This time last year...

January Snowy picture :)
Cow to the left is a heifer and the two cows to the right are Dry Cows.

This time last year I was helping out on the farm because my Grandparents went on a two week long cruise! lucky them... They always seem to disappear when the weather is at its worst. It was below zero (my nose froze before it had a chance to run! I have never experienced that before), lots of snow on the ground, all waterers were frozen, manure scrapper was frozen, and lots of cows were calving.

I dreaded waking up at 4:00 am to come over to the farm to milk and then do chores. All I could think about was I hope I don't fall with the water buckets again today. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have fallen with water buckets in my hands, getting soaked and having to turn around to get more water when I was literally at the door of the heifer barn. Oh how that was one of my biggest pet peeves but I managed and made it through.

This time last year the farm wasn't doing so hot. The farm honestly was slowly going down the drain. The milkings weren't being taken seriously, because people who didn't care nor wanted to be there were milking, calves were getting really sick in this cold because the people who were supposed to take care of them didn't know what they were doing. I had my hands extremely full in the two weeks I spent there; but that was a turning point for me when I realized I absolutely wanted to be a diary farmer!

I want to share an unfortnuate event that happened a year ago but this year it is just the opposite!!

I'm sure some of you have heard of Somatic Cell Count but most of you probably think I am speaking a different language, which is alright because I didn't learn about this either until my last two years of college. The Somatic Cell Count is a test that is done on the milk when it leaves the farm and it measures the white blood cells present and any bacteria that may be present in the milk. Just like humans; cows increase their white blood cells to fight off any infections they may have in their system. Cows udders can get sick, which is known as mastitis, one or more of her quarters becomes infected and sick and causes the white blood cells to thicken her milk trying to fight it and it makes the milk undesirable to drink.

So unfortunately a year ago this month I remember seeing a remark paper from the milk company warning the farm that the SCC was way too high. They needed to take actions to fix that number or they were going to get a visit from the Milk Inspector to take a look at the milking procedures and cleanings. 

This is the filter;
it catches any organic
 material before entering
the bulk tank.

This goes in the white filter

                                                                                 
I didn't know much about how to get this number down but I tried my hardest from what I learned in college to help out the farm while my grandfather was snorkeling and eating escargot! I know it wasn't my responsibility but I felt responsible any ways...Someone had to take action because I know the others weren't going to... I was very alert as I milked and kept my eyes peeled for cows that may have been sick. In that two week time frame I was there; I was able to help the farm lower the SCC and cancel a visit from the Milk Inspector. 

(A Milk Inspectors job is to come investigate your milking parlor and house to make sure milk is clean, equipment is clean and to make sure the facility is clean)

The filter is around the insert

Now let's fast forward to today!! On a much more brighter note..... now that I call this farm my own!! I was super excited to see the milk check this week and to see a low SCC number of  210,000! I accept the fact that many of you still may not understand this but that's alright! I hope I have taught you something and painted a picture about how much I care and how much I love with my lifestyle!! I work by toosh off everyday to keep that SCC level down. It is hard on every farm not just this one. With so many factors that negatively affect the count this can be one of the most stressful aspects of milking.

The pipe line the milk flows
 through before entering the bulk tank    

Reasons a cow may exhibit a high Somatic Cell Count...

• Fighting off infection somewhere
• Stressing over something
• Hereditary 
• Higher in spring and summer due to hotter temperatures 
• Might have ate moldy hay or feed
• Dirty milking equipment
• Not cleaning teats off properly
• Not using water that is 165 degrees to clean equipment
• Stage of lactation cows that just calved tend to exhibit higher SCC
• AND MANY MANY MORE!!!

I am still learning and reaching out to other farmers about what they do to keep their numbers low... and to hear they all have difficulties it makes me feel a little better with the way things are going here. 

Actions we can take to keep the SCC low

• Use a high quality pre and post teat spray
• Keep udders as clean as possible, this starts in bedding areas keeping them clean and dry
• Keep an eye on silo openings to make sure oxygen isn't spoiling silage
• Make sure water is 165 degrees when cleaning equipment and milk tank
• Strip (squirt out 3 squirts of milk from each teat) each cow before milking
• Treat cows with medicine if they exhibit thick milk coming from teat (ALL COWS THAT ARE TREATED WILL BE MILKED INTO A SEPARATE BUCKET TO DISPOSE OF THEIR MILK EASILY. THIS MILK WILL NEVER ENTER THE BULK TANK IF IT DOES THE WHOLE TANK WILL BE DUMPED and we won't get paid and can't pay our monthly bills)
• Some farmers will sell cows who show high SCC every testing because they are the ones who inherited the high gene; or they will milk her into a bucket and then pasteurize that milk to feed to calves.

Our milk, well any farmer's milk, is highly tested before it reaches the factory for pasteurizing and processing. Milk goes through 21 different tests to insure it's safety when consumed.

I am going to through some numbers at you... they wont make much sense but just bare with me... Us farmers have a guideline to follow and must keep our SCC under a certain number which is 750,000. If a farm reaches that number twice consecutively; their farm will most likely be shut down or their milk company will cancel their contract. Many farms will have a SCC of 350,000 or much lower. There are incentives to keep equipment clean, cows closely watched and treated, and to keep the number as low as possible. If the SCC goes over 350,000 each milk check will be deducted of $500 and if you can keep it below 200,000 then you will be rewarded $500-$1,000 so there is a nice incentive that farmer's strive to reach every month. Though I have not received an incentive yet, I am super close and won't give up!

Fight Back post teat spray

My farms Milking Protocol to keep the manure/dirt and SCC level to a minimum

• Dip teats with an iodine base solution
• Wipe teats off after solution has soaked for 45 seconds or longer
• Strip each teat
• Keep milkers clean throughout milking
• Spray teats with a chlorhexidine spray (called Fight Back)

If you have any more questions about SCC or this blog post please do not hesitate to ask!! I want to be able to clear up any questions or concerns you may have!!

This is my boy, Reckless, he is a 9 month old Blue Heeler crossed with Border Collie.
When it snows this is his get away spot. You can either find him laying here or going crazy in the snow!
This little shed is where we get the high moisture corn to put into the cows feed.

~The Barn Window