10 DairyComp commands to help you manage milk quality
Milk quality has a direct impact on your dairy’s profitability. Better results often translate to higher premiums and healthier, more productive cows.
Managing and ultimately improving milk quality starts with understanding what’s happening in your herd. From identifying cows driving bulk tank SCC to tracking mastitis trends and evaluating dry cow program effectiveness, DairyComp has tools built-in to help uncover opportunities and measure the impact of management decisions.
Here are 10 DairyComp commands to help you track, improve and manage milk quality on your dairy.
Identify the top cows driving bulk tank SCC
When your bulk tank SCC starts trending upward, one of the first questions many producers want to answer is, “Which cows are contributing the most to the poor performance?”
ECON, BULK TANK REPORT provides a weighted bulk tank SCC average from the most recent test day and identifies the cows contributing the largest percentage to that value. It’s a great starting point for understanding which animals are having the greatest impact on overall milk quality.
Pay special attention to the #>4 column, which shows how often a cow has tested above a 4.0 linear score SCC threshold. Cows that repeatedly appear at the top of the report may need additional attention, treatment evaluation or management changes.
Analyze SCC across lactation groups and seasons
Milk quality doesn’t always stay consistent throughout the year. Heat stress, environmental conditions and management changes can all influence SCC values.
PLOT SCC FOR LACT>0 BY LCTGP \RD730 displays average SCC by lactation group over approximately two years of test dates. Use it to determine whether SCC tends to rise during summer months, evaluate the impact of a management change or compare performance across lactation groups.
Because the report includes archived records from cows that have left the herd, it also provides valuable historical context.
Evaluate SCC performance throughout lactation
Rather than examining SCC over time, PLOT SCC FOR LACT>0 BY LCTGP evaluates SCC by test number within a lactation. Review fresh cow SCC levels, monitor how SCC changes through early, mid and late lactation and compare patterns across lactation groups.
Understanding when SCC levels tend to increase within a lactation can help identify opportunities to improve management practices and proactively reduce future infections.
Track new infections, chronic cases and cures
PLOT SCC=200 FOR LACT>0 BY SCC \RYD730 shows the percentage of cows below the selected SCC threshold (200, in this case) and the percentage above it for each test over the past two years.
This report helps you track the herd’s overall milk quality from test to test and measure the impact of changes that may be linked to it, such as weather, management practices or facility updates.
Compare current SCC to the previous test
SUM SCC=200 PSCC=200 FOR LACT>0 SCC>0 PSCC>0 or GRAPH SCC PSCC FOR LACT>0 SCC>0 PSCC>0 compare current SCC values to the previous test. Because they only include cows with two consecutive test results, they are especially useful for highlighting recent changes and catching potential issues before they become larger ones. As a general benchmark, aim for:
Greater than 80% clean
Less than 5% new infections
Less than 10% chronic cases
Less than 5% cures
Measure dry period success
The dry period can be one of the best opportunities to improve udder health. GRAPH LOG1 BY DRYLG FOR LOG1>0 DRYLG>0 LACT>1 or SUM LOG1=4 DRYLG=4 FOR LACT>1 LOG1>0 DRYLG>0 compares SCC at dry-off with SCC after calving, helping you answer questions such as:
Are dry cow treatments working as expected?
Are cows entering the next lactation cleaner than when they were dried off?
Are certain groups experiencing more challenges than others?
Because the analysis requires a previous dry period, these reports only apply to cows entering at least their second lactation.
Evaluate the impact of fresh cow SCC on milk production
Research shows that elevated SCC after calving can reduce milk production throughout the lactation and have lasting effects on future performance.
PLOT MILK FOR LACT>1 FTSCC<=200 WITH LACT>1 FTSCC>200 shows a graph comparing lactation curves between cows that freshened with lower SCC levels and those that freshened with higher SCC levels. Seeing the difference can help put a value to milk lost due to udder health challenges and reinforce the importance of proper dry and transition cow management.
To analyze cows in different lactations, replace the LACT=1 or LACT>1 portion of the command with the group you’d like to evaluate.
Monitor mastitis events recorded over time
EVENTS FOR LACT>0\5IO summarizes mastitis events by month and helps verify that cases are being entered accurately and consistently so you have reliable data to work from. It’s also a simple way to spot spikes in mastitis-related treatments.
Use the \S switch to expand or shorten the reporting window and compare trends from year to year.
Identify when mastitis cases occur during lactation
EVENTS\6I breaks mastitis events down by days in milk, allowing you to identify whether infections are more common during specific stages of lactation.
For example, a large percentage of cases occurring within the first 60 days in milk may suggest opportunities to improve transition, fresh cow or early lactation management. Cases occurring later in lactation may point to environmental or housing-related challenges.
Evaluate mastitis treatment protocol usage
EVENTS MAST \5OQ or EVENTS MAST \6Q summarize which mastitis treatment protocols are being used and how often. Reviewing protocol usage over time can help identify shifts in mastitis patterns, training opportunities or areas where treatment protocols may no longer be effective.
If one protocol is being used significantly more than expected, or if usage patterns change suddenly, it may be worth investigating further.
Track milk quality KPIs in PULSE Platform
PULSE Platform is another tool that makes it easy to monitor milk quality and turn herd data into informed decisions. Because it’s cloud-based, you can access herd information wherever you are, whether you’re checking a cow card in a pen or staying connected from hours away. Every DairyComp user has access to a free PULSE Platform account and can invite team members or trusted consultants to view and collaborate on herd data.
HerdSights is a feature within PULSE Platform that gives you customizable dashboards for tracking SCC, subclinical mastitis and mastitis events across the herd, giving you one more way to monitor KPIs on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
Meanwhile, HealthVAL allows you to benchmark performance against similar herds and dig into the true cost of mastitis on your dairy. By assigning an economic value to mastitis cases, you can measure the financial impact of chronic infections and make more informed management and culling decisions.
Want to discover more of what’s possible with DairyComp? Check out our on-demand webinar library and Online Help Center for more resources.
And if you’re not using DairyComp yet, connect with your local farm performance consultant or fill out the farm below to schedule a call and explore how DairyComp can make a difference on your dairy.