The Rural Voice, 1988-05, Page 52Diversey Wyandotte Inc
NIDI=LLEr�
4i1k Coolers'
FIRST FOR DAIRY
SUPPLIES & SERVICES
' Sanitation Supplies
• Computer Feeding
Pipelines/parlours
• Fre-heaters
' Cow Mats
Multi Drop Feeders
GARY McKNIGHT
SALES & SERVICES LTD.
P.O. Box 669
Walkerton, Ont. NOG 2V0
519-881-2440
IT'S YOUR ONE STOP
FOR SPRING SUPPLIES
Ultra Modem Diesel Powered Flotation Fertilizer Spreader
• Liquid nitrogen 28%
• Bulk and bag fertilizer
• Complete line of seeds: cereal grains, soybeans,
white beans, canola, plow -down clover and all
forage seeds
• Complete line of herbicides and insecticides
• Two petroleum trucks to serve you plus a large
stock of motor oils and lubricants
This spring shop at Mitchell Co-op.
Your one-stop farm supply centre.
Mitchell Co-operative
Mitchell Branch 348-8441 Monkton Branch 347-2232
50 THE RURAL VOICE
ADVICE
MASTITIS TRACED TO
SPECIFIC CULPRITS
Dairy operations in which mastitis
or high somatic cells counts (SCC) are
problems have several things in com-
mon, according to Dr. Gerry Jones of
Virginia State University.
Speaking at the recent Central On-
tario Dairy Update, Dr. Jones said that
the most important methods of prevent-
ing intramammary infections are teat
dipping and dry cow therapy.
But, he added, if these practices
were the ultimate in mastitis control,
Virginia dairy farmers would have little
mastitis because 95 per cent teat dip and
85 per cent dry treat. Yet the state DHI
average SCC score is about 3.0 or
200,000.
Problems observed on farms with
frequent mastitis or high SCC include:
• failure to dry teats adequately with
individual towels after washing. In
some cases where teats are hosed off,
excess water makes drying difficult.
The amount of water must be mini-
mized, so it's important to keep the
environment clean and udders clipped.
Individual cloth towels are popular
among many dairymen, but a washer
and dryer are necessary;
• improper removal of milking units,
which may contribute to liner slips or
milk droplets falling against the test end.
The vacuum should be shut off at the
claw before the units are removed;
• inadequate coverage of most of the
teat end with an effective teat end;
• dirty, wet stalls;
• failure to use a strip cup to check for
abnormal milk;
• milking equipment and facilities
— inadequate vacuum reserve; teat cup
liners, milk hoses, and vacuum hoses
that should have been replaced earlier;
vacuum regulators or controllers lack-
ing sensitivity to vacuum changes, or
which are dirty or set too high; stray
voltage (more than .5 VAC); pulsator
inefficiency (milking systems should be
serviced at least every six months);
• poor dry -cow management; over
or under -conditioning. Recent studies
show that giving selenium and Vitamin
E to dry cows is important in the control
of mastitis as well as retained placenta;
(cont'd)