70-80% of all cows will calve by the end of August, so what you do to control and manage mastitis this month will have a large bearing on the rest of the season. Aim for the BMSCC in the month of August to never exceed 200,000 and average under 150,000.

• Where possible calve springers on the cleanest ground you can. Back fencing springer cows will likely result in more faecal contamination of the udder as cows are forced to sit down in a smaller area.

• Bolster immune defence at calving. Multimin given pre-calving halved the rate of clinical mastitis in a NZ trial.

• Teatspray springers daily if they are coming to the shed – this will both help to condition the teats (make them smooth and soft) and prevent new infection occurring.

• Collect calves twice daily. Studies have shown that the longer the calf stays on the cow, the greater the risk that she gets mastitis.

• Never make springer or colostrums cows run – this may result in blood in the udder and enable bacteria into the teat through leaking milk - cows may also prematurely loose the teat-sealant. Big walks coming back from the run-off close to calving are also a risk.

• Low pressure wash any dirty/muddy teats before the first milking. Dry with paper towels.

• Strip every quarter at the first milking with gloved hands and be fastidious with hand hygiene. Wash hands in between infected cows.

• During the colostrum period hand teatspray before and after cup removal. This will dramatically speed the conditioning of teats. Teatspray concentration should be not less than 1:5 in this period and should have an overall emollient concentration of 15-20%. Apply teat grease to any cows with cracks or chaps.

• On the 4th day in the colostrum mob, RMT test every cow before she exits into the milkers. Treat any clinicals immediately and retain Grade 2 and 3 cows for retesting in 48hrs. Any cows after 48hrs that remain at or increase to Grade 3/clinical should be treated.

• By being the gate keeper and stopping infected cows entering the miking herd you will set the season up for the best quality milk.

• Use anti-inflammatories (Metacam is best) in cows with significant udder swelling (hard, red, painful), in infected quarters. It is the inflammation that causes a quarter to become light. Early anti-inflammatory treatment in conjunction with antibiotics will give the best results.

• Make sure that all staff are fastidious about hygiene before inserting an intramammary into the teat end. The teat end must be cleaned just the same as you would when teat-sealing a cow to ensure no extra bugs are introduced into the udder. Teatspray after insertion.

• Ensure colostrum cows are not overmilked – cups should be on no longer than 9 minutes.

• Monitor your cows’ teats after cup removal – are they excessively swollen, do they feel thick and meaty? This may indicate either an excessive milking time, too high vacuum, a mismatch of inflation to teat size or faulty pulsation.

• Make sure all your staff know the MRS T rules – Mark, Record, Separate and then Treat.