The California Mastitis Test (CMT) could be a very useful tool for dairy farmers as we head into the backend of the year.
Maintaining current cell count levels or even improving them slightly should be the aim on dairy farms at this time of year.
Cell counts within herds cannot be allowed to slip, with a few months left in the lactation for 2023.
Cell counts
Heading into the autumn months means that for spring-calving dairy herds, the 2023 lactation is approaching its conclusion.
Although there is still a number of months to go before cows will be dried-off, farmers need to now start looking at their cows’ cell counts.
From milk recording data, farmers can select cows that could potentially only receive sealer, and also identify cows that will require antibiotics at drying off.
Milk recording data is also going to identify cows that have cell count issues and decisions around these cows can be made.
Cows with chronic issues may need to be culled from the herd, while for others, treatment may be an option to try and clear the issue.
For cows that have had a spike in recent weeks it is possible that they have a subclinical case of mastitis and it is quite possible that only one quarter of the cow has a cell count issue.
CMT
Although milk recording data will highlight cows that have an issue, it does not indicate which quarter or quarters have an issue.
It is quite possible that one quarter on a cow is significantly higher than the others and this is causing that cow’s cell count to spike.
The procedure for using the CMT kit is very simple:
- 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 somatic cell count (SCC) level is within the quarter.
The test should be carried out prior to attaching clusters.
CMT can be compared to grass measuring, but rather than being on paddocks it is on cows; like grass measuring, farmers using CMT are getting real-time information.
The importance of milk recording cows cannot be questioned, but the information is not live and a CMT alongside a milk recording can play a pivotal role on any dairy farm.
Milk recording data can point farmers in the right direction for cows that are possibly causing the rise in SCC and then the CMT gives a positive identification.