The dairy industry is changing dramatically each year with huge improvements in somatic cell count (SCC) numbers. For the past three years, the average SCC of all dairies in the U.S. has been 180,000 or lower – which is amazing.
There is a dairy processor in the Midwest that receives almost 7 million pounds of milk per day with monthly averages under 100,000 SCC. Herds in the Southeast are now producing milk with less than 100,000 SCC regularly – though at one time that was thought impossible due to the harsh summer heat conditions.
A look at how far we've come
I have been working in milk quality for almost 50 years and have watched the industry change many times. In the 1980s, the U.S. standard was to have a herd SCC of under 1.5 million SCC. Later in the ’80s, the U.S. standard was lowered to 1 million and there was such an outcry that this would destroy the dairy industry and put too many dairies out of business. The change was made and the impact on the dairy industry was positive. In 1993, the U.S. SCC standards were dropped to 750,000 with the same concerns being echoed throughout the country, but again dairies took on the new challenges and reached these goals. In 2011, there was a huge push at the National Milk Producer Federation’s annual meeting to lower the standard to 400,000 SCC, but this movement failed.
Several years ago, the European Union implemented a 400,000 SCC limit on all milk or dairy products entering their countries. This forced the U.S. to comply though our standards were higher. In reality, the U.S. is at a 400,000 SCC limit.
U.S. dairy farmers have focused on milk quality, and the results are obvious when milk production is averaging well under 200,000 SCC on the entire supply. I am pleasantly surprised to see this happening and believe the numbers will continue to get even better as time goes on.
What has changed?
What is the secret to a lower SCC level? There are no new vaccines, no new treatments, teat dips or technology to really take credit. The industry now uses less antibiotics to treat clinical mastitis and dry treats fewer cows than ever before. The real answer to this success is: Dairy farmers are doing the little things correctly and consistently. The dairy farmer realizes that if they analyze the “mastitis triangle” and implement a good milking routine, keep cows clean and maintain properly functioning milking equipment, production will improve.
Fine-tuning the milking routine
The secret to a good milking routine is milking a clean, dry and well-stimulated teat. I emphasize dry because my experiences have shown this step yields the best results. I have dairies large and small that have focused on better drying of the teats, and most have seen lower SCC, fewer clinical tests and faster milking.
I recommend that the best drying technique is to wipe all four teats with one side of a dry cloth towel, then flip the towel over and wipe the four teats again with a rub across the teat ends. I hear over and over again that this takes too much time – yet I have many dairies producing over 100 pounds of milk per cow and SCC under 100,000 that are getting over six turns per hour doing a full milking routine. Doing a better job saves time; it does not increase time. Another key change is making sure the lag time (time from stripping to unit attachment) is a minimum of 90 seconds. A lag time of 120 to 150 seconds shows even better results. I believe putting machines on cows too soon is an irritation to the cow, lengthens machine on-time and increases the risk of new infections.
Managing the environment
The environment plays the biggest role in herd SCC and clinical mastitis. The cleaner the cows, the lower the risk of new infections. Having proper cow position in the freestall beds so little to no manure or urine goes into the bed is key. Having proper neck rail position, brisket pipe location and proper stall cleaning every milking is important. As our dairies push for more cows milked per hour, clean cows walking into the parlor provide better results. When cows are dirty, it is almost impossible to have enough time for employees prepping cows to accomplish a proper cleaning. I have herds bedding with manure solids selling milk with an SCC under 100,000 – something I didn’t believe could happen.
Maintaining milking equipment
Having the milking equipment properly maintained on a regular basis and having proper settings of the equipment is critical. Making sure the milk path is not restrictive to high-production milk flow, rubber components are in good condition and no unnecessary lift in flow is very important. The key is to milk the cows as quickly as possible. Many high-producing herds now see milking durations of 3.5 to 3.9 minutes and are still milking cows out completely. The less time a machine is on a cow, the lower the risk of new infections and irritations. In my professional opinion, the key settings are as follows:
- Proper vacuum level in the claw during peak milk flow (11.8 to 12.5 inches)
- Proper B (485 to 550 milliseconds) and D (greater than 220 milliseconds) phases in the pulsation
- The correct liner
- Proper automatic take-off settings to minimize overmilking
Having a great working relationship with a qualified milking equipment dealer is needed to ensure your milking equipment is meeting your needs.
The future of SCCs
I am so proud of the great improvement in milk quality I have seen in nearly 50 years. Who knows where it will be in another five to 10 years? Is it possible that the average for all dairies producing milk will eventually be under 100,000 SCC? As the markets tighten and more milk processing plants are making stricter quality standards, are you doing the things you need to do to produce better-quality milk and meet those criteria? If your milk quality is 200,000 SCC or higher, consider contacting a professional to assist you.
I believe there will be very large milk markets that will either not accept milk or penalize milk with SCC over 200,000 in the near future. Now is the time to make the changes needed to reach these new standards. As I said, doing the little things correctly and consistently is the real key to producing quality milk.
