California Ag Network

Tag: National Mastitis Council

  • Caring People and Happy Cows – Where Quality Milk Begins

    Nearly 100 milk quality professionals from 16 U.S. states – from New York to California – and three more countries attended the National Mastitis Council (NMC) Regional Meeting, held May 2-4, in Visalia, Calif. The event attracted dairy processors, veterinarians, dairy producers, researchers, milking equipment dealers and dairy suppliers.

    Rolland Rosa Leads dairy tour

    “As the top milk-producing state, California provided an excellent home for this year’s NMC Regional Meeting that revolved around the theme, ‘Caring People and Happy Cows – Where Quality Milk Begins’,” stated Alfonso Lago of DairyExperts and the 2023 regional meeting program chair. “Those in attendance gained hands-on experiences and took home practical information to further the dairy industry’s pursuit in producing and marketing outstanding quality milk. Furthermore, they learned about moving milk from being a commodity to a value-added product. Opportunities abound for milk reaching beyond its current ‘commodity status’.”

    Rolland Rosa at M.F. Rosa Dairy discussing dairy nutrition

    The NMC Regional Meeting showcased a variety of topics, including selective treatment of clinical mastitis, teat sealant expectations, selective dry cow therapy, bedding management, quality milk production in automated milking systems, genomics, precision dairy technologies, genetic selection for mastitis resistance and nutrition’s impact on udder health. Additionally, some attendees participated in specialized short courses that addressed milking system evaluations, employee hiring, training and motivation, troubleshooting mastitis and milk quality challenges, and economics related to milk quality interventions. Furthermore, some participants toured M.R. Rosa Dairy and River Ranch Dairy, Hanford, Calif.

    Alfonso Lago of DairyExperts addressing attendees at River Ranch Dairy Farm tour

    NMC thanks its regional meeting sponsors who contributed to the program’s success. The Premier sponsor was DairyExperts. Platinum sponsors included Boehringer Ingelheim and Merck Animal Health. The Gold sponsors were Dairy Farmers of America and OZOLEA. Silver sponsors included Alltech, ThermoFisher Scientific, Zinpro and Corner Window Communications.

    The National Mastitis Council 63rd Annual Meeting is scheduled for Jan. 29-Feb. 1, 2024, in Dallas. Next year’s NMC Regional Meeting is tentatively set for early July in Belgium.

    National Mastitis Council is a professional organization devoted to reducing mastitis and enhancing milk quality. NMC promotes research and provides information to the dairy industry on udder health, milking management, milk quality and milk safety. Founded in 1961, NMC has about 1,000 members in more than 40 countries throughout the world.

  • Dairy Webinar Features Mastitis Treatment Strategies (in Spanish)

    Join National Mastitis Council (NMC) for its next webinar – presented in Spanish – on Sept. 29, starting at 2 p.m. Central time (U.S./Canada). Alfonso Lago, an NMC board member and director of research and consulting solutions at DairyExperts, Inc., Tulare, Calif., will address “New Concepts and Opportunities in Mastitis Management” (“Nuevos Conceptos y Oportunidades en el Manejo de la Mastitis”). The one-hour webinar is free.

    During this NMC webinar, participants will get a better understanding of how and why clinical mastitis in dairy cattle has significant ramifications. Issues include adverse effects on the health and welfare of cows, financial losses to dairy farmers, and public health concerns due to antibiotic use for treatment. Therefore, there is a need to implement effective management strategies that also allow for judicious use of antibiotics. Not all cases of clinical mastitis benefit from antibiotic therapy. Some cases may benefit from different treatment strategies to optimize cure (e.g., short-term versus long-term), whereas chronic or unresponsive cases may be better managed through other means (e.g., dry-off the quarter, segregate or cull the cow).

    The goal of this webinar is to first provide information on how to develop a clinical mastitis management plan that pursues effective and justified treatment decisions. Second, offer monitors to evaluate the effectiveness of this plan. Third, describe a data management and evaluation system that allows the use of data – both in decision making at the cow level and in modifications of herd protocols. And fourth, point out opportunities for veterinarians/consultants to offer alternative services that increase farm profitability due to a reduction in the economic impact of mastitis.

