For years, Oamaru farmer Sarah Smart struggled with stubborn mastitis and rising treatment costs, without knowing the true cause. When FIL and Farm Medix became involved, a Snapshot® bulk tank test quickly clarified the real pathogens at play—revealing that the herd’s problem was not Staph. aureus, as previously assumed, but Strep. dysgalactiae and CNS.
With accurate diagnostics in hand, Sarah and her team could finally address the root causes: plant issues contributing to teat damage, suboptimal teat-spraying practices, and seasonal environmental challenges. Guided by Farm Medix testing and on-farm support—Snapshot for herd-level diagnosis and Fresh Cow Dry Cow® for case-by-case culture—the farm implemented targeted hygiene, milking, and treatment adjustments.
The result: a rapid and sustained drop in mastitis pressure, a major reduction in unnecessary treatments, and the lowest SCC the herd has ever recorded.
Sarah now cultures all mastitis samples on-farm using Fresh Cow Dry Cow®. Here is what she says about on-farm testing:
“Using Fresh Cow Dry Cow®, we find out exactly which pathogens we are dealing with in each case. In some cases, we don’t need to treat the cows at all. We also know that if we identify a Staph cow, she needs to be managed differently.
With a significant improvement in our cell count this year compared with last year, I’m confident in the decisions we’re making. Our goal is to average under 100 SCC for the whole season, and we’re on track to achieve that.”
Click here for the full story on FIL’s website.
Farm Medix transformed how we handle mastitis. We've replaced the stress of uncertainty with knowledge and have significantly improved our performance. It's a relief to manage with confidence and ease!
Somatic Cell Count Improvements - 25/26 vs. 24/25 season