What are the
returns on investment in mastitis control?
When dollars are scarce, the management decisions made on farm come under even
more scrutiny. Where should money be
spent and what are the likely gains from these decisions?
The mastitis control strategy adopted on your farm is on-going, but have
you ever wondered what the investment is really worth to you?
Over
the last year Countdown Downunder has looked at the dollars associated with
mastitis control. Their latest modelling work estimates and compares figures for
different farm strategies.
Dollars
are gained from better udder health because there is more milk (higher
production and less discarded) and it is sold at higher prices. There are fewer
cows that require treatments and fewer cows to cull because of mastitis. To
achieve this some dollars are spent on preventing infections. The outcome of
investment in mastitis control must be assessed with all these factors
calculated over a period of time – not just the cost of a particular
consumable, or the milk price for a particular cell count level.
Countdown’s
research shows that Australian herds can achieve net gains with lower annual
average Bulk Milk Cell Counts –
right down to very low figures.
The
annual average Bulk Milk Cell Count is the average of all the BMCCs for a
whole year. This gives an indication of the mastitis control for the herd over a
relatively long time frame that can be assessed economically.
The
example below shows the dollar differences for farms with different mastitis
prevention strategies.
How
much money are we likely to make from investing in mastitis control?
Net
returns (benefits after costs are deducted) for split-calving herds achieving
different average Bulk Milk Cell Counts over a twelve month period.
Annual
average BMCC
Additional dollars per cow per year
90,000
compared to 150,000 cells/mL
$24 per cow per year
150,000
compared to 250,000
$47
250,000
compared to 350,000
$55
350,000
compared to 450,000
$118
The additional dollars for each step can be added. For example the difference
between herds averaging 90,000 cells/mL and herds averaging 250,000 cells/mL is
$71 per cow per year.
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