Mark Thomas is a registered dairy producer and fourth-generation owner of Maplebranch Farm in Middlebury, Indiana. He farms with his two brothers, and his son is working on the farm as well.
The farm maintains a herd of 260 Jersey and Holstein cows, for both dairying and showing.
Success depends on keeping the herd healthy and milk quality high. Mark says by focusing on those two areas it makes the herd easier to work with and more profitable. He shares the five things he finds most valuable to herd health and milk quality.
1. Fight Bac teat disinfectant
The brothers started using Fight Bac more than six years ago after learning about it at World Dairy Expo. They tried it on their high group for a month and saw big improvements in teat-end condition.
“We started it on just one group to see if we could find a difference, and we could,” Mark says. “The skin condition of the teats was so much better.” From there, they used it on all cow groups and SCC level averages have dropped from 400,000 down to less than 190,000 now.
Click here or the "5 Things" logo above right to view more 5 Things features.
4. My veterinarian
“Our veterinarian is one of the biggest assets to our dairy,” Mark says. The farm relies on Dr. Ross Springer of Dairy Veterinary & Management Services in Goshen, Indiana, for routine maintenance. He performs vet checks every week on the milking herd and once a month on the heifers.
Springer is also on call for calving and sick cow assistance. Most importantly, Mark values the open communication they have with their veterinarian. “He educates us on vaccines, new technology and general herd health,” he says.
She regularly shares the farm’s breeding and veterinary expenses to help the farm in herd management decisions. She also mows lawn in the summer and drives tractor whenever needed.
“I couldn’t keep the operation going and the herd healthy without her support,” he says. PD
Re: purebred guernseys
Posted on Saturday, 08 June 2013 by Ron.Hello! Brooke I am an old retired beef cattle rancher living in...
Re: Les Hansen on crossbreeding: Video footage from 2013 World Ag Expo
Posted on Thursday, 30 May 2013 by Howard Whitmore.Les, Excellant data and explanation. It was the toughest decision I...
Re: HERd management: Tackling the tough questions
Posted on Tuesday, 28 May 2013 by Alison T.I appreciate this sane and thoughtful information. I've got a...