Save the Date! NMC Regional Meeting, Aug. 15-16
By staff on April 27th, 2012
The 2012 National Mastitis Council Regional Meeting will be held August 15-16. in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
This year’s meeting will feature a new format — offering a selection of eight or nine specialized short courses during the two-day conference. Unlike previous years, the meeting will not include an all-day general session program. Instead, the short course will provide attendees the opportunity learn about specific topics in a small group setting.
The short courses are geared to dairy producers, their employees, and their milk quality/mastitis advisers. There will also be a short course for Spanish-speaking milkers.
Details will be posted as they become available in the coming weeks.
Follow NMC on Facebook!
By staff on March 30th, 2012
The National Mastitis Council is now on Facebook. Check out the link below, and be sure to “like” us!
facebook.com/NationalMastitisCouncil
SCC in DHI Herds Averaged 217,000 in 2011
By staff on March 15th, 2012
Somatic cell count (SCC) in Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) herds enrolled in SCC testing in the US averaged 217,000 cells/ml in 2011, which was less than the 2010 average of 228,000. This compares to 233,000 in 2009; 262,000 in 2008; 276,000 in 2007; and 288,000 in 2006.
Variation among states remains large, ranging from less than 160,000 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.
Average test-day somatic cell count from US Dairy Herd Improvement herds during 2011 by state
The current federal SCC regulatory limit in the U.S. is 750,000 cells/ml. In many other major dairy countries, the SCC limit is 400,000 cells/ml.
The overall percentage of herd test days that exceeded 400,000, 500,000, 600,000, and 750,000 cells/ml during 2010 were 15.7%, 8.5%, 4.8% and 2.3%, respectively, which was lower for all levels than during 2010. The 2.3% of 2011 DHI herd test days that were higher than the present legal limit for bulk tank SCC in the US may overestimate the percentage of herds that shipped milk exceeding the legal limit because milk of cows treated for mastitis is excluded from the bulk tank even though included in DHI test data. The percentage of herd test-days that exceeded the legal limit also would have been higher than the percentage of herds that were rejected from the market because market exclusion only occurs after repeated violations.
[Read more]
Congratulations to the 2012 NMC Scholars
By staff on March 14th, 2012
Congratulations once again, to Amanda Sterrett, University of Kentucky (USA); Roxann Weix, University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA); Joren Verbeke, Ghent University (Belgium); and Diana Sorg, Technische Universität München (Germany), who were recognized during this year’s NMC 51st Annual Meeting, held in St. Pete Beach, Florida.
2012 NMC Scholars
The NMC Scholars Program provides travel scholarships for graduate students to attend NMC annual meetings and encourage their involvement in NMC programs and activities. Funding for the program comes from the National Mastitis Research Foundation (NMRF), which is financed through contributions from NMC members and supporters.
Read about the NMC Scholars and their research projects here.
Information about the 2013 NMC Scholars Program, which will include a travel scholarship to the NMC 52nd Annual Meeting ( January 27-29, 2013 in San Diego, California) will be posted on the NMC website by June 1. Applications will be due July 31.
Quality Award Recipients Honored
By staff on March 7th, 2012
Recipients of the National Dairy Quality Awards (NDQA) were recognized earlier this year during the NMC 51st Annual Meeting in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Top honors (Platinum winners) went to Ron and Terri Brooks, Waupaca, Wisconsin; Ryan and Charina Dellar, Harrisville, Michigan; Michael and Nancy Kleinhans, Kiel, Wisconsin; Dean and Patti Tohl, Tillamook, Oregon; Duane and Laurie VanPolen, Marion, Michigan.
In addition to the five Platinum award recipients, there were 26 Gold and 26 Silver award recipients.
You can read more about the Platinum winners, along with a listing of the Gold and Silver winners (and the nominators) HERE.
NDQA Platinum award winners at the NMC annual meeting awards luncheon are shown above. Seated in the front row: Charina Dellar, Laurie VanPolen, Terri Brooks and Nancy Kleinhans. Standing in the back row: Ryan Dellar, Duane VanPolen, Ron Brooks and Mike Kleinhans. Missing are Dean and Patti Tohl.
The goal of the NDQA program is to honor dairy producers from across the United States who consistently produce milk of the highest quality. The program is open to dairy producers in the US. Information about the 2012 NDQA program will be available in June this year.
San Diego to Host 2013 NMC Annual Meeting
By staff on February 27th, 2012
Next year’s NMC 52nd Annual Meeting will be held January 27 – 29, 2013 at the Omni Hotel in San Diego, California. The program will follow the same general format at this year’s annual meeting, which proved to be quite popular among the attendees. Mark your calendars now and plan to join us in California!
Papers Presented at the Annual Meeting Available Online
By staff on January 30th, 2012
All of the paper presented at the National Mastitis Council 51st Annual Meeting, held January 22-24, 2012 in St. Pete Beach, Florida, are available in the NMC Online Proceedings Library, which can be accessed through the “members only” section of the NMC website.
The NMC Online Proceedings Library includes papers from all of the NMC annual and regional meetings back to 2001. Hundreds of papers are available for viewing and download.
Access to the online library is limited to NMC members. Not a member yet? Check out all the benefits here:
nmconline.org/membership.html
Register for the NMC 51st Annual Meeting!
By staff on December 1st, 2011
Registration is open for the National Mastitis Council 51st Annual Meeting, scheduled for JANUARY 22-24, 2012 in St. Pete Beach, Florida.
About 400 people from all over the world are expected to attend this international forum which focuses on mastitis control and quality milk production. If you have an interest in udder health, mastitis prevention, milking management, milk quality, and milk safety… then this conference is for you!
Click here for details on the program, registration, and hotel accommodations.
Nominations Open for the NMC Award of Excellence for Mastitis Prevention and Control!
By staff on October 18th, 2011
Nominations are now being accepted for the NMC Award of Excellence for Mastitis Prevention and Control.
New this year, the award will be awarded annually to an active NMC member for sustained contribution to mastitis prevention and control through research, extension or education, clinical practice, or service to producers. The award is open to NMC members from around the world.
Do you know someone deserving of this award? Get details here!
The deadline for nominations is November 15, 2011.
Invitation to Submit Papers for the NMC Poster Session and the Research & Developments Session
By staff on October 9th, 2011
Each year the NMC annual meeting features a Technology Transfer Session (TTS). The TTS supplements the main program by providing mastitis and milk quality information through the use of posters and one-on-one interaction. The session provides a forum for exchanging information in an informal, relaxed atmosphere.
TTS participants also have the option to submit their poster presentation for consideration as an oral presentation during the Research and Development Summaries Session. This session is open to all individuals presenting posters, with a special focus on graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and research associates.
Click here for additional information on participating in these sessions, which will be held during the upcoming NMC 51st Annual Meeting, January 22-24, 2012 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. The deadline for manuscript submission is November 1, 2011.