The California Mastitis Test (CMT) kit is a simple and quick way of identifying high somatic cell counts (SCC) cows within your herd.
The control of SCC can be challenging, especially if you can’t identify who the offenders are.
Milk recording is a good tool to help identify offenders, but it cannot be completed without some forward planning.
A spike in SCC from the latest collection can be costly and is hard to control if you do not know who the offenders are.
CMT
A simple tool that can be used on-farm and offers farmers quick results is the CMT kit.
The CMT kit is an excellent tool to help identify high cell count cows and or cows with subclinical mastitis.
The argument could be made that on some farms, the CMT kit is as important as grass measuring and roadways.
This is because it offers farmer real-time information on what is happening with their cows, and allows management decisions regarding certain cows to be made quickly.
Just like grass-measuring, the CMT kit allows for better management of cows and can only improve farm profitability.
Having high cell counts are penalised by co-ops, which reduces the price paid for each litre of milk.
Milk recording
The benefits of milking recording must not be overlooked. It offers farmers information regarding the production of cows, best vs. worst, it adds value to animals and more.
But, in terms of quick real-time information, it is hard to argue with the CMT kit and the information it offers to farmers.
The two also work well together, reports from milk recording will show cows with a high SCC – but only one quarter might be the issue.
A cow that is identified as a high SCC cow from milk recording should be tested using the CMT kit to identify which quarter is the issue.
The number of quarters infected will help with the development of a treatment plan.
Method
The procedure for using the CMT kit is very simple, it should carry out the test prior to attaching the clusters:
- Draw and discard the first three draws and then fill each well with a quantity of milk. Try to avoid cross contamination;
- Once all four wells have a quantity of milk, tilt the tray to a 45º – this will ensure there is an equal volume of milk in all four wells;
- Turn the tray back flat and squeeze the bottle until an equal quantity is applied to all four wells; there should be an approx. 50:50 mix of milk and reagent;
- Stir the tray for 30 seconds and watch for any changes to the consistency of the solution. The degree of thickness reflects how high the SCC level is within the quarter.