Determination of economic loss from depressed udder health

Abstract

Depressed udder health from malfunctioning milking equipment, or for other reasons, typically results in reduced milk production. The paper will present a 10-case sample from approximately 100 dairies analyzed by the author, and which were experiencing economic loss from malfunctioning milking equipment, usually accompanied by depressed udder health and elevated somatic cell counts. The paper will use the actual milk production and herd size records from each dairy to show the annual and monthly milk production over several years before, during, and after the introduction of the source of the damage. The paper will use the message communicated by the cows in each herd’s production data to show the impact on milk production and the probable direct and underlying causes of the changes before, during, and after the damage period. The paper will show the calculation of the amount of economic loss per cow from the introduction of damage in both absolute terms and relative to herd production without the damage.