Herd Health

A lame cow is a drag on the morale and fiscal economy of any dairy farm. Neither management nor employees are happy to see cows that shuffle about the dairy.

Reproductive performance is an important driver of dairy farm profitability and can be impacted by several diseases that occur during the dry period, including mastitis. Mastitis is associated with lost milk production, added treatment costs, inferior milk quality, decreases in reproductive efficiency, early herd removal and/or death.

“What is my somatic cell count (SCC)?”

“How can I lower my SCC?”

“My cell count is going up; it must be the dip.”

In a consumer-driven market like the dairy industry, the demand for high-quality milk is sought after more than ever. Consumers want to be confident in the dairy products they are purchasing, and producers are cognizant of that.

If you’re a huge fan of TED Talks, you might already be familiar with the secret language of bacteria, scientifically known as quorum sensing.

From our experience working with dairies and in our work developing milking products, we’ve seen that choosing a liner as a business decision ultimately comes down to two main things: cost per milking and health of the herd.