The question is not whether Somatic Cells are costing you money…the question is how much?
Somatic cells are both friend and foe. On one hand, we rely on them to combat infections, but on the other hand, they can be a bit heavy-handed as they enter the alveoli of the udder. Their enthusiasm to combat infections can lead to the dislodging of milk secretory cells, ultimately reducing the udder’s ability to produce milk and losing us income.
If we are trying to maintain milking persistence on our lactation curve, the last thing we need is to lose milk secretory cells!
The calculator below can be used to get a quick estimate of the likely lost milk and the cost of having a bulk tank SCC >100,000 cells.
Knowing the possible cost of SCC on your herd, it’s easier to view the value of possible solutions to bring it down.
Tracking SCC
Below is the SCC chart of a herd which uses Tracker to plan and monitor production. With a bulk tank average of around 180,000 cells, an estimated 17,700 litres worth £6,000 ($12,000 NZD; $7,500 USD) was being lost per year. The pink line tracks the year where SCC was at 180. The red line tracks the following year where decisive action was taken to target the root causes of the higher levels.
The results show there are some defined spikes in SCC which are related to individual infected animals. The herd also has an underlying issue leading to elevated levels across most of the year. Resolving the problems on this farm involved tackling the clinical and sub-clinical issues.
Achieving these kind of results needn’t cost the earth. Actions like targeted dry cow therapy, culling, milking routine and cleanliness, a well balanced diet fed consistently, all combine to reduce the pressure on the cow. There are a whole host of things that affect SCC (more articles to come) but even simple things like offering lump rock salt free access can be a big help.
Infection Rate
Bulk tank SCC can also give an indication of ‘technically infected’ cows. A cow with an SCC >200,000 is classed has having an infection.
The chart below shows the results of a useful Dutch study which looks at Bulk SCC versus % of individual cows in the herd with an SCC >200,000. As you can see, the spread can be quite large. Herds that don’t regularly herd test or have inline meters can reflect on what the chart shows.
For our herd above, the line at 180,000 cells shows that there could be 20% of the herd infected or there could be 60%! The cost of herd testing or installing meters could help nail this figure down. Some decisive action can then be taken.
National Picture
The UK national average bulk tank SCC currently sits at the 166,000 mark.
The chart below from NMR’s 500 herd report shows the national picture. For those at the upper end, cracking SCC could be worth significant amounts.
Members wil be able to access more resources on SCC on the site shortly.