Farming in Ballybunion, Co. Kerry, David Diggins milks a herd of 60 Rotbunt and Friesian cows under a spring-calving system.

With over 40 years experience in dairy farming, David – the only labour unit on the holding – has gradually increased his herd size in recent years.

After some years experimenting with Jersey genetics, the decision has been made to move away from this breeding strategy – mainly due to the issues when it come to marketing the lower value male Jersey calves.

“It’s a pretty low-input system and we make the best use of grass as possible,” he said. “It’s a cheap and simple system.”

All calves are sold off the farm in David’s local mart – Listowel.

Milking is carried out in an 8-unit parlour each day. In spring 2018, David was faced with tackling an increasing somatic cell count (SCC) which was spiraling out of control.

“I was having severe problems with my SCC; it was very bad. From spring 2018, and up to May that year, it went to 600,000-700,000 cells/ml; I knew I had to do something,” he explained.

After initially learning about Saber SCC on AgriLand, Gavin achieved instant results when he installed the units.

“I saw it for the first time on AgriLand a few years back. I called Saber’s Chris Murphy and decided to install the units in the milking parlour. The installation period was stress-free and the system was installed in two short days.

After this, the whole issue was resolved within a month-to-six weeks. Initially, I got it down to 400,000 cells/ml and last year it was under 200,000 cells/ml; my latest test this year was under 89,000 cells/ml.

Crediting the system for helping him get a grasp on SCC levels on his farm, he said: “I’d recommend it to any farmer; I wouldn’t be without it and I couldn’t fault it.”

The Saber SCC is a digital box that completes an accurate reading of the milk to give the exact cell count in the parlour within two minutes of the cups being put on. Instant indications are provided through a traffic light system in the parlour.

“When a red lights shows, this shows a high cell count, so I take that cow out and treat her and test her again after the treatment is over and see how she goes,” David explained.

“When the test is being carried out, the light will go white and then a green light indicates a cell count under 200,000 cells/ml; it’s a very simple system.

“Previously, we carried out individual samples but the results were too slow. With this system, you have the results in two minutes; you put the cups on and that’s it.

“It’s especially very handy in the springtime; I get rid of any issues pretty fast,” he concluded.

Tackling SCC

This time of year can see a sudden increase in SCC levels. Wet weather and warmer temperatures provide the perfect opportunity for bacteria to breed and wreak havoc on milk quality.

Farmers need to stay ahead of a springtime spike and turning a blind eye to a cow with a high somatic cell count (SCC) could prove to be a very costly exercise.

While maximising production and selling as much milk as possible may be a priority this spring, a focus must also be placed on tackling SCC problems.

A lot of farmers have struggled with SCC levels in spring and more and more are turning to this technology to in an effort to lower SCC levels.

Longford-based farmer, Alister Walsh, has also tackled his herd’s SCC through the use of technology – specifically the installation of the Saber SCC units.

See how he got on when he installed the Saber SCC units in the video (below).

A dairy farmer in Inniskeen, Co. Monaghan, Gavin Courtney who milks a herd of 60 predominately British Friesian cows under a spring and autumn-calving system has also had much success when he installed the units.

Gavin’s SCC fell by 300,000 cells/ml in just three weeks. Initially, Gavin had concerns whether the units would work in his parlour, as there are no milk jars located on each unit; however, the Saber units work on the pipes so this was not an issue.

See the video (below).

More Information

For more information on Saber SCC, contact Chris Murphy, seven days a week, at: 087-9678131; or just click here