Grabs for March 2002

Building genetics into your mastitis plan

Key Messages

Mastitis is the major cause of somatic cell counts in milk

• Most cell count variation in milk is due to day-to-day udder health management
• About 15% of the variation of cell counts in milk is heritable
• Australian Breeding Values for somatic cell counts in milk were released in February 2002
• Bulls with lower somatic cell count ABV will breed daughters with lower milk cell counts
• The Australian Profit Ranking estimates the difference between the best and worst bull to be about $40 per cow per year
• The milk cell count ABV provides a low-cost, long-term benefit to individual dairy farmers and the wider industry
• The benefit in herds with high milk cell counts will be greater than in herds with low cell counts

Contents

• Relevant resources for advisers
• Countdown pointers to advisers
• Australian Dairyfarmer
• Grabs for newsletters

Relevant resources for advisers

Countdown pointers to advisers

Herd improvement staff can help you select a semen portfolio that now includes Cell Count ABVs

Australian Dairyfarmer

Using genetics in your mastitis management plan:  “Now we can select bulls that increase production without a mastitis penalty”

How the cell count ABVs work

From the Farm Guidelines: Milk cell counts–what’s in a name?Introducing the Countdown team: Robert Poole