Providing Routine PCR Testing as Part of Official Milk Recording Options

摘要

Obtaining Somatic Cell Count (SCC) values from routine milk sample analysis is, historically, a primary reason U.S. dairy producers participate in official milk recording programs. With improved management of environmental conditions and general cow health, SCC levels have shown a steady decline over the past 4 years. Among AgSource herds, weighted average SCC for Holsteins have dropped from 263,000 in 2012 to 227,000 in 2016. The percent of cows with SCC over 200,000 SCC has dropped from 24.3% to 20.4%.