The infection costs U.S. farmers $1 billion annually, according to Christy Dinsmoore, a mastitis management specialist and supervisor at the Michigan Milk Producers Association, based in Novi.
That’s because farmers can’t sell milk from infected cows, she said.
Aside from economic losses from dumping milk, treating mild cases of mastitis can cost $50 to $200 per cow, while serious cases can cost between $200 and $500.
Infections can be prevented by proper milking practices, which include disinfecting the cow’s udder before and after milking.
“It’s the last line of defense you have, cleaning those teats and removing bacteria before you milk her,” Dinsmoore said.
“That has a huge impact on prevention – let alone that you’re wiping away manure, teat dip and bacteria that you don’t want to get into the milk supply,” she said.
Despite the costs, dairy workers often don’t understand the importance of proper milking routines, the study of Michigan and Ohio farmers found.
Farm employees in the study could identify mastitis but had less knowledge about disinfection routines.
“Most of the workforce now working in dairy farms are young and have short tenures,” said Zelmar Rodriguez, the lead researcher of the study published in the Journal of Dairy Science.
He is an assistant professor of veterinary medicine at Michigan State University.
Turnover is high for milking technicians. About 70% of workers in the study had less than a year of experience.
One farm had a turnover rate of 125% – that means more employees left that year than were hired.
Oftentimes, new hires are trained by other milking technicians, not management.
“The problem is when the person training newcomers is not fully trained themselves,” Rodriguez said. “They don’t really know how to do their task.”
That leads to workers skipping steps that they don’t know are important to make the process seemingly more efficient, he said.
“It’s a very human thing to shift our ways or cut corners every now and then,” Rodriguez said.
“Imagine these people are working a very long shift. Sometimes they milk thousands of cows. They do the same thing, and then they figure there is a better way to do it,” he said.
He said that’s why it’s important to teach workers why each step in milking is beneficial. If they skip one step, the farm could soon see negative impacts – like a rise in mastitis.
Consistent training on farms is significant because of the high turnover and long working hours.
Workers may receive a one-time training session but soon quit, and the new hires don’t have that training. They then find shortcuts in the routine.
So, employees can quickly drift back to breaking protocol, Rodriguez said.
After training, workers in the study were more satisfied because training makes their work easier, he said.
Completing every part of the routine also better stimulates the teats, so the milk flow is faster. That reduces overall milking time.
“Some of the things I showed [workers] was how much time they can save by following each of the steps,” Rodriguez said. “They improve the stimulation, so everything will be faster and easier for them. They are then keen to do that.”
The study said other research shows training is also important because it fosters teamwork and communication.
“Workers were glad to receive someone from outside that gave the time to train them,” Rodriguez said.
Scheduling training sessions can be tricky because farmers have to find time to do it.
However, there are many free resources available, Rodriguez said. Private companies and veterinary practices offer free sessions, as does MSU Extension.
“There are plenty of options, and farmers don’t need to choose one or the other,” he said. “They can complement. The important thing here is that farmers use those available resources.”
Source : msu.edu