The latest issues of many local and national dairy publications have featured some of the Milk Quality Leaders from Minnesota and around the nation. These dairy producers have achieved their goals of having average Somatic Cell Counts well below 100,000. This has served as a reminder to me how Minnesota has traditionally had a higher than average somatic cell count (SCC) than other top ten states in milk production. Because of this, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the University of Minnesota have teamed up with each other and other producer groups to educate dairy producers about the advantages and importance of high milk quality. Many advantages exist as to why dairy producers should try to lower their Somatic Cell Counts. The first is the economic advantage. Dairy producers will get paid higher premiums on their milk from milk processors if the milk is higher quality. It is cheaper for the processors to convert high quality raw milk into milk for drinking and other dairy products than milk with a high SCC. Somatic Cell Counts are also an indicator of cow health because a high SCC is a sign that the cow is fighting an infection. Lowering your SCC will improve your overall herd health and likely will increase your herd’s milk production. A dairy producer can take a few steps to analyze their SCC closer to see where a problem may lie. A bulk tank culture does an excellent job at determining what types of bacteria are causing a higher SCC on your farm. It can help address an environment, milking procedure, or a specific transmittable bacteria problem. To conduct a bulk tank culture talk to your local Extension Office and they can help set it up. Another useful tool is your herd DHIA SCC Report. This report identifies cows that have a high SCC in your herd. Once you notice these on the report, you should run a California Mastitis Test (CMT) to determine which quarter is infected and treat accordingly. Then watch the future reports to see if the animal continues to be a problem. Another useful part of the reports is the general herd report where the herd is broke down by lactations and days in milk. This helps determine if the fresh cows are coming into milk with mastitis problems or if they are occurring later in lactations. If most seem to be happening less than 30 in milk, the dry cow treatment and transition period should be reviewed. Somatic cell count continues to affect a producer’s bottom line and is something that should be continually watched. By catching a problem early, the dairy producer will save money and headaches well into the future.
