Look Beyond the Results of One Report
In a recent dairy farm report on six colostrum samples we found three out of six (50%) had TNTC (too numerous to count) total plate counts and coliform counts greater than 30,000 cfu/ml.
What comes next? Possible places to check to account for high inoculation rates and opportunities for bacterial growth in colostrum. Great advice - high possibility of finding places to make changes that will drop these undesirable bacteria counts.
Should we stop there? Think again. If the dairy is having problems with elevated bacteria counts in colostrum, what are the chances that there are elevated counts in other places?
Fortunately that did occur to the herd veterinarian. He recommended sampling milk replacer coming out of the automatic feeders. He struck gold!
Of the five milk replacer samples coming out of the feeder nipples three had TNTC coliforms. Failures in sanitation one place on the dairy accurately predicted failures in a second place.
Bottom line: Try to remember to look beyond the results from one report - where else on the dairy might these results suggest potential opportunities to improve profitability?
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