NMC Blog

If the answer is YES…. then you are at the right place!

For nearly 50 years, the National Mastitis Council (NMC) has provided information to the dairy industry on udder health, mastitis control, milking management, milk quality, and milk safety. No other organization in the world has more resources related to the production of low somatic cell count, high quality milk!

Check out the “resources” section of this website, or utilize the “search” function to find articles and reports of interest.

Still looking for more?  If you are an NMC member, you can access the “members-only” section and search the Online Proceedings Library, where you will find all of the papers presented at all of the NMC annual meetings and NMC regional meetings since 2001 —  over 800 papers and poster presentations!  The proceedings library is fully searchable and very user-friendly.

If you need more information about NMC membership, click here.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture monitors milk quality in the U.S. using bulk tank milk somatic cell count (SCC) data provided by four of the nation’s 10 Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMOs), which account for nearly half of the nation’s milk supply.

Click here  to read about the results from 2009, including the % of milk and the % of producers in the federal orders monitored that met the current U.S. federal regulatory SCC limit  of 750,000; and the percentages that would have met a 400,000 limit (current regulatory limit in the European Union).

“A forum focused on improving milk quality“……

Register now for this year’s NMC Regional Meeting, scheduled for September 8-9, 2010, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The conference — targeted toward dairy producers, veterinarians, consultants, extension specialists, technical field staff and other dairy professionals –provides a forum for delivering and sharing information on practical, on-farm aspects of udder health, mastitis control, milking management, milk quality, and milk safety.

Check out the complete program and online registration here.

Be sure to register early if you are interested in taking one of the limited-enrollment short courses or farm tour!

Nominations for the National Dairy Quality Awards are currently being accepted. Now in its 17th year, the program is designed to honor dairy producers from across the United States who produce milk of the highest quality. The deadline for nominations is September 10, 2010. 

Please be a part of this effort, and nominate deserving producers from your area!  [Read more.]

Graduate students interested in mastitis control, milking management, and quality milk production are encouraged to submit an application for the NMC Scholars Program. Successful applicants will receive a travel scholarship to attend the 50th NMC Annual Meeting, January 23-26, 2011 in Arlington, Virginia.

The program, funded by the National Mastitis Research Foundation, awards a maximum of four scholarships annually. At least two scholarship recipients will be graduate students at a university or college outside of the United States and Canada. The application deadline is July 30, 2010. [Read more here.]

Mark your calendars for this year’s NMC Regional Meeting, which will be held September 8 – 9, 2010, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The program will include a day of short courses — each focusing on a specific topic — on Wednesday September 8, followed by the main program on Thursday September 9. The meeting is open to all individuals interested in mastitis control and quality milk production.

Watch the NMC website for details!

Somatic cell count (SCC) in Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) herds enrolled in SCC testing in the U.S. averaged 233,000 in 2009, which was less than the 2008 average of 262,000. This compares to 276,000 in 2007; 288,000 in 2006; and 296,000 in 2005.

Most states (42) had lower average SCC than the previous year; only six states had higher averages. Variation among states remains large, ranging from less than 200,000 to more than 400,000. State average SCC was lower than the national average for mountain and western states, and often higher for southeastern states.

The current federal SCC regulatory limit in the U.S. is 750,000, except in California where it is 600,000. In many other major dairy countries, the SCC limit is 400,000.

The overall percentage of herd test days that exceeded 400,000, 500,000, 600,000, and 750,000 during 2009 were 18.9%, 10.3%, 5.8% and 2.7%, respectively. (The 2.7% figure may overestimate the percentage of herds with milk exceeding the legal limit for bulk tank SCC on test day, because the milk of cows treated for mastitis is included in DHI test data, but is excluded from the bulk tank.)

[Read more....]

National Dairy Quality Awards (NDQA) recipients were recognized during the NMC 49th Annual Meeting, January 31 – February 3, 2010 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

This year’s top-ranked Platinum winners, which were honored during the luncheon, were: Kathy and Randy Bauer, RKB Dairy, Faribault, Minnesota;  Randy and Becky Drier, Hi-Lo Springs Holsteins, Norwalk, Wisconsin;  Taylor and Alan Henderson, Henderson Farms, Schaghtcoke, New York;  Robert and Terri Ketchum, Ketchum Farms, Utica, Minnesota; Tom McClellan, McClellan Farms Inc., Delavan, Wisconsin;  Michigan State University Dairy, Lansing, Michigan; and Denise and Donald Rice, D&D Dairy, Filion, Michigan.

photo credit Hoard's Dairyman

In addition to the seven Platinum winners, there were also 17 Gold and 22 Silver NDQA winners.

Click here to read brief bio’s about Platinum winners, along with a listing of the Gold and Silver winners (and the nominators).

The NMC has joined several other public health organizations, agencies and associations supporting consumption of pasteurized milk and discouraging the sale and consumption of raw milk.

In those areas where raw milk is legally sold, NMC encourages development of uniform regulations and safety standards; and consumer and producer education concerning production, sales and consumption of raw milk.

[Read the position statement here.]