Mastitis is one of the most common issues producers are treating or managing on their farm. Whether it is clinical mastitis, or high SCC in the tank, both cost the farmer in multiple ways. Traditionally we think of mastitis as a treatment cost on an expense report, or maybe a deduction in quality premiums, but the bigger factor is the lost milk we do not see from the decrease in production. These facts can make mastitis add up to almost $400 a case of mastitis each according to a paper in the Journal of Dairy Science by Smith et al. (2021).
nTell provides two ways to help pinpoint mastitis issues and cost factors. The first is the “Average Daily SCC from Processor” graph depicting a 24 hour average SCC. This chart can help spot spikes in white blood cell levels that are typically not easy to spot, especially for a farm that ships multiple loads a day and may have subclinical cases happening.
To dig deeper into identifying key mastitis issues, Herd Health KPA (Key Performance Area) helps identify cows that have repeat mastitis events thus contributing to high averages over time. The list of cows is particularly useful since it shows the count of cases over the cows life highlighting if she has a deep history of being problematic.
Graph 1: Production KPA > SCC > Average Daily SCC from Processor
Graph 2: Herd Health KPA > Weekly Health Events - Adults Only (Mast) > Health Event Repeat Offenders
Are you aware of any prevalence of mastitis in your herd that’s impacting your production and profitability?