Less Stress, Better Results — and More Time
Mastitis doesn’t have to be stressful,” says Manager Jake Ferreira. “As a team, we have successfully reduced our mastitis levels to less than 5% of the two herds while using selective dry cow therapy. We get plenty of sleep, spend only the necessary time in the shed. It’s a good life, we have our mornings, we have time to breathe.”
Running two neighbouring farms in the Manawatu equipped with 1 x 50 Bale Rotary and 1 x 32 aside Herringbone Shed, over 900 cows with split calving is a busy operation. In 2022, the team decided to embark on a new approach that would streamline their operation.
Their goals were to reinforce best practices by adopting selective dry cow therapy, reducing mastitis cases, and improving the team’s workload. A scientific and team-focused approach was important to achieve this, and their FIL area manager suggested the Farm Medix system may be a good tool to add to the tool box.
“At first, it sounded too good to be true,” Ferreira says with a wry smile. “We were sceptical, but it seemed affordable, and with prospects of a more efficient operation, and better animal health we decided to go all-in, no half-assed measures.”
He grins, “Now we see that the time we invested has more than paid off.”
“Getting buy-in from the team was key,” Jake adds. “Trying something new isn’t always easy; it’s change management.
We focused on our priorities—improving efficiency and reclaiming time—and used these as markers to measure our success.”
Izzi Panettiere and Eva Wooller who have been the main drivers in the team during the staph project.
The first step of the new approach was identifying the mastitis pathogens causing issues.
“Once we identified the root causes, we were able to create an action plan,” says Izzi Panettiere, the Thornton Park 2IC, who placed in the DairyNZ Practical Skills Award and Dairy Trainee 2024 Awards recently. “As a team we discussed the strategy, answered any questions from the team, and worked together to execute the plan.”
“For us, that meant screening our herd for Staph. aureus and segregating positive cows by milking them last. Without collars, it sounded like a lot of work, but they reassured us it would be worthwhile. And it was!”
And what was it that encouraged them?
“We started seeing results, and that motivated us,” says Jake. “It was a real sense of achievement and very rewarding. Having more time was a huge motivation – time is money.
The positive impacts on milk in the vat and animal health were significant. Achieving excellence and stewardship with antibiotic use made us feel successful. With the knowledge gained from understanding the pathogens causing mastitis, our team likes that we are in control.”
And always proactive, the team at Longburn Farms focus on preventing mastitis.
“We all wear gloves and undertake first milking procedures, which have really nailed our mastitis rates at calving. At that first milking, cows can be susceptible to mastitis as they transition. Whilst it takes a bit more time, the pay-off is well worth it,” Ferreira says.
“Discovering that even heifers at calving could carry major pathogens like Staph. aureus led us to implement new biosecurity measures, including testing replacement cows entering the herd. This has resulted in strategic decision making, fewer treatments, no failed treatments, smoother handovers, and less hassle overall, without the work associated with clinical mastitis cases.”
“Now, it’s just about maintaining our performance. We regularly test the few clinical cases we get on farm with the Farm Medix system and use their bulk tank test Snapshot for surveillance to understand any issues,” says Izzi. “Done regularly, it’s a great management tool.”
Jake adds, “The team is excited about what we’ve achieved. They all contributed to our success. They’ve even suggested we undertake a similar project for Johne’s disease – now they’re pushing us!”
NZ Dairy publication | NZ Dairy – Summer 2024 - https://digitalpublications.online/.../nz-dairy.../18/