Benchmarking and setting intervention targets for key cell count parameters

Herd Companion uses routine milk-recording records to generate twelve-month rolling averages that indicate performance trends. This article looks at Herd Somatic Cell Count (SCC) and four other SCC-related parameters from 252 National Milk Records (NMR) recorded herds to assess how each parameter correlates with the Herd SCC. The analysis provides evidence for the importance of targeting individual cows with high SCC recordings (>200,000 cells/ml and >500,000 cells/ml) and/or individual cows with repeatedly high SCC recordings (chronic high SCC) and/or cows that begin lactation with a high SCC recording (dry period infection) in order to achieve bulk milk Herd SCC below 200,000 cells/ml.