The California Mastitis Test (CMT) is a useful tool that can used alongside milk recording to identify cows with high cell counts.

It is a quick and simple way of identifying the quarter of the cow that has a cell-count issue, allowing for targeted treatment.

The CMT kit is useful to farmers because it offers real-time information. It could even be compared to measuring grass.

Like completing a grass walk, the CMT kit gives real-time valuable information that can be acted on.

With the information it provides, a cow with high-cell-count milk can be treated or her milk can be removed from the tank.

Removing the milk of a problem cow would improve the overall bulk-tank cell-count reading.

Ahead of drying off on spring-calving herds it is important to know where each cow stands and to see if a cell count issue can be resolved.

The procedure for using the CMT kit is very simple:

Note: The test should be carried out prior to attaching the clusters.