Did you know that you could increase your net farm profit by at least 1 cent per litre by improving mastitis control? Learn how at a CellCheck Farmer Workshop......

Participation in a CellCheck Farmer Workshop as part of the Dairy Knowledge Transfer programme is a great opportunity to help you to understand the causes of mastitis and highlight how making simple changes in your everyday milking routine and management can improve and maintain lower SCC levels in your herd. 

Over 150 workshops have been delivered so far, and feedback has been very positive. David Delaney, a dairy farmer from Kilkenny recently attended a workshop. For him ‘the commercial benefit really hit home. I hadn’t realised what a high cell count was costing me, and the impact it could have on production. We previously thought our SCC was pretty good - but it wasn’t until we sat down with the calculator and used our own farm figures that we could see the value from having an SCC just a bit lower. I’m new to this discussion group, and most of them had done a CellCheck workshop a few years ago. But everyone still got something out of doing it again’.

One of the unique features of a CellCheck workshop is that it is delivered by a team consisting of a milking machine technician, a vet, a milk processor quality advisor and a farm advisor. For David ‘there were very relevant and informative discussions on topical issues, like what kind of dry cow therapy was most suitable for our herds. We all had our own ideas about what we’d do, but once we were presented with the science, it was quite clear what we needed to do.’

The workshop is 2.5 hours in duration and is farm-based, with a mixture of classroom style learning, interactive and practical workstations, and group discussion. Group sizes are small to allow plenty of discussion and questions. David ‘enjoyed the breakout groups-there’s a lot more engagement because it’s in a small group, and particular issues can be thrashed out in more detail.’

The next phase of workshop delivery as part of the Dairy KT programme will commence in June. Remember, CellCheck Farmer Workshops aren’t limited to participants of the Dairy KT programme-they are relevant to all dairy farmers and milkers. Contact your nearest CellCheck Regional Coordinator for details of activities in your area.