Healthy Cows, Thriving Dairy - The Importance of Everyday Biosecurity

The Center for Dairy Excellence recently held a special edition of its "Protecting Your Profits" webinar on July 26, highlighting everyday biosecurity for dairy operations. Dr. Hayley Springer from Penn State Extension talked about how dairy farms can get ready for serious animal diseases and why keeping the farm safe is important for making money. 

Dr. Springer stressed that everyday biosecurity involves everyone on the dairy farm, from owners and employees to consultants and visitors. The goal is to have biosecurity protocols in place and consistently utilized to prevent disease spread. 

Understanding the ways diseases enter the herd is crucial for designing effective biosecurity practices. Different transmission pathways include vector-borne diseases (carried in host animals), iatrogenic transmission (transmitted by humans), direct contact between animals, oral transmission (fecal-oral), aerosol transmission, and fomite transmission (inanimate objects). 

A real-life example was cited to underscore the importance of everyday biosecurity. A Colorado dairy farm expanded its milking herd from 350 to 2,500 cows, bringing in animals from 15 different sources. Due to inadequate testing and protocols, they faced a severe outbreak of Mycoplasma mastitis, leading to significant financial losses, increased culling, and reduced calf health. 

Dr. Springer said that following the right safety rules and teaching employees about them are essential to lower the chance of spreading diseases. To do this, we need to find the possible problems on our farm and make plans to handle them. When employees understand and follow these plans, it can greatly improve the safety of our farm. Training employees on mastitis prevention, proper milking practices, calf health management, and recognizing early signs of disease can lead to dramatic improvements. 

Dr. Springer talked about the importance of having strong safety plans that are approved by the state. When there's a serious disease outbreak, these plans help farms get the necessary permits quickly, so they can keep running while handling the outbreak effectively. 

By using a detailed safety plan every day and making sure everyone understands and follows it, dairy farms can keep their cows healthy, make more money, and help the dairy industry stay strong. Join the Center for Dairy Excellence webinar to learn about the importance of safety plans and get helpful strategies to protect your dairy from disease outbreaks.