Klebsiella is a gram-negative bacteria that can cause severe clinical mastitis in dairy cows. If they survive the illness, cows are often culled due to low milk production. This article describes some common ways Klebsiella is transmitted from the environment to teats and strategies on how to prevent Klebsiella mastitis cases on your farm.

The treatment of clinical mastitis has dramatically changed in the approximately 50 years of my veterinary career. The major focus has been on the proper and judicious use of antibiotics in dairy cattle and assuring the public there are no antibiotic residues in the milk supply. 

The parlor is a critical place on a dairy to have productivity and efficiency dialed in 365 days a year. When it comes to leveling up your parlor output, audits are a helpful tool in finding ways to fine-tune and uncover areas for improvement that drive milk harvest success – ultimately impacting the dairy’s bottom line. 

Knowing the classification of a mastitis case can help you choose which animals to treat, saving you money and improving judicious antibiotic use.

Milk quality is an ongoing battle for many dairy farms. Just when you think you’re on top of your somatic cell counts, the next bulk tank report arrives saying it went up again. And since many cooperatives provide premiums based on milk quality, this is a problem that is costing you money.

While it is impossible to eliminate cases of mastitis in a dairy herd, automation can help producers save time, money and resources, ensuring their cows get the best and most timely care possible.

By pairing management practices with innovations in genomic testing, producers can stock their herds with the right animals that have the potential to be high producers of milk, fat and protein; have less risk for mastitis; require a reduced need for antibiotic use; produce more salable milk; and possess greater potential for improved herd profitability.

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?

Justin Graham of Brooksco Dairy joins Matti McBride on this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast to chat about milk quality. Learn about Graham’s role as staff veterinarian at southern Georgia’s Brooksco Dairy; milk quality protocols, including Brooksco’s sand reclamation program; challenges and changes in milk quality over the years; and his role as a member of the National Mastitis Council’s board of directors.