays
pretty much the same for the herd
over the past two years as
indicated in the two right
columns The other thing that is
noted is the strong correlation
between the eight months
(indicated in red) where levels of
new infections are highest and the
resulting increase in the bulk tank
SCC. It becomes apparent that we
need to shift our focus on mastitis
management from treatment to
prevention if we are to be
successful at lowering SCC
717-273-4544
Fax 717-273-5186
Your veterinarian also does not records to help determine what
have a magic potion for mastitis that strategy should be and if youi
woes. What he does have is the new or current plan is working
knowledge and experience at As a goal you should limit new
helping you work toward mastitis infections each month to 5% as
prevention management. You noted on your reports. If you can
should contact him today to set up attain this goal, then your bulk
a program for your farm. tank SCC should drop under
Continue to use your DHIA SCC 200,000 consistently.
Remember, these are averages, so you
will need to adjust your figures up or
down according to your location and the
quality of your crop.
Corn, No.2y 2.54 bu., 4.55 cwt.
To help farmers across the state to Wheat, N 0.2—2.37 bu., 3.95 cwt.
have handy reference of commodity Barley, N 0.3 —1.75 bu., 3.74 cwt.
input costs in their feeding operations Oats,No.2—l.s4bu., 4.81 cwt.
for DHIA record sheets or to develop Soybeans, No. 1—4.93 bu., 8.22 cwt.
livestock feed cost data, here’s last Ear Corn 78.44 ton, 3.92 cwt.
week’s average costs of various ingred- Alfalfa Hay —123.75 ton, 6.19 cwt.
ients as compiled from regional reports Mixed Hay —120.00 ton, 6.0 cwt.
across the state of Pennsylvania. Timothy Hay —126.25 ton, 6.31 cwt.
Average Farm Feed
Costs for Handy
Reference
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IB Dairy
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 10, 2000-A33