    To register for this free webinar, go to: https://bit.ly/Sept29Lago and follow the prompts. If you are an NMC member and cannot attend the live program, you may access the webinar after Oct. 17, at: nmconline.org.

    National Mastitis Council is a professional organization devoted to reducing mastitis and enhancing milk quality. NMC promotes research and provides information to the dairy industry on udder health, milking management, milk quality and milk safety. Founded in 1961, NMC has about 1,000 members in more than 40 countries throughout the world. For more information, go to: www.nmconline.org.

  • National Mastitis Council to Gather Milk Quality Experts in CA for Annual Meeting

    Come and explore “Future Frontiers” at the 61st National Mastitis Council (NMC) Annual Meeting, Feb. 1-3, 2022, at the Town and Country Resort, San Diego. This event will help the global dairy industry capitalize on available strategies to prevent, treat and control mastitis, enhance udder health and foster animal welfare.

    Given the persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic and related travel restrictions, NMC is providing a “hybrid meeting” – with in-person and virtual attendance options. The 2022 NMC Annual Meeting theme revolves around “Future Frontiers.” To view the meeting agenda and/or to register, go to: http://meeting.nmconline.org.

    “Producing quality milk remains a top priority for dairy producers like myself,” said NMC President Patrick Christian of Christian Hill Dairy, Lomira, Wisconsin, USA. “NMC members are committed to helping dairy producers around the world achieve their milk quality goals.”

    “The NMC Annual Meeting provides a forum to share advancements in reducing mastitis and enhancing milk quality,” said NMC First Vice President Linda Tikofsky, senior associate director, cattle professional services, dairy at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health. “Additionally, NMC promotes research that explores ‘future frontiers’ and provides information to the dairy industry on udder health, milking management, milk quality and milk safety.”

    This year’s General Sessions feature:

    • Frontiers in Consumer Demands
    • Frontiers in Managing for Milk Quality
    • Frontiers in Mastitis Science
    • Frontiers in Tracking, Treating and Diagnosing
    • Frontiers in Mastitis Management/Fronteras en el manejo de mastitis (presented in Spanish)

    Short course topics include:

    • Team Troubleshooting Real World Milk Quality Problems
    • Uncovering the Mysteries of Somatic Cell Count and Mastitis Data
    • The Bugs that Bug Us
    • How to Successfully Evaluate Milking Center Data to Stimulate Improvement on Dairies
    • Sensor-based Mastitis Management
    • Why, When and How to Perform an NMC Milking System Air Flow Analysis
    • Testing and Interpretation for Milking Machines with Dynamic Control of Vacuum and/or Pulsation
    • An Organized Approach to Developing a Long-term Action Plan for Herds with Poor Teat Ends
    • Dairy’s Commitment to On-farm Social Responsibility: The National Dairy FARM Program
    • Genetics for Mastitis Resistance
    • Training and Retaining Milk Harvest Technicians with the SOP, Roadmap and TWI Approach
    • Strategies to Improve Transition Cow Mammary Gland Health
    • Managing Compost-bedded Pack Barns for Optimal Milk Quality
    • The Human Side of Milk Quality: Taking Your Parlor Team to the Next Level
    • Robotic Milking and Mastitis Management. How does the NMC 10 Point Plan Work for Producers?

    Other highlights of the upcoming meeting include a silent auction, which supports professional development efforts, 5K Fun Run/Walk and recognition of the National Dairy Quality Award winners, NMC Award of Excellence for Mastitis Prevention and Control recipient, and NMC Scholars.

    National Mastitis Council is a professional organization devoted to reducing mastitis and enhancing milk quality. NMC promotes research and provides information to the dairy industry on udder health, milking management, milk quality and milk safety. Founded in 1961, NMC has about 1,000 members in more than 40 countries throughout the world